66 NORTH AMERICAN OOLOGY. PART 1. 



speaks of it as not common in Louisiana, althongli occasionally found there. Dr. 

 Hall mentions it as abundant in the vicinity of Montreal. It is also said to be 

 frequently met with in Ohio, Minnesota, and Oregon. Dr. Heermann mentions it 

 as not rare in California, although Dr. Gambel does not appear to have met with it 

 in his investigations in that quarter. Dr. Woodhouse, in his report of the expe- 

 dition to the Zuni River, speaks of finding this noisy little Owl very abundant 

 throughout the Indian Territory, but adds that he did not meet with it so frequent- 

 ly in Texas. 



The nest of this species is always constructed m hollow trees or stumps, most 

 frequently in orchards in the vicinity of farm-houses, and not more than six or seven 

 feet from the ground. Mr. Audubon states, however, that he has sometimes found 

 them at the height of thirty or forty. Mr. Nuttall gives some interesting facts 

 showing the provident habits of this Owl in procuring for its young a great super- 

 abundance of food. He found in the nest of a single pair, in the hollow stump of 

 an apple-tree, which contained a brood of these young Owls, several Bluebirds, 

 Blackbirds, and Song-Sparrows. 



The Screech-Owl can hardly be said to construct any nest, but lines the hollow 

 in which it rears its young with a few loose leaves, dry grasses, and feathers. The 

 eggs are usually five or six in number, are pure white, and nearly round. Their 

 average measiirement is ly\ inches in length by 1 ^^^ in breadth. 



SCOPS McCALLII. 



Ephialtes choliba, Lawrence, Annals of New York Lyceum of Nat. Hist. VI, 1853, 4. 

 Scops McCallii, Cassin, Syn. N. A. Birds (lUiist. Birds of Cal.), 1854, p. 180. 



VuLG. — The Western Mottled Owl McCalVs Mottled Owl. Tejolole (Berlandier). 



This is a new species recently described by Mr. Cassin, and little is as yet known 

 as to the extent of its geographical distribution. The first specimen of this Owl 

 ever obtained was taken by E. S. Holden, Esq. near Sacramento, and described by 

 George S. Lawrence, Esq. of New York, as Ephialtes choliha, Vieill. (StrLv cm- 

 cif/cra, Spix). It Avas found in Texas by Mr. Schott, and in Northern Mexico by 

 Lieutenant Couch. It also occurs in the collection of Dr. Berlandier, now in the 

 possession of the Smithsonian Institution, and was obtained in the Province of 

 Tamaulipas in Eastern Mexico. An egg in the same collection, of this species, 

 measures lj\ inches in length by -i| of an inch in breadth. Its shape is nearly 

 that of a sphere, and the color is a clear crystal-white. 



