THE OOLOGIST. 



55 



Wren is derivt'd from the peeular liabit 

 of tlieii' nesting in the eacti. The nest 

 is a bulky atiair made of dried grass 

 and Aveeds and lined with feathers. 



Many of the nests I examined eon- 

 tained a lining of two or more inches in 

 thickness, I suppose this to be partly to 

 protect the eggs from the cactus thorns 

 and as the outside of the nest is not 

 A-ery compact, to protect the eggs from 

 the cold. The typical nest will mea- 

 sure 8 X 14 inches. It is purse shaped, 

 with an entrance near the top. Some 

 extraordinary specimens. I have seen 

 had a neck like a l)ottle attached to the 

 nest, but this is seldom. They most al- 

 ways build in the cacti, but some times 

 I have found their nests in the chap- 

 arral. The Cactus Wren begins to 

 build about the tirst of March, patching 

 up the old nest or building a new one 

 on top of the old. Like most other 

 birds that breed iu colonies, they all 

 begin to lay about the same date. 

 That is, if you find one nest in a colony 

 containing three or four eggs, you can 

 calculate on finding all of the others 

 containing the same complement. 



When fresh, the eggs are of a deep 

 salmon color, but on being blown fade 

 to dull carmine. The average comple- 

 ment is five. I believe they rear three 

 In-oods during a season, as I have 

 ft)und fresh eggs as late as June. 



WaLTEU RiClIAKDSON, 



' Los Augele.s Co., Cala. 



Habits of a Screech Owl in Captivity. 



I had the good fortune of having the 

 opportunity afforded me last fall, to 

 study the hal)its of a Screech Owl in 

 captivity, and I thought that it might 

 interest some of the readers of the 



OOLOGIST. 



He was about eight or ten inches in 

 length, and his wings measured eight- 

 een inches from tip to tip. His plum- 

 age was the usual grey. 



He had a marvellous appetite, de- 



vouring anything, whether cooked or 

 raw. He was very fond of mice, catch- 

 ing them by the neck he would com- 

 mence swallowing them, Init it was or 

 seemed to be very difficult for he strain- 

 ed and forced until his mouseship dis- 

 appeared. When all had been swallow- 

 ed but the tail, the owl quit swallowing 

 and the weight of the mouse would pull 

 it in slowly. 



It required from four to five hours to 

 digest a mouse, at the end of that time 

 he disgorged the fur which looked like 

 chewed felt; it Avas oblong, about an 

 inch and a half in length by half an 

 inch in diameter. When I examined 

 the ball, I found no trace of the bones, 

 which as I have read are thrown up 

 with the fur. This surprised me. 

 Therefore, I came to the conclusion 

 tiiat , the mice must have been very 

 young and the bones had not hardened, 

 or that his gastronomical construction 

 must have been very powerful. 



His temper was fearful. He fought 

 and snapped his bill at a great rate 

 when anyone came near the cage. If 

 a stick was put through the bars of the 

 cage he would fly at it with force 

 enough to knock it out of your hand. 

 The climax was reached one day when 

 a dog came near his cage; he flew from 

 one side to the other snapping and 

 clawing furiouslj'. He would keep this 

 up until the dog woidd get out of sight, 

 then he would settle do\vn and become 

 as so))er as a judge. 



He was very sensitive to light and on 

 being brought near a whitewashed fence 

 on which the sun was shining the pupil 

 of the eye next to the fence would con- 

 tract till it appeared to be a mere speck 

 while the other was some what larger. 

 If taken into a darkened room you 

 could see the pupils dilate until it seem- 

 ed as if his eye was all pupil. 



This was his most interesting trait. 

 R. W. Pattersox, 

 Wood Co., W. Va. 



