Bales — On the American Barn Owl. 37 



bation in the eggs varied from one, in which there was just a 

 trace of blood showing, to one that was fully one-half incu- 

 bated. The cavity was forty feet from the ground. 



This same tree was the home of a " happy family." Four 

 feet below the Owl's nest was a den of Fox Sc|uirrels {Sciunis 

 rufivcntcr) that contained four young ones, and the limb and 

 one of the larger branches above the Owl's nest, an occupied 

 nest each of Red-headed Woodpecker (Mclaiicrpcs crytliro- 

 ccphaliis) and Northern Flicker {Colaptcs anratus hiteiis). 



On July 17, 1908, a small colored boy brought me two young 

 Owls ; they were still covered with a grayish white down and 

 showed quite a difference in size. The boy said there were two 

 more in the nest, but that ■ they were much smaller than the 

 ones bi ought to me. These were taken from a hollow in a 

 large sycamore tree, standing on the banks of Hargus Creek, 

 within the corporation limits of Circleville and about a mile 

 west of the nest mentioned above. It is possible that this was 

 the second laying for the same pair of birds. 



On November 11, lOOS, a male in full plumage was brought 

 to me ; it was shot at the ice houses, the same place as the one 

 taken in February. 1908. and on the following day, November 

 12. a female was brought in. This bird was shot from a wil- 

 low tree in day time, in the Scioto River bottoms, west of Cir- 

 cleville. 



While it is possible, and very probable, that there have been 

 other specimens of this species taken in Pickaway County, 

 these, I think, are the only authentic records. 



From the above records, it will be seen that every specimen 

 mentioned was taken in the vicinity of water, indicating that 

 this bird, at least in this locality, has a preference for such sit- 

 uations. 



Tt will also be noticed that all of the specimens were taken 

 within a radius of two and a half miles of Circleville, indicat- 

 ing a preference for the vicinity of dwellings. 



That this Owl is one of the most valuable birds to the agri- 

 cultural interests is shown bv the stomach contents of the 

 three full grown birds that I observed in 1908. 



Stomach No. 1 contained the remains of three mice ; stom- 



