178 THE Birps Asout Us. 
tide, but is, of course, not the alert, active, intelligent 
bird that we see voluntarily coming out in the gloam- 
ing, and with great, staring, but not stupid, eyes, sur- 
veying the land prior to a night’s hunt for mice or 
small birds. 
Ridgway’s Manual gives us eighteen species of 
owls, and the inevitable variety bobs up on nearly 
every possible occasion. His list commences with 
the beautiful Barn-owl, a cosmopolitan bird; or at 
least the various “ species” of barn-owl are so much 
alike that there is no danger of mistaking them for 
any other. They are smooth-headed, straw-colored, 
and richly sprinkled with pearly spots ; by these signs 
ye may know them. 
The distribution of this owl over the United States 
is somewhat irregular, and in New England it is rare, 
and even wanting in many districts. It was accounted 
rare, too, in the neighborhood of Philadelphia some 
years ago, but appears to be pretty common now in 
Central New Jersey, and I suppose also in Eastern 
Pennsylvania. Warren states that he has not found 
it breeding in this part of the State, but Gentry has, 
and I have found several nests on my own farm in 
Mercer County, New Jersey. These nests were all 
in hollow trees (old oaks), and in one instance the 
birds and their brood remained during an entire year. 
Another nest in the same tree was broken up and one 
of the old birds captured, but the bereaved widower 
(or widow) soon got another mate and was to all 
appearances happy as ever. 
The most far-reaching, shrillest scream that I have 
ever heard uttered by a bird was made by one of 
