344 NATL HAL II I STORY OF BIRDS. 



in the ficlil in question, I sliouM think this locality h.i<l been fixed on as a wintering 

 point. There are no trees in the field, and in the daytime the birds rest on the 

 ground. They liunt for food morning and evening, and sometimes on dark days. 

 Throughout this and adjoining to\vnslii])s these owls have been more or less conunon, 

 and many have been brought in by gunners. In j>revious years I have looked on this 

 species as rather rare, and some seasons have passed without my meeting with them. 

 Since writing the above, two other ])oints, at which vast numbei-s of these birds have 

 congregated, h.ave come to my knowledge, and in each case the conditions of locality 

 arc identical with those above described." 



The genus Ki/ctak includes, prob.ibly, but two species, viz., Tengmalm's owl, y. 

 tenr/nnilmi, of Europe (Fig. lo"2), with its American race, called liichardson\s owl, and 

 the Acadian or saw-whet owl, A', acadlca, which is pcctdiar to North America. The 

 genus is marked by its untufted head, heavily feathered feet and toes, and small size. 

 The skull also is extremely a.symmetrical, and especially the ears. 



liichardson's owl is one of the rarest species occurring within the limits of the 

 United States, being only seen there in winter, and very few si>cciinens being taken 

 then. Further north it is more common, but its habits, especially in the breeding 

 season, are little known. Dr. C. II. Merriam gives the following note on it, as observed 

 by 3Ir. t'omeau, at Godbout, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, at its 

 junction with the Gulf. "A common winter resident and very tame. This owl has 

 a low, liijuid note tliat resembles the sound jirodiiced by water slowly dropping from 

 a height ; hence the Montague Indians call it ^«7///;-^«7t'-<*7((s/i, which means ' waler- 

 dri|)])ing bird.' These Indians have a legend that this was at one time the largest owl 

 in the world, and that it had a very loud voice. It one day perched itself near a large 

 waterfall and tried not only to imitate the sound of the fall, l)ut .also to drown the 

 roaring of the torrent in its own voice. At this the Great Spirit was offended, and 

 transformed it into a jiigmy, causing its voice to resemble slowly drii)ping water instead 

 of the mighty roar of a cataract." 



It is a little larger than the mottled owl, and, licsides lacking the pluinicunis, it is 

 at once distinguished by its chocolate-brown color above, spotted with white, and the 

 white under parts striped lengthwise with brown. 



The Acadian owl, Xyctdle acadica, is little more than half the size of llichardson's 

 owl, which it resembles considerably in color. It seems to be less northerly in its 

 distribution, and, although nowhere \'ery abundant, it is jM-ctty generally distributed 

 over the United States, .and extends southward into Jlexico. Tlie young, in its first 

 plumage after the down, is a very different looking bird from the adult, being pretty 

 uniform olive-brown .all over, but paler on the lower breast and belly, the wings and 

 tail with indications of white bars, and the eyebrows ]>ure white, in strong contrast to 

 the Rin-rounding dark color. From this last-named mark it took its name of white- 

 fronted owl, and w.as for years believed to be a genuine species, distinct from acadica, 

 and ])assing luuler the name of (dbifrons. Specimens of this kind, liowever, when 

 kept in confinement, speedily moulted into the full plumage of acadica, and thus 

 settled the (jueslion which had alreaily been raised as to their sjiceifie identity. The 

 n.ame ' saw-whet ' is derived from the suj)])osed resemblance of some notes of the bird to 

 the sounds produced in filing a saw, but it seems prob.ible tliat, in order to ajipreciate 

 the strong resenddance, the listener's imagination needs to be wliettcd at the same tinu-. 



This s))ecies is supposed to nest invariably in holes of trees, but it is not imjiossible 

 that it may sometimes use the deserted nest of some other bird, or even itself build a 



