94 NESTS AND EGGS OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



woods. The hunter often " bags him "as " big game " when he silently 

 rises from a meadow. It is a constant resident throughout North America 

 at large. Nests generally on the ground, without any attempt at nest 

 building, usually collecting together a few twigs, grasses and feathers. 



Hab. North America. 



397. Barred Owl — strix nebulosa. White, spheroidal in shape; three 

 or four; size 2. by 1.65. This sombre looking Owl is a common bird in 

 the wooded lands of Eastern United States, chiefly southerly. Swamps, 

 with a growth of tall timber, is its favorite resorts. The Hoot Owl, or 

 Wood Owl deposits its eggs in the cavity of a tree; less frequently it con- 

 structs for itself a nest of sticks. The deserted nest of a hawk or crow is 



sometimes occupied. Hab. North America, East of the Rocky Mountains, chiefly U. S. 



399. Great Gray Owl — ulula cinerea. Pure white, with surface very 

 smooth; rather oval in shape and small for the bird; ranging from 1.75 by 

 2. to 1.78 by 2.25, and usually three or four in number. This is the 

 largest of North American Owls, and it is a constant resident north of 

 the latitude of Canada. According to those who have observed the bird, 

 it resembles the Barred Owl in habits, frequenting densely wooded coun- 

 try, hiding in the day time and flying about at night. Dr. Brewer describes 

 the nest as placed in trees, composed of sticks and moss, with a lining 



of down. Hab. Northern North America, south in winter to Massachusetts, Illinois and California. 



400. Richardson's Owl — nyctale tengmalmi richardsoni. White, 

 surface very smooth; two to six in number; size 1.25 by 1.05. This spe- 

 cies is rarely seen in the United States, but inhabits the Arctic regions, 

 and it is probably resident in northern Maine, like the Snowy Owl. The 

 nest is built on trees, composed of grass, leaves, etc. Sometimes the eggs 

 are laid in holes of trees, on any loose material that happens to be there. 



Hab. Arctic America; in winter south into the northern border of United States. 



401. Saw-whet Owl — nyctale acadica. White, chalky in appearance, 

 nearly elliptical ; three to six in number; size i. by .87. The Acadian 

 Owl is the smallest member of the family found in Eastern North America, 

 and it inhabits the United States from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and goes 

 further north into British America and ranges southward in wooded, 

 mountainous regions, into Mexico. Its shrill, harsh notes, resembling the 

 filing of a saw, have occasioned its name. The nest is usually made in 

 the hollow of a tree or stump. 



402. Little Screech Owl — scops asio. Pure white, nearly round ; four 

 to eight in number, size about 1.25 by 1.40. In the spring of 1885 a 

 farmer brought me nine young, with the parent birds, which he had taken 



