FAMILY Strigide. 
Barred or One of our commonest Owls, resident 
x pobide as throughout the year except at the most 
re ae northerly limit of its range, which is Hudson 
Allthe year Bay and Newfoundland; thence it extends 
south to Kansas and Georgia. Like the Snowy Owl, it is 
round-headed—without ear-tufts. Its colors are a general 
grayish brown, each feather with buffy white bars on the 
sides, its face has well-defined grayish disks surrounding 
dark brown eyes with black pupils, tail with six to eight 
buffy bars, under parts dull white, barred on the breast, 
and broadly streaked with sepia brown on the sides and 
belly. Nest in a holiow tree; sometimes it is a remodeled 
old one of a crow or large Hawk. Egg white, nearly two 
inches long; from two to four are laid. ‘‘In New York,” 
Mr. Eaton writes, “‘it is undoubtedly the commonest Owl 
in the Adirondacks, and is still common in all the more 
wooded districts of the State.’’ It is also one of the most 
familiar Owls of the White Mountain district at all times 
of the year, particularly in the autumn. 
The notes of this Owl are as melodramatic as one can 
possibly imagine, deep-toned, and sentimentally expressive 
of misery—yet that is the human point of view! Possibly 
with his Whoo-whoo-whoo, Wh-whoo, to-whoo-ah—which 
has given the bird the name ‘‘Eight hooter’”’ among the 
Adirondack Woods guides—he addresses his mate in terms 
of endearment, but it does not sound that way! The 
tones are mostly in E, or not far away from it, close to 
the middle C of the piano, and they should appear on 
the musical staff, thus: 
Moderato 
ma vali 
, wT 
i i whoo, whoo, wh-whoo to-whoox Spy 
The next to the last syllable descends the scale indefinitely 
to ah and is entirely different in quality of tone from the 
whoos—it is a sheeplike blatt. There is unending variety to 
the uncanny, mirthless performance of two or three Hoot 
Owls, the sounds mostly suggesting demoniacal and 
derisive laughter. Some authors also attribute to this 
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