262 DAVKNPORT ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



"Ill i860 my father shot one. I have not known them to occur 

 since. There is no mistake in this owl. My father shot it in a 

 tree standing in our dooryard one night, and it was nothing else 

 but a Great Gray Owl." David L. Savage, writing in 1894, says: 

 "A friend in Van Buren county shot a Great Gray Owl a few 

 winters ago. This is the only time I ever heard of this species 

 being found in Iowa, but the identity is certain." 



Genus Cryptogi.aux Richmond. 



165. (372). Crvptoglaux cccadica (Gmel.). Saw-whet Owl. 



The little Saw-whet or Acadian Owl is generally distributed 

 throughout the state, being most frequently observed in winter, 

 although a few observers report it as a rare resident. It seems 

 to be somewhat irregular in its occurrence, being tolerably com- 

 mon at times and then not seen again in the same locality for sev- 

 eral years. More specimens have been taken in October and 

 November than any other months. 



"It is known to breed quite regularly across the river from 

 Omaha and probalily does on the Nebraska side also" (Rev. Bds. 

 Neb., 1904, 55). Dr. Trostler also records it as a .scarce .summer 

 resident in Pottawattamie county. D. I^. Savage writes: "The 

 6th of May, 1S93, while out in the woods, I shot a female Saw- 

 whet Owl, the first one I have found in this county" (Henry). 



On March 16, 1S93, some boys presented me with a live Saw- 

 whet Owl which they had caught alive two days Ijefore, near 

 Forest City, as it dozed on the limb of a low tree. I kept it in 

 captivity eight months and found it unusually mild-tempered, 

 never attempting to bite or scratch. From the first day I got it 

 the owl would take birds or mice from my hands and eat them. 

 Frequently during the night its querulous whistle could be heard 

 repeated again and again. Another was captured which had 

 flown against a store window, Nov. 6, 1894. 



"Of 22 stomachs examined, 17 contained mice; i, a bird; i, an 

 in.sect, and three were empty" (Fisher). 



Genus Meg.^scops Kaup. 



166. (373). McQ;ascops asio (Linn.). Screech Owl. 



The Screech Owl is by far the commonest Owl in Iowa, being 

 found throughout the year in all parts of the state. It occurs 



