OF NEW ENGLAND. 339 
‘‘ Some time since the building in which my pet was kept 
was torn down, and the bird was absent for two weeks; but a 
new building has been erected near the site of the old one, and 
_ to-day I found Scops in the new cellar, sitting on a projecting 
stone of the wall, as much at home as in the old place. From 
this it can be seen that its affection for locality is very strong. 
Notwithstanding Scops’ long absence it is as tame as ever, 
taking its food from my hand, and behaving in the old man- 
BER a He? 
(d). The ordinary note of the Screech Owl is a tremulous, 
continued hooting, repeated at short intervals. Wilson has 
likened this to the ‘‘shivering moanings of a half frozen 
puppy ;” it resembles somewhat the distant baying of a fox- 
hound, though not so deep. In spring, it is varied to what is 
more like an unearthly laugh, and it is not surprising that by 
the superstitious this cry should be considered ill-boding ; yet 
there is almost a fascination in listening to it. 
VI. BUBO 
(A) virernianus. Great Horned Ouwl. 
(In Massachusetts, a resident throughout the year.) 
(a). Extreme length, twenty-seven inches. Plumage vari- 
able; but large ear-tufts and white throat-patch constant. A 
fine specimen before me is marked with dark brown, whitish, 
and tawny. Above, finely variegated; tail, primaries, etc., 
distinctly barred. Beneath, more or less finely barred; under 
tail-coverts, pale, with a few waves of dark brown. 
(b). The Great Horned Owls are said to sometimes lay their 
eggs in the hollow of a tree, or even in the fissure of a rock. 
Usually, however, they build a large nest of sticks, at some 
height above the ground, next to the trunk of a pine or occa- 
sionally a hemlock. For this purpose, they choose some dark 
and unfrequented wood, where in March, or even February, 
they lay their eggs, three or four in number. These measure 
2:25 & 1:90 of an inch, or more, and are white, or sometimes 
yellowish. 
(c). The Great Horned Owls are the most spirited and de- 
