252 THE BIRDS OF MAINE 



Genus ASIO Brisson. 



S66. Asio wilsonianus (Less.). American Long-eared Owl. 



Plumage : head with conspicuous ear tufts about an inch in length, black, 

 bordered with white and buffy ; " face " buffy with black border ; tail with 

 several cross bars of fuscous ; upper parts dusky with a confused mottling of 

 white or ocbraceous buff; below white and ochraceous buff, streaked on 

 breast and barred on sides and belly with fuscous. Wing 12.00 to 13.00 ; 

 tarsus 1.20. 



Geog. Dist. — North America ; breeding from Nova Scotia and Manitoba to 

 the Gulf States and southern California. 



County Records. — Androscoggin; fairly common resident, (Johnson). 

 Cumberland; not rare, (Mead); common, (Lord). Franklin; common resi- 

 dent, (Richards). Hancock; local resident, not common, (Knight). Ken- 

 nebec; (reported in Hamlin's List). Knox; migrant, (Rackliff). Oxford; 

 breeds rarely, (Nash). Penobscot ; rare resident, oftener seen in fall, 

 (Knight). Piscataquis; not uncommon, breeds, (Homer). Sagadahoc; com- 

 mon spring and fall, (Spinney). Waldo; in fall at least, (Knight). Wash- 

 ington ; not uncommon resident, (Boardman). 



This species is generally distributed as a resident through- 

 out the State but I greatly doubt that it is really what may 

 properly be called common anywhere. In the day time it is 

 very tame, allowing a person to approach quite closely as 

 attested by a series of photographs I once secured of a living 

 bird. They generally roost in rather thickish trees during 

 the day. 



At night they fly with a slow noiseless rather halting motion 

 as if carefully scanning the territory as they pass along. A 

 squeak make by sucking with one's lips pressed tight against 

 the back of hand will often bring the Owl at such times to 

 hover suspended almost in one's very face, until a slight move- 

 ment breaks the spell and away it goes slowly and deliberately. 



In the fall I have often heard a flock of Chickadees engaged 

 in "mobbing" some luckless Owl and on investigating have 

 generally found that the present species or more rarely the 

 Saw-whet Owl was the subject of their indignation meetings. 

 The Owl would sit perched up motionless with wide open star- 

 ing eyes, occasionally snapping its bill with a loud cracking 



