254 THE BIRDS OF MAINE 



at Dover, November 1, 1901, (Ritchie). Sagadahoc ; common spring and fall, 

 (Spinney). Somerset ; at least occasional, (Knight). Waldo ; in fall at 

 least, (Knight). Washington ; not uncommon resident, (Boardman). York; 

 (Butters). 



The species is a rare and local resident occurring in rather 

 widely scattered localities throughout the State. They prefer 

 to frequent the grassy marshes and meadows of the coast and 

 in the interior along the streams and about the ponds. They 

 are generally flushed from almost under one's feet in the 

 meadows and marshes and do not go far before alighting 

 again in the marsh. 



Four to twelve white or slightly creamy tinged eggs are laid 

 and these are rather dull in lustre. The nest is of a few sticks 

 and grasses on the ground on broken down masses of rushes 

 and reeds and sedges or on a muskrat house or some similar 

 place in a sedgy meadow or marsh. Five from Devil's Lake, 

 North Dakota, taken May 31, 1895, measure 1.52 x 1.26, 

 1.55 X 1.24, 1.55 X 1.24, 1.51 x 1.23, 1.55 x 1.26. 



The only noise I have ever heard the birds make is a snap- 

 ping of the bill which is a way of expressing displeasure pecu- 

 liar to all Owls. They eat mice and other small mammals, as 

 well as occasionally a few birds. 



Genus SYRNIUM Savigny. 



368. Syrnium varium Barton. Barred Owl; American 

 Wood Owl; Round-headed Owl; Hoot Owl; Black-eyed Owl. 



Plumage : above grayish brown, each feather barred with whitish or buff y ; 

 tail barred with six to eight bars of pale brown or whitish ; face gray with 

 fuscous mottlings ; below white or buffy, barred on the breast and streaked 

 on the sides and belly with fuscous ; eyes dark brownish black. 



Geog. Dist. — Eastern United States, south to Florida, north to Nova Scotia 

 and Quebec, west to Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas and Texas ; resident and 

 breeding throughout almost its entire range. 



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

 Aroostook ; resident of the wooded sections of the county, (Knight). Cum- 

 berland; resident, rare in summer, (Brown, C. B. P. p. 20). Franklin; 

 common resident, (Richards). Hancock; common resident, (Dorr). Ken- 

 nebec; common, (Powers). Knox; winter, (Rackliff). Oxford; breeds 



