256 thp: birds of maine 



Geog. Dist. — Arctic America, breeding far north ; in winter straggling 

 south to southern New England, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Illinois, 

 Idaho, and northern Montana. 



County Records. — Androscoggin; (Pike). Cumberland; six specimens 

 known additional to those in Smith's List, (Everett Smith) ; a few occa- 

 sionally, (Lord). Franklin; very rare, (Swain). Hancock; rare, (Dorr). 

 Kennebec; one at Augusta in December, 1887, (E. Smith). Knox: winter, 

 (Rackliff). Oxford; rare visitant, (Nash). Penobscot; according to S. L. 

 Crosby many were taken one winter in the early '90's, and I have seen one 

 or two at Crosby's shop nearly every winter since, (Knight). Piscataquis; 

 rare winter visitor, (Homer). Sagadahoc; one taken near Bath, this was 

 some fifteen years ago, (Spinney). Waldo; one is in the collection of the 

 Boston Society of Natural History, from Stockton Springs, (Allen, Auk 1908, 

 p. 234). Washington; rare, winter only, (Boardman). York; one taken at 

 Biddeford March 2, 1890, (E. Smith). 



This species is ordinarily a rare winter bird, only three or 

 four individuals being ordinarily taken at scattered localities 

 in a winter, but occasionally there comes a year when the 

 species occurs in comparatively large numbers, perhaps forty 

 or fifty being taken such seasons. They appear to have been 

 taken at varying times from early November until March sec- 

 ond. 



In the Fur Countries and other Arctic regions the species 

 builds a nest of sticks, lined with leaves and feathers in some 

 tree such as pine, spruce, poplar or other tree at a height of 

 twenty to thirty feet from the ground. Two or three white 

 eggs are laid. The nesting period appears to range so that 

 eggs are found from as early as late April until late June 

 according to locality. An egg is said to measure 2.16 x 1.71, 

 (Davie). The birds frequent thick woods and feed on mice, 

 small mammals and birds. 



Genus CRYPTOGLAUX Richmond. 



371. Cryptoglaux tengmalmi richardsoni (Bonap.). Rich- 

 ardson's Owl; American Sparrow Owl. 



Plumage of adults : grayish brown above, spotted with white on head and 

 back and with partial bars of same on tail ; below white or whitish, streaked 

 with grayish brown ; the thickly feathered feet and legs barred with gray 



