OWLS i259 



Geog. Dist. — Eastern North America, north to New Brunswick and Minne- 

 sota, south to Georgia, west to the Plains ; resident where found ; accidental 

 in England. 



County Dist. — Androscoggin ; common resident, (Johnson) . Aroostook ; 

 occasional at least, probably more frequent than data at hand would show, 

 (Knight). Cumberland; rare, (Mead) ; common, (Lord). Franklin; rare 

 resident, (Richards). Hancock; rare resident, (Dorr), Kennebec; very 

 rare, (Gardiner Branch). Knox; migrant, (Rackliff). Oxford; breeds, 

 (Nash). Penobscot; rare resident, (Knight). Piscataquis; rare, (Homer). 

 Sagadahoc; one specimen in late fall, (Spinney). Somerset; resident, 

 (Morrell). Waldo; (Spratt). Washington; very rare, (Boardman). York; 

 breeds, (Adams). 



Though generally distributed as a resident species in the 

 State it seems at the best rather rare as a rule. The odd varia- 

 tion in plumage occurs among young in the same nest in cases 

 where both parents are of the light or dark phase and the young 

 of both phases in some cases. There seems no good ground 

 for attributing this coloration to anything but individual 

 variation. A majority of the birds I have seen in Maine were 

 of the gray phase of plumage, though I have also seen a few 

 of the red phase. 



They generally nest in hollow trees, using either natural 

 cavities or the deserted ones of Woodpeckers, seemingly pre- 

 ferring to frequent old orchards and the vicinity of dwellings, 

 though also frequenting open hard woods. 



They utter a peculiar quavering call at night, especially dur- 

 ing the nesting season, varying this by hissings and snappings 

 of the bill They are especially voluble in the snapping and 

 hissing line when annoyed by human beings or mobbed by 

 small birds, which latter event is very prone to occur if they 

 venture abroad or are discovered at roost in an unprotected 

 spot in the daytime. 



The incubating bird, both take part, usually refuses to leave 

 the nest when the tree containing it is rapped, but will usually 

 poke its head out the entrance to see what is going on. 



The eggs are pure white and slightly glossy, being three to 

 seven in number. Six taken at Oberlin, Kansas, March 21, 



