BARRED OWL— COMMON' GRAY OWL. 125 



truth midway. Of course in all species there are occasionally 

 extraordinary individuals ; but putting these aside, I can safely 

 state that, in the general run of specimens, the female exceeds the 

 male in length and extent by from two to four, rarely five inches. 

 Both sexes, however, are much the same in plumage. 



One very remarkable feature in this Owl is the color of the eye, 

 which is w^holly bluish black, and not unlike a very large bluish 

 black glass bead. Yet I have seen innumerable stuffed specimens 

 throughout Canada, and even in some public museums gazing 

 fiercely out of their cases with the large orange-yellow colored 

 eyes of the Great Horned Owl. Doubtless such gave more 

 expression to the otherwise modest and meek physiognomy of 

 this bird, but the expression was a most unnatural one, and woe- 

 fully belied its true character. Where nature is thus ignored in 

 stuffed specimens, these are worse than worthless. 



The Barred Owl is often met with during- the winter months 

 in Canada, and hunts during the day. It preys at this season 

 largely upon small birds and squirrels, and sometimes frequents 

 the neighborhood of the out-buildings of a farm house, where, 

 besides mice and rats, it may occasionally quietly make off with 

 some poultry or tame pigeons. Its vision is unimpaired by the 

 sun-light, and I have found it an exceedingly difficult matter to 

 get within gun-shot of some of them. Their flight is remarkably 

 noiseless, and one might pass within a few paces of a person 

 without his attention being directed towards it, did its shadow on 

 the white snow not betray it. The Barred Owl seldom makes 

 long flights, but when disturbed or pursued, flits from one bushy 

 tree to another, describing a series of short curves. It is often 

 difficult to tell what part of the tree is reached, as the bird though 

 entering it below the lowermost branches, afterwards suddenly 

 ascends to some of the topmost boughs, where it is not easy to 

 discover it. 



In summer these Owls betake themselves to the more heavily 

 wooded sections of the country, and are but seldom seen in the 

 vicinity of our towns and cities. They frequently visit the sur- 



