178 



THE HAWKS AND OWLS OF THE UNITED STATES. 



MAMMALS — coutinued . 



Neotoma mexicava. 

 Neotoma cinerea. 

 Tamias dorsalis. 

 Onychomys torridiis. 

 Onychomys leucog aster. 

 Sitomys eremicus. 

 Spermophilus grammurus. 

 Spermophilus harrisi. 

 Fiber zibethictis. 

 Fiber zibethicns arizonce. 

 iSciuriis niger ludovivianus. 

 Arvicola riparius. 



Ballus crepitans. 

 Colinus virginianus. 

 Bonasa umbellus. 

 Tympanuchus am ericanus. 

 Acdpiter cooperi. 



Arvicola austerus. 

 Arvicola lovgicaudus. 

 Arvicola paiiperrimus. 

 Arvicola mordax. 

 Blarina brevicauda. 

 Mns musculus. 

 Mas decumanus. 

 VespertiUo noctivagans. 

 Evotomys gapperi. 

 Sorex. 



Sciuropterus volucella. 

 Perodipus ordii. 



BIRDS. 



Chondestes grammacua, 

 Junco hycmalis. 

 Mimus polyglottos. 

 Merula migratoria. 



The Horned Owl breeds throughout its entire range, and is one of the 

 earliest of the rapacious birds to commence family duties. In the 

 southern part of its range the eggs are deposited in December and Janu- 

 ary, and in northern Alaska, Mr. Robert Kennicott found eggs in the 

 early part of April. So cold was the weather at the time that the eggs 

 were frozen while being carried to the fort. In the Northern and East- 

 ern States it breeds in correspondingly cold weather, and in southern 

 New York, in the month of February, the writer once observed icicles 

 hanging from a nest which contained two eggs. Snow had fallen the 

 previous day and probably had covered the setting bird as well as the 

 rim of the nest. The warmth from the bird's body melted the snow, 

 and the water which passed through the bottom of the nest soon con- 

 gealed again in the frosty air and formed the icicles. 



That this Owl does occasionally build its own nest is undoubtedly true, 

 but in these sections, where old nests of hawks and crows are common, 

 it usually remodels one of them and adds a sparse lining of evergreen 

 leaves and feathers from its body as a finishing touch. The situation 

 of the nest is varied. It may be placed among the branches of a tree 

 or in a hollow trunk or limb. In the South the habit of nesting in 

 hollow trees is much more common than northward, and, according to 

 Mr. Maynard, it is a nearly universal habit with the bird in Florida. In 

 the former case the nest is more or less bulky; when built in a hollow 

 tree it is little more than a lining to the cavity. The nest is more often 

 found in evergreen than in deciduous trees, and is usually placed in a 

 crotch near the top. In localities where suitable trees are scarce the 

 bird has been known to place its nest in even a crevice of a rocky cliff. 

 The number of eggs in a set is usually two, though three or four are 



