Birds of Indiana. 807 



have become so nimieroiis that the}'^ eoiild not be overcome by ordi- 

 nary means, is one of great importance, and renders them chiefly bene- 

 factors to the farmers. Their presence in unusual cases in times of 

 great emergency adds much to their value of service to man. In 

 cloudy weather they may often be seen hunting their food by day. 

 Their eggs are laid in April and May, in nests in such situations as 

 have been mentioned at English Lake. They require about three 

 weeks to hatch. But one brood is raised a year. 



82. ttRNUs SYRNIUM Savigny. 



*148. (368). Syrnium nebulosum (Forst.). 



Barred Owl. 



Large size; no ear tufts; general color, umber-brown and buffy 

 whitish; the plumage everywhere barred transversely except on the 

 belly, where the stripes run lengthwise; bill, yellow; eyes, brown-black. 



Length, 19.00-24.00; wing, 13.50-14.00; tail, 9.00-10.00. (Fisher). 



Range. — Eastern North America, west to Dakota and Kansas from 

 Texas and Georgia; north to Manitoba and Nova Scotia. Breeds 

 throughout its range. Resident except at the extreme northern por- 

 tion of its range. 



Nest, ill hollow trees or in deserted hirge birds' nests. Eggs, 3-4; 

 pure white; 1.94 by 1.65. 



Common resident. Breeds. Not so common as it was formerly, and 

 apparently not so numerous in the Whitewater Valley as elsewhere. 

 The following references to counties will give some idea of its num- 

 bers: Knox, common resident (Chansler); Porter, common along the 

 Kankakee River; quite rare in Cook County, Illinois (Parker); Starke, 

 common (Deane); Carroll, the most abundant owl (Evermann); Mon- 

 roe, quite common (Blatchley); Dekalb, common resident (Mrs. Hine); 

 Lake, rather common at Water Valley (Aiken); Wabash, quite abund- 

 ant resident (Ulrey and Wallace); Brown, rather common (Kindle). 



This is the common large muley owl — the big woods owl that has 

 no horns or ears. It is commonly known as the "Hoot Owl," on ac- 

 count of its well-known hooting, which Mr. Robert Ridgway interprets 

 " Who- who-who- who-who-who-who-r-r-e-you ?" although sometimes 

 translated as "Who cooks for you all?" "This call is far louder than 

 the deep bass hooting of the Great Horned Owls, and is also "more 

 varied. Frequently it is preceded by a very loud, blood-curdling 

 shriek, causing the hair of the uninitiated to rise on his head and 

 his knees to tremble for fear that a panther is prowling in the neigh- 

 borhood. When several get together their nocturnal concerts are very 



