240 



l«.iii.\ f.'cl fidiu 111,. o,.,,nii.i; 111., fiihaiu-e In I lie tiolf 

 \\;is \vv\ sjiuill. soiuoelv iwu ukIics in liiamclfr. On 

 I liniMnir (Iu> I roe and l(X»ldnji iu tlie hollow, I discov- 

 ered sittinu on (lie hoKoni what I sni>i>(>sed mi^ht be 

 a small owl. rnceitaia as lo ihe liulh. I introduced 

 a small stick into (he hole, and turned the bird over 

 upon her side. sh(> making no stru.njilo whaiever, but 

 lemaiuing jierfeetly still as if dead. I discovered that 

 she \^■as sitting upon a single egg. Supposing that she 

 had hut just commenced laying 1 left her, and did not 

 molest her for several days; on the fifth day after I 

 again examined the nest, and found the bird on hei 

 egg. none fdlier having been laid. T enlarged I he hole, 

 .nid look the egg. leaving the owl quietly silting on il.i" 

 i-oiieii chips which formed the bottom of (he nesv. 



"TIk' egg was white with a bluish tint, like many 

 of the other owls' eggs, nearly globular in fonii. ami 

 considerably smalh'r than the egg of ilic Kid or Mot 

 lied Owl." 



THKY LIVED IN HARMt">NY. 



Dr. Elliot Cones, in liis "Birds of the Northwest," 

 says: "Mr. (Jeutry informs me of a curious circum- 

 stance in regard to this owl. Referring to the associa-' 

 lion of the Burrowing Owl of the west with the prairie 

 dog. he continues: 'In ilie hollow of an oak tree, not 

 far from Oernianlown. lives an individual of tlie com 

 inon chickariH' squirrel {Sciurus hudsonius), with a 

 siiecimcn of Ihis liiile owl as his sole companion. They 

 i>ccupy the same hole Iogeihi»r in perfect harmony and 

 mutual goodwill. Ii is not an accidenlal. UMuporary 

 association, for llie bird and the squirrel have repeat- 

 e<lly been obsei'ved to enter the same hole together, as 

 if llu'y always had shared the apartment. But what 

 henetlt can either derive from the other?' " 



