IK A. Stockard, Nesting Habits of Mississippi Birds. lApr 



they returned each day about sunset to their familiar feeding shelf and 

 cried for food; after being gorged they flew away again to the near-by 

 wood. They continued this habit for about one month after being liber- 

 ated ; I then left this locality and so was unable to observe them longer. 



27. Megascops asio. Screech Owl. — The Screech Owl is abun- 

 dantly distributed over all parts of Mississippi. Its shivering screechy 

 cry is commonly heard around the farmhouses at night. This owl will 

 also nest year after year in the same hollow. They usually select a small 

 cavity such as an old Flicker's burrow or natural cavity and in this they 

 build a shabby nest of small sticks, but in two instances observed the 

 eggs have been found lying on the soft chips in the bottom of wood- 

 peckers' burrows with no attempt at a nest. One pair was found nesting 

 in a box that had been prepared for Purple Martins. The sets were all 

 rather small in comparison with those reported from other parts; never 

 more than four and usually three eggs composed them. The earliest set 

 was taken March 14, 1903' and the latest on May 3, 1902, well incubated 

 and placed in the martin box mentioned above. Both red and gray types 

 of this owl were common and the two types mate together about as often 

 as they mate straight. The broods are commonly mixed, some individ- 

 uals being red and others gray. This might prove interesting material 

 for the study of inheritance. 



28. Bubo virginianus. Great Horned Owl. — Occasional individ- 

 uals of virginianus are seen throughout the State. They probably nest 

 also, as they are found at all seasons, but I have never been so fortunate 

 as to locate their breeding places. 



29. Coccyzus americanus. Yellow-billed Cuckoo. — This species is 

 very common during spring and summer. It selects the wooded borders 

 of streams and young groves as nesting localities. The nest is built 

 much on the same general plan as that of the Mourning Dove, being so 

 thin and loosely constructed that the eggs are usually visible through its 

 floor. It is placed at a moderate height, ranging from eight to twenty 

 feet above the ground, and in almost all cases rests upon a horizontal 

 branch some distance from the trunk of the tree. Though sets of as 

 many as six eggs are reported from other States, I have never seen more 

 than two eggs in a nest. The earliest nesting date noted was May 5, 

 1896, and the latest was June 21, 1899. They are late layers and appar- 

 ently have a long breeding season. 



30. Ceryle alcyon. Belted Kingfisher. — This is a familiar fisher- 

 man in almost all of the lakes and streams. Its burrows are seen in the 

 perpendicular banks of nearly all creeks and rivers, and they are also 

 noted some distance from water in the sandy cliffs of hills. The tunnel- 

 like burrow often extends back as far as eight feet, and rarely less than 

 five. It is an almost cylindrical tunnel until the back portion is reached, 

 where it flares out, forming a considerable chamber, ten or twelve inches 

 across and with its top and floor scooped so as to give concave surfaces. 

 These burrows are usually straight but occasionally bend at an angle, 



