Vol. XIII 

 1896 



Palmer, The Florida Ground Owl. 



IO7 



out beetles, etc., in the newly burnt prairie. Nearly all of the 

 males and but few females show wearing of the outer edges of the 

 secondaries and tips of the primaries and also of the wing-coverts. 

 This wearing of the feathers is evidently caused by abrasion with 

 the sides of the tunnel, and as the male spends most of his time 

 during the day within the narrow limits of the tunnel, and perhaps 

 has frequent cause for moving, it is but reasonable to suppose that 

 his plumage should be more abraded, which is found to be the 

 case upon comparing our specimens. This habit of the males of 

 standing guard in the tunnels undoubtedly results in a bleaching of 

 the plumage. The darkest and finest plumaged birds that we col- 

 lected are all females, while the lightest colored and most worn and 

 dingy specimens are all males. 



There is some difference between the statements of Messrs. 

 Scott and Rhoads regarding the direction in which the burrows 

 open. Those found by us had no regular direction, but more 

 perhaps opened to the westward than to any other point, which 

 was perhaps due to the ground sloping slightly that way. In the 

 diagram (p. 102) the location of a colony of owls is shown by the 



^>%?'^f4iS 



Section of ground our/ burrour. 



feet. 



''.■>■;.> 



Ground plan. 



burrows being marked as a black spot, the lines radiating on one 

 side representing the direction in which the scratched out materials 

 have been piled. In a few I have indicated the shape and direc- 

 tion of the burrow as examined by us. The distance from the 

 first to the last burrow, as shown on the diagram, is about half a 

 mile. Nearly all the burrows were occupied by a pair of 

 birds, and were in various stages of completion, though none 



