178 THE BIRDS ABOUT Us. 



tide, but is, of course, not the alert, active, intelligent 

 bird that we see voluntarily coming out in the gloam- 

 ing, and with great, staring, but not stupid, eyes, sur- 

 veying the land prior to a night's hunt for mice or 

 small birds. 



Ridgway's Manual gives us eighteen species of 

 owls, and the inevitable variety bobs up on nearly 

 every possible occasion. His list commences with 

 the beautiful Barn-owl, a cosmopolitan bird ; or at 

 least the various " species" of barn-owl are so much 

 alike that there is no danger of mistaking them for 

 any other. They are smooth-headed, straw-colored, 

 and richly sprinkled with pearly spots ; by these signs 

 ye may know them. 



The distribution of this owl over the United States 

 is somewhat irregular, and in New England it is rare, 

 and even wanting in many districts. It was accounted 

 rare, too, in the neighborhood of Philadelphia some 

 years ago, but appears to be pretty common now in 

 Central New Jersey, and I suppose also in Eastern 

 Pennsylvania. Warren states that he has not found 

 it breeding in this part of the State, but Gentry has, 

 and I have found several nests on my own farm in 

 Mercer County, New Jersey. These nests were all 

 in hollow trees (old oaks), and in one instance the 

 birds and their brood remained during an entire year. 

 Another nest in the same tree was broken up and one 

 of the old birds captured, but the bereaved widower 

 (or widow) soon got another mate and was to all 

 appearances happy as ever. 



The most far-reaching, shrillest scream that I have 

 ever heard uttered by a bird was made by one of 



