218 



THE RAPTORIAL BIRDS OF IOWA 



Mr. R. M. Anderson mentions finding on May 2, 1896, the hind 

 quarters of a large Rat and of a Pocket Gopher in a nest containing 

 a young bird whose eyes were not yet open, and also notes a record 

 by Mr. W. G. Savage of a nest near Hillsboro, Van Buren county, 

 which contained thirty-eight field mice and one quail. 



The variety of their diet, their exceptional ability in capturing their 

 prey, and their cunning in eluding their foes, lead me to believe that 

 they will long survive even in well settled parts of the state, though 

 the very characteristics which make for their successful adaptation 

 to their changing environment will not permit them to exist in any 

 considerable numbers in a given area. It is doubtless well for the 

 farmer that they should not be numerous, for poultry has been dem- 

 onstrated to enter largely into their menu, and they have been known 

 to kill far more at a time than they are capable of devouring at a meal. 



Fig. 88. Map showing the distribution in Iowa of the Great Horned Owl. 



