THE FLORIDA BARRED OWL. 341 



lie on, especially after such a cavity has been used several years in succession. 

 I have found quite a number of their nests with young in such situations, and 

 only a single instance has come under my observation where a pair of these 

 birds made use of an open nest, presumably one occupied the previous season 

 by a pair of Harlan's Hawks, which were seen about this nest when it was 

 first found on February 3, 1891. This nest was situated in a large pine tree, 62 

 feet from the ground, at a point where the trunk divided into several large 

 limbs, and it was placed in the forks thereby formed. It was composed of 

 sticks and Spanish moss, and lined with small twigs, Spanish moss, and feathers 

 from the sitting birds It was found in a wild and desolate spot about 6 miles 

 south of San Mateo, the tree containing the nest standing on the edge of a 

 small but dense cypress swamp. When examined, on February 16, two 

 young Owls were found, one about a day, the other three days old. Both 

 parents were seen, and the female, which was on the nest, after being driven 

 from it, kept on returning to it. 



"Another nest with eggs was found on February 17 in the hollow top 

 of a broken cypress tree standing near the edge of a small swamp, 4J miles 

 south of San Mateo. The eggs, two in number, were about three-fourths incu- 

 bated; they measured 53.5 by 46 and 52 by 44 millimetres. The cavity con- 

 taining the eggs was 56 feet above the ground and so shallow that the tail of 

 the sitting bird could be seen projecting from it. The parent, on being 

 driven from the nest, hooted several times; and it was the first time I ever 

 heard an Owl call when it had eggs. The eggs were lying on pieces of rotten 

 wood and feathers from the birds. After the climber descended from the tree 

 the bird returned to its nest and remained there while our party was in the 

 neigborhood, about fifteen minutes. 



"Another nest, first found on February 18, when it contained a single 

 egg, was left until February 23, in hopes that another might be added to it, 

 in which I was disappointed. The nesting site was a hole in the side of 

 a cypress tree about 28 feet from the ground and about 10 inches deep. 

 The cavity was lined with cypress bark, small twigs, rotten wood, and 

 feathers from the sitting birds. One of the birds was driven from the nest both 

 times it was visited, when it would alight on a tree near by, where it stayed 

 for a little while and then disappeared from sight, remaining away during 

 the time our party was in the vicinity. The parent of another set of two 

 eggs, taken on the same date, remained in the hole while the eggs were being 

 taken. These eggs were within a day or two of hatching. 



"Another set of two was found February 24; one of these eggs had 

 been incubated about six days, the other was quite fresh. These are small 

 and measure only 47.5 by 40.4 and 47.3 by 40.6 millimetres. The nest was 

 in a hole in the side of a very large pine tree, 21 feet from the ground. The 

 cavity was 18 inches in diameter; the eggs were placed on the side opposite 

 the opening, and, indeed, so were all the other eggs when the nest proper 

 was smaller than the cavity. This nest had the bones of small mammals and 



