BIRDS OF KANSAS 117 



Hawks, and, on the plains or prairies, in fissures of rocks ; 

 nest scantily lined with leaves and grasses. Eggs two to 

 four, 2.25x1.90; white; in form, subspherical. 



XXXVIII. BURROWING OWL. 



Speotyto cunicularia liypogaea (BoNAP.). 



Resident ; abundant in the middle and western part of 

 the State. Begin laying about the middle of April. 



HABITAT. Western North America ; north to or a little 

 beyond the northern boundary of the United States ; south 

 to Guatemala ; east to middle Texas and Nebraska ; occa- 

 sionally straggle eastward. A specimen captured in New 

 York city, and one in Massachusetts, I think cage birds 

 rather than stragglers, as reported. (The birds in Florida 

 are variety floridana.} 



Iris yellow ; bill light greenish yellow ; cere and claws 

 blackish; feet dull brown. From the measurements I 

 have taken of many, I do not think the sexes differ in 

 size. In all other birds of prey the female is decidedly 

 the larger bird. 



Dr. Coues, in his " Birds of the Northwest," gives the 

 following full and interesting description of its habits: 



" The Burrowing Owl is the only bird of its family in- 

 habiting in any numbers the entirely treeless regions of 

 the West, and may be considered characteristic of the 

 plains. Wherever it can find shelter in the holes of such 

 animals as wolves, foxes and badgers, and especially of the 

 various species of marmot squirrels, there it is found in 

 abundance; and in not a few instances small colonies are 

 observed living apart from their ordinary associates, in 

 holes apparently dug by themselves. They constitute a 



