86 



full force during March; has its first brood on wing by the middle of 

 June; departs before December, excepting those which spend the 

 winter north. 



Dimensions. Average measurements of fifteen specimens : length, 

 12-60; stretch, 20-75; wing, 6-25; tail, 4-63; culmen, 1-42; gape, 

 1-57; tarsus, 1-14; middle toe, -87; middle toe and its claw, 1-27. 



Family, STRIGID^J. 



126. Bubo virginianus (Gmeliri). GREAT HORNED OWL; "HOOT 

 OWL." A permanent resident; breeds. Have heard its notes at mid- 

 day, in cloudy weather. 



Dimensions. Average measurements of two male specimens : length, 

 21*44; stretch, 53-88; wing, 14-48; tail, 8 63; culmen, measured from 

 frontal feathers, 1-55; from cere, 1-10; tarsus (about), 2-30; middle 

 toe, 2-00; its claw, 1-12. 



127. Seops asio (Zinne). SCREECH OWL; MOTTLED OWL. A 

 permanent resident; abundant; breeds. 



On M*ay 30, 1875, I found a Screech Owl's nest in the hollow bole 

 of a buttonwood-tree, about fifteen feet from the ground. On 

 thrusting my hand into the cavity, it was instantly seized by the old 

 bird, which I drew out of the hole and flung away from me with the 

 utmost dispatch, without reflecting that I was allowing an interesting 

 specimen to escape ; but I removed one of the younglings, and after- 

 ward captured both of the parents, which were in the gray plumage, 

 as were their three young. Two of the young were kept all summer 

 as pets, and were allowed perfect freedom ; towards autumn they left 

 the place, but one of them was found in the woods and brought back, 

 but soon left us again; they were never heard of afterwards. The 

 parent birds were shot at night. On my first nocturnal visit, both 

 birds flew close about my ears, and uttered a curious, deep, guttural 

 sound, like one of the notes of the Black-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus 

 erythrophthalmus} ; sometimes they darted with great swiftness close 

 to my head, and snapped their bills sharply as they passed. 1 killed 

 the female, and shot the male on the following night, when I was as- 

 sailed in the same manner as on the previous evening. 



On the following season, a pair of Golden-winged Woodpeckers 

 (Colaptes auratus} took possession of the owl-tree, and held it until 

 the spring of 1879, when I was again attacked by a pair of Screech 

 Owls, when walking past the tree one dark night. On examination, a 

 single young bird, and an addled egg, were found in the tree; the 

 latter was, of course, appropriated on the spot. The old birds 

 snapped their bills as usual, but also uttered an indescribable cry 

 which was new to me. A few days later, I visited the nest in the day- 



