OF NEW ENGLAND. 333 



of entering a darkened chamber, and observing the eyes of 

 a grim ancestral portrait, as they everywhere follow one, as 

 if to shame one out of some degeneracy. It is often diffi- 

 cult to start these owls, but sometimes, if your back is turned, 

 they take the opportunity to glide away silently, and I have 

 observed that on such occasions they do not seern to be milch 

 embarrassed by the light. They hunt at night, and are said to 

 feed upon small birds, mice, snakes, frogs, and also larger 

 game. I am inclined to believe that the males and females 

 live apart except in the early spring-season, when their hoot- 

 ings are heard, even during the day. 



(d). Their hootings are guttural, and rather startling, 

 though ludicrous. Audubon thought that they might be com- 

 pared to an affected burst of laughter. It has been asserted 

 that the voice of the male is much weaker than that of his 

 mate, as well as much less often heard. 



IV. NYCTALE 



(A) TENGMALMT (var. RICHARDSON!). American (Sparrow) 

 Old. Richardson's Owl. 



(In Massachusetts, extremely rare.) 



(a). About 10 J inches long. Except in size, essentially 

 like N. Acadica (B). 



(/>). Dr. Brewer describes one egg as measuring 1-28 XI '06 

 of an inch. 



(c). The American Sparrow Owl is another species, whose 

 occurrence in Massachusetts, even as a winter-visitor, is quite 

 accidental, and about \vhose habits not much is apparently 

 known by modern ornithologists. I have never seen one alive, 

 and I shall therefore quote the brief biography of Audubon, 

 who in his turn is obliged to quote from Richardson. 



" I procured a fine male of this species at Bangor, in Maine, 

 on the Penobscot, in the beginning of September, 1832 ; but 

 am unacquainted with its habits, never having seen another 

 individual alive. Mr. TOWNSEND informs me that he found it 

 on the Malade River Mountains, where it was so tame and 

 unsuspicious, that Mr. NUTTALL was enabled to approach within 



