BIRDS or INDIANA. 813 



They nest in cavities in trees, an old apple tree in an orchard being 

 a favorite place, in old squirrel nests and old buildings. Eggs are 

 laid in May or early June. Incubation is thought to last about three 

 weeks, beginning with the time the first one is laid. Eggs are deposited 

 every two or three days. 



These owls are much more numerous about our towns than they were 

 formerly. English Sparrows have become numerous, and the Screech 

 Owls have found them to be good eating and easily obtained. They 

 keep the number of Sparrows down. In fact, the Sparrows are not 

 nearly so common now as they were a few years ago. The owls are 

 quite nocturnal, sitting through the day with eyes closed, and by ap- 

 proaching carefully, they may often be taken by hand. March 26, 

 1887, I caught one alive on his perch on the lower limb of a small 

 beech tree. The perch had long been occupied, for there was a great 

 quantity of ejected material below the place where it sat. Amongst 

 the refuse I identified the skull of the following: Mice, Synaptomys 

 cooperi, Arvicola riparius, Calomys americanus; fragments of beetles, 

 cicada? and crawfish. Its stomach contained the remains of a shrew. 

 A specimen sent me by Mr. E. L. Gkithrie, Adams, Ind., contained 3 

 crawfish and one minnow. There is no other record of this Owl eat- 

 ing fish. A specimen taken at Brookville, December 31, 1887, had 

 eaten a quantity of butter. Of 255 stomachs reported upon from the 

 Tinted States Department of Agriculture, 1 contained poultry; 38, 

 other birds; 91, mice; 11, other mammals; 2, lizards; 4, batrachians; 1, 

 fish; 100, insects; 5, spiders; 9, crawfish; 7, miscellaneous; 2, scorpions; 

 2, earthworms; and 43 were empty (Bull. No. 3, Div. 0. & M., U. S. 

 Dept. Agr., p. 173). Birds were found in about 15 per cent., fully one- 

 third of which were English Sparrows. 



Throughout the warmer parts of the year insects form quite a large 

 part of its food. "As nearly three-fourths of the Owl's food consists 

 of injurious mammals and insects, and only about one-seventh of 

 birds (a large portion of which are destructive English Sparrows), 

 there is no question that this little owl should be carefully protected" 

 (Dr. A. K. Fisher, Year Book U. S. Dept. Agr., 1894, p. 226). 



86. GBNUS BUBO DUMKBIL. 



152. (375). Bubo virginianus (GMEL.). 



Great Horned Owl. 



Large and heavy. Ear tufts very conspicuous. Plumage, irregu- 

 larly varied with buffy, tawny, whitish, and dusky, one or other of 

 the colors predominating in the different races. The buffy and tawny 



