BARN OWL. 



Strix piatincola. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Length of female about 18 inches; extent of wings about 

 43. The male is rather smaller; no ear tufts; facial disc well 

 developed but not circular; eyes black and rather small; lower 

 part of long tarsus (shin) has short stiff feathers; toes nearly 

 naked, but with some hair-like feathers; feathers of body 

 downy. Colors brownish, ashy and white. 



Habitat.— Warmer parts of North Carolina, from the Mid- 

 dle States, Ohio valley, and California southward through 

 Mexico. Resident but not common in southern portions of 

 Pennsylvania. 



The Baiu Owl because of its supposed resemblance 

 to a monkey is frequently called "Monkey-faced Owl." 

 This bird is highly beneficial to the farmer as it sub- 

 sists chiefly on mice and rats. It never commits dep- 

 redations in the poultry yard and rarely does it de- 

 stroy insectivorous birds. Notwithstanding the good 

 this bird does by devouring legions of voracious ro- 

 dents, it, in common with other species of the owl 

 tribe, is destroyed by farmers and sportsmen who be- 

 lieve they are doing that which will be a help to the 

 IxMiltry and game interests. 



Tills species breeds regularly in Chester, York, Lan- 

 caster, Cumberland and Dauphin counties of this 

 State; and no doubt in other counties also. However, 

 from the best information I can obtain it is a rather 

 rare visitor north of the southern part o-f Pennsyl- 

 vania, where in some sections, it is resident. 



THE NEST AND EGGS. 



I have never found the nest of this species, concern- 

 ing which Prof. Gentry writes as follows: 



"In the selection of a place for nesting purposes, these owls 

 15-11 



