SCREECH OWL. 31 



flew at the report of the gun from somewhere 

 near the margin, opposite to the female's side : but 

 though we made considerable noise in entering 

 the area, and in talking, the boy in descending 

 discovered him perched still near the margin of the 

 cavern. At length, however, he flew off. As the 

 sitting bird had concealed herself, and could not 

 be found, I determined to leave the eggs untouched, 

 presuming she would soon return to them. In 

 the course of half-an-hour I returned, and had the 

 satisfaction of seeing her again on the eggs : I 

 fired, and this time not vainly. In her fall she 

 crushed one of the eggs, which had evidently been 

 in contact with the skin of her abdomen, that part 

 being wholly denuded of feathers. The remaining 

 eggs were advanced towards hatching in very dif- 

 ferent degrees, and one was found on dissection in the 

 oviduct of the bird, completely shelled, and ready 

 for deposition. The yolk of this was small in quan- 

 tity, and of a pale yellow tint. Other eggs in the 

 ovary were from the size of large shot downward. 



About the middle of October, my notice was 

 drawn to some Owls, which were said to make 

 nightly visits to a certain tree in a provision ground 

 at Belmont. I visited the spot the next evening, 

 after sunset; it was a large cotton-tree, with a 

 spur more than usually immense and uncouth. 

 The rounded top of this spur was the scene of 

 the Owls' gambols: as I approached, I heard them 

 uttering the same harsh sound, half hiss, half 

 scream, that had characterized the young one. As 

 it was nearly dark, their white forms were indistinct, 



