BIRDS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 



143 



streams. No person other than those named below make any mention 

 of this species in the reports received by me from other counties: 



SUBORDER STKIGES. OWLS. 



THE OWLS. 



Ten representatives ot the families Strigidce and Bubonidce are found in Pennsyl- 

 vania. Some are common residents in all parts of the state ; others breed in boreal 

 regions and are found with us as irregular or accidental winter visitants. The little 

 Screech Owl, dressed in his coat of red, or gray, or a mixture of both, is one of the 

 most common and best known birds of this group. He is found in cities and towns 

 as well as in the rural districts ; and in the hollow limbs of trees in old apple orchards 

 he delights to conceal himself in daylight, and also to rear his family. He often is 

 found about barns and other buildings, where he goes in the daytime to hide, or 

 frequently at night, to catch mice, one of his main articles of livelihood. The Great 

 Horned Owl inhabits the woods, but on the approach of night he goes out in quest of 

 food. His visits to the poultry yard are so common that he, also, is familiar to resi- 

 dents of the country, where he is usually known, from his loud cries, as " Hoot 

 Owl." The Barn Owl, a southern bird, breeds sparingly, and most frequently in 

 the southern parts of the commonwealth. The Snowy Owl, which breeds in the 

 Arctic regions, is found here only as an irregular winter sqjourner. Some persons, 

 not versed in ornithological matters, name both the Snowy Owl (N. nyctea) and 

 Barn Owl (S. pratincola) " White " or " Snowy" Owls. Such local names, used to 

 designate the Barn Owl, are confusing and should be discarded. Owls, other than the 

 Long eared and Short-eared species, are usually observed singly ; those that breed 

 here, of course, are often, during the breeding period, seen in pairs, and with their 

 young. In winter Long-eared and Short-eared Owls are found generally in flocks. 



