OWLS 315 



Range. Gulf and S. Atlantic States from se. Tex. to S. C., chiefly near 

 the coast. 



Nesting date, Archer, Fla., Mch. 31. 



375. Bubo virginianus virginianus (Gmel). GREAT HORNED OWL. 



Ads. Size large; ear-tui'ts conspicuous, nearly two inches in length; upper- 

 parts mottled with varying shades of ochraceous-buff and black; facial 

 disk ochraceous-buff; ear-tufts black and ochraceous-buff; a white patch 

 on the throat, rest of the underparts ochraceous-buff, barred with black; 

 legs and feet feathered; eyes yellow. <? L., 22'00; W., 15*00; T., 8'50; B., 1'60. 



Range. E. N. Am. from Ont., Que., N. B., and N. F. s. to the Gulf 

 coast and Fla.; w. to Wise., e. Minn., Iowa, and e. Tex. 



Washington, rare P. R. Ossining, tolerably common P. R. Cambridge, 

 uncommon, autumn or winter. N. Ohio, rare P. R. SE. Minn., common P. R. 



Nest, generally in an old Crow's, Hawk's or squirrel's nest. Eggs, white, 

 2-3, 2'20 x 1-80. Date, Merritt's Is., Fla., Dec. 17; Chester Co., Pa., Feb. 

 15; Cambridge, Feb. 22; Black Hawk Co., Iowa, Feb. 14; se. Minn., Feb. 21. 



This "tiger among birds" is an inhabitant of heavily forested regions, 

 and is common therefore only in the wilder, less settled portions of 

 our country. It is the only one of our resident Owls which destroys 

 poultry and birds in any numbers, but, in spite of its frequent visits 

 to the farmyard, Dr. Fisher considers that in many localities it is a 

 "beneficial species" because of its great fondness for rabbits. 



Its usual call is a loud, deep-toned whoo, hoo-hoo-hoo, whodo, whodo. 

 The syllables are all on the same note, and bear some resemblance to 

 a bass-voiced dog barking in the distance. 



A much rarer call is a loud, piercing scream, one of the most blood- 

 curdling sounds I have ever heard in the woods. 



"Of 127 stomachs examined, 31 contained poultry or game birds; 

 8, other birds; 13, mice; 65, other mammals; 1, a scorpion; 1, fish; 

 10, insects, and 17 were empty" (Fisher). 



375b. B. v. subarcticus (Hoy). ARCTIC HORNED OWL. Similar 

 to the preceding, but much lighter in color, the ochraceous-buff markings 

 largely replaced by gray or white. 



Range. Breeds from nw. Mackenzie and cen. Keewatin to valley of 

 the Sask., and probably in the glacier region of Mt. St. Elias and Mt. Fair- 

 weather; s. in winter to n. U. S. from Idaho to Wise. 



Cambridge, one record. SE. Minn., uncommon W. V. 



375f. B. y. heterocnemis (Ober.). LABRADOR HORNED OWL. Similar 

 to B. v. virginianus, but much darker, the prevailing color fuscous or dusky. 

 Range. Northern Ungava and Labrador. 



376. Nyctea nyctea (Linn.). SNOWY OWL. Ad. d". Size large; 

 no ear-tufts; white, more or less barred with dark grayish brown or fuscous; 

 legs and feet heavily feathered; eyes yellow. Ad. 9. Similar, but more 

 heavily barred. L., 25'00; W., 17'00; T., 9'50; B., 1'50. 



Range. N. parts of N. Hemisphere. In N. A. breeds from Arctic 

 regions s. to cen. Mackenzie, cen. Keewatin, and n. Ungava; winters from 

 the Arctic coast s. to the s. Canadian Provinces and Mont., and irregularly 

 to the Middle States and Ohio Valley, straggling to Calif., Tex., La., N. C., 

 and Bermuda. 



Washington, casual W. V. Ossining, A. V. Cambridge, rare and irregu- 

 lar W. V. N. Ohio, rare W. V. Glen Ellyn, very rare W. V. SE. Minn., 

 common W. V., Oct.-Apl. 



