236 BIRD-LAND ECHOES. 



linger for a few days. Their ordinary food is likely 

 to be scarce, especially in midwinter, and conse- 

 quently the poultry yards are raided. This, of 

 course, results in an early termination of the barred 

 owl's career. This bird and the barn-owl are both 

 locally known as monkey owls, and many a wonder- 

 ful statement concerning "owlology," which the old 

 hunters, who know better, never take the trouble to 

 correct, gets into our village newspapers. Too often 

 the resemblance to a monkey is more apparent in 

 the teller of these strange stories than in the bird 

 that gives rise to them. 



I have already mentioned the saw-whet owl as 

 being a resident bird ; at least it was ten years ago, 

 if not so still. They have been found breeding in 

 Eastern Pennsylvania, and, unless I am very much 

 mistaken, I saw one flying across a narrow ravine in 

 Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in September, 1892. 

 This species is said to be nocturnal in its habits, but 

 here let me quote Mr. Cram on this point. He 

 writes, "As to the saw- whet owls, they are fairly 

 common about here [Southern New Hampshire] and 

 I hear them frequently in the spring. The one this 

 illustration was made from was perched on a limb in 

 broad sunlight, and had a partly eaten short-tailed 

 shrew beside him. This was about the middle of 

 the afternoon, and from all appearances the shrew 

 had not been killed longer ago than that morning ; 

 so I think these birds must occasionally hunt by 

 daylight. My own experience agrees with what a 

 hunter and trapper told me, that he has seen them 



