Sept. 1886.] 
AND OOLOGIST. 
141 



ing sounding can be heard—probably the tuning 
up of the orchestra preparatory to the overture. 
Suddenly a shrill and prolonged scream will be 
emitted by one or more of the owls, compared by 
those who know, to a Comanche war-whoop. 
Then will succeed from all congregated a series 
of laughs, ha-ha-ha, he-he, ho-ho, hough, ending at 
the last in a gurgle as if the bird was overcome 
by its performance. The concert is repeated at 
intervals during the night. 
Their most common hoot is a long dismal hoo- 
hoo-hoo-augh. During the breeding season this 
hoot is heard at all times of the day and night. 
It is through their hooting proclivities that I find 
the nests, (which are invariably in a hollow tree,) 
by the female on the nest answering the male, 
who is generally close to the nest during the day. 
I found a nest of this ow] March 22, 1885, with 
two young. This season I thought I would bea 
little earlier, and I visited the tree the middle of 
February, and as I dislike climbing unless I think 
odlogical fruit is ripe, I contented myself with 
hammering against the tree with my climbers, 
but no owl flew out. I visited the tree at inter- 
vals, but did not climb until March 10th, when I 
noticed a down feather on the edge of the hollow. 
I strapped on my climbers and went up. When 
near the cavity the owl flew out. I looked in and 
found—a young owlet about twenty-four hours 
old, and another egg nearly ready to hatch. Now 
why did not this owl fly off the nest when I 
wanted it to? In all other nests I have found 
the occupants were easily scared off. The young 
in down are of pearly white color—feet, bill and 
claws pale yellowish. The down stops abruptly 
at the foot of the toes. At one week old the pin- 
feathers showed plainly on the wings, and at this 
age the owlets “peeped” like a very young chick- 
en. When twenty days old the wings are feath- 
ered—the young owls being beautifully mottled 
with white and bright brown. The little fellows 
showed fight, bracing themselves against the 
sides of the cavity, and snapping their bills 
viciously wheu I tried to handle them. The strip 
of bristly feathers on the outside of the middle 
toe now showed plainly. 
Owing to sickness and want of time, I did not 
visit the nest again until the last of April, and I 
found to my sorrow that my pets were gouc— 
having either been captured by a wildcat or coon, 
or having left the nest of their own accord. 
By the way, is not this owl also credited with 
laying more eggs than it really does? My record 
is: Seventeen nests with eggs or young. The 
number of eggs in each set was invariably two. 
A set of two now in the collection of J. Parker 
Norris, Esq., of Philadelphia, Pa., was taken out 
of a pinoak tree March 20, 1885. Depth of cavity 
18 inches; diameter 16 inches; about 35 feet up. 
Egg No. 1 measures 1.89x1.58; No. 2, 1.86x1.61. 
Another set taken March 15th was in a postoak 
stub, 27 feet up; diameter, about 16 inches; 
depth, 10 inches. I could partly see the owl 
from the foot of the tree. This set is now in the 
collection of Mr. Harry G. Parker, Chester, Pa., 
and measures 2.01x1.73 and 1.97x1.71. All the 
eggs, with one exception, are subspherical, pure 
white, smooth, without granulations. Three 
other sets (six eggs) taken this season, measure 
respectively: 1.97x1.78, 1.90x1.61, 1.88x1.67, 1.89 
x1.60, 1.81x1.54 and 1.87x1.63. Of another set 
in the collection of Mr. Thomas H. Jackson, 
West Chester, Pa., I have no data other than that 
one of the eggs in the set was of an elliptical 
form. By comparing the average of these ten 
eggs with the average of the Barred Owl eggs as 
given by Coues and Davie, it will be seen that 
they are slightly smaller than eggs of the last 
named species. In conclusion, the identification 
of the owl is beyond a doubt. I have taken nine 
specimens since January, 1886—five of them 
when flushed from the nest. I sent out several 
of them to corroborate my naming, sending one 
to Mr. Wm. Brewster, of Concord, Mass., who 
wrote me as follows: ‘“ The owl is typical adlend. 
I cannot see that it differs in the least from Flori- 
da specimens.” 
Occurring in Texas and described from Florida, 
it ought to be found in the intervening states. 

The Nest and Eggs of the Acadian 
Flycatcher. 
‘ 
BY E. J. DURAND, CANANDAIGUA, N. Y. 
The Acadian Flycatcher, (Hmpidonax acadicus). 
was, previous to the spring of 1885, un- 
known tome. On May 3d, 1885, I noticed a pair 
of these birds in our orchard, busily gleaning 
among the branches. On May 28th I found that 
they commenced to build a nest on a_hori- 
zontal branch of an apple tree, ten feet from 
the ground. In about six days it was finished, 
and the female had laid one egg; but the next day 
I happened to go under the tree and was very 
much disappointed to find that a Cowbird in the 
effort to deposit her egg in the nest had turned out 
the Flycatcher’s and her own, and both eggs lay 
broken on the ground. Two weeks later, I found 
a nest of the Acadian Flycatcher in an orchard 
about four miles from our house, which contained 
three eggs, slightly incubated, measuring .75x.56, 
75x.55, .76x.56. The eggs when found were of a 
