50 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 7 



San Nicolas islands and occasionally on Catalina. It has been noted only occa- 

 sionally on the more northern islands of the group and, so far as I know, has 

 not been found breeding- there. Eggs are generally deposited in March. I have 

 a set of three eggs taken by C. V>. Linton on San Clemente Island, March 13, 

 1907, and I saw a pair of l)irds re-lining a nest on Catalina Island, April 11, 

 1904. The nest, at this time, was about ready to receive eggs and they were 

 probably deposited a very few days later. 



171. (365) Aluco pratincola (Bonaparte). Barn Owl. 



Common resident from the coast ti^ the base of the mountains. Occasional 

 on some of the Santa Barbara Islands. Breeds mainly in March and April. In 

 stAithern California, nests found in hollow trees are exceptional, the most of these 

 birds nesting in cavities in dirt banks. C. E. Groesbeck noted half-grown young 

 near Pasadena as early as I"'el)ruary 11, 1897, and H. J. Lelande took five fresh 

 eggs in the same locality, June 5, the same year ( Grinnell, Pub. 2, Pasadena 

 Acad. Sci., 1898, 23). I have taken the Barn Owl on Santa Cruz Island, and 

 H. C. Burt took a specimen on Anacapa. 



172. (366) Asio wilsonianus (Lesson). Lonc.-k.vred Owl. 



Fairly common resident of the oak regions of the foothills and the willow 

 thickets of the lower country. Occasional up to 7000 feet in the mountains and 

 on the Santa Barbara Islands. Much less plentiful than formerly. I took an 

 adult female at an altitude of about 7000 feet in the San Bernardino Mountains, 

 June 15, 1907 (Condor xii, 1910, 44). C. B. Linton saw three birds, one of 

 which he collected, on San Clemente Island in December, 1908 (Condor xi, 1909, 

 194). O. W. Howard found six nearly half-grown young of this species in an 

 old Raven's nest on Catalina Island, in April, 1909. Both parent birds were 

 present. B. W. Evermann found this owl an abundant resident of live oak and 

 willow groves near Santa Paula, X'entura County. He took eggs as early as 

 February 13 (Auk in, 1886, 93). Lawrence and Sidney Peyton and H. C. Burt 

 have found it breeding commonly along the Santa Clara River, Ventura County; 

 E. Rowe found it breeding plentifully near Redlands, San Bernardino County, 

 in 1894-95, and J. G. Cooper recorded it as breeding commonly near San Diego 

 in the early 60's ( Lanti Birds Cal., 1870, 426). J. M. Hatch took a set of eggs 

 near Escondido, San Diego County, February 14, 1896 ( Sharp, Condor ix, 

 1907, 87), and R. Arnold took four fresh eggs in the San Fernando Valley, 

 Los Angeles County, May 1, 1892 (Grinnell, Pub. 2, Pasadena Acad. Sci., 1898, 

 23). 



173. (367) Asio flammeus (Pontoppidan ). Siiort-eared Owl. 



Common winter visitant to wet meadow lands and fresh water marshes, ap- 

 pearing early in October and remaining fairly common until early March. This 

 bird has been reported as breeding in southern California and, while I have 

 seen no records that I am willing to accept as authentic, I would not be sur- 

 prised to find that it does occasionally breed in this locality. It is known to 

 nest in central California and there have been so many reports of its nesting 

 farther south, tliat I believe there niav be truth in some of them. ]. Grinnell 



