Feb. 1885.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



21 



Dec. 31. Pileated Woodpecker, (Ihilotomna 

 pil(iitiix). A number of indivkluals seen in (lie 

 wildest purls of tlie swamps; very sliy and difti- 

 cult to apjiroach. 



Dec.:!!. Golden-winged Woodpecl<er, (Cuhip- 

 lix (ti(i-iiliix). Quite a number seen in tlie pine 

 lan.ls. 



Dec. ;jl. Common Crow, (Corrm amencannsi). 

 Saw one of these birds to-day, the first in a very 

 loni; time, very scarce. 



Jan. 3, 'S,"). White-bellied Swallow, {Irido- 

 /iriinir liir'ihrr). Quite a number may be seen skini- 

 miui; over tlie ponds. 



Jan. 7. Yellow Ked-poll Warbler, {Dnidnvca 

 liiihihiriiiii). Saw a number, and afterwards found 

 Iheni to be quite numerous. Heard only one note, 

 a single "chip." 



Jan. 7. Brown-headed Nuthatch, (.9(7<((jJ»«iM»). 

 Found four of these little birds in company to-day 

 in the top of a tall pine tree busily engaged in get- 

 ting insects. Heard them hammer like Wood- 

 ■'"peckers a number of times, once in a wdiile 

 uttering a low "che — che — che— che — che," with 

 the usual Nuthatch tone. 



Jan. 8. Catbird, (Mimus carolineims). Heard 

 and saw one to-day in the swamp, the only one 

 I have seen this winter. 



The Florida Burrowing Owl. 



(Spciiti/to ciiiiicnlariii florkli(nit). 



HY .7. C. C.^HOON, TAUNTON, M.\SS. 



While collecting in Florida last Winter, I had 

 the good fortune to find a few Florida Burrowing 

 Owls and their eggs. But little has been written 

 id)out this remarkable Owl, which is getting 

 scarcer every year, and from what I could learn, 

 is not common in any locality in the State. I 

 spent two days collecting, and observing tlieir 

 habits, etc. I found these Owls on a prairie about 

 tliree miles long, by two wide, near Charlotte 

 Harbor, Manatee Co. The first time that I visited 

 llio prairie, March 34, was too early in the season, 

 and I found but two single eggs. There were 

 ((uitc a number of old burrows, showing that 

 these Owls had been plentiful in years past. The 

 second time I went there was twelve days later, 

 and I got one full set of eggs. I copy the follow- 

 ing from my note-book: The complete measure- 

 ment of one female was as follows, length 7.50 ; 

 wing 6.50; tail 3.00; tarsus 3.90; chord of cidmen 

 witliout cere .68; eyes bright yellow ; contents of 

 stomach bugs and small insects. The measure- 

 ment of the bill and tarsus of the others are, fe- 

 male, bill .01; tarsus 3.10; female, bill .CO; tarsus 

 3.0."> ; male, l)ill .01 ; tarsus 1.85 ; male, l)ill .00 ; tar- 



sus 1.85; male, bill .03; tarsus 1.80; adult male 

 and female, upper parts brown, rather lighter 

 than the Barre<l Owl, which they resemble veiy 

 much except in size, jirofusely spotted with while 

 and very pale ochre-like marks, finer and thicker 

 on the back of the neck and toj) of the head. 

 (Juills of wings with six to seven vvhitisli or light 

 ochre-like bars, mostly broken into cross rows of 

 .spots; tail more distinctly marked with five to six 

 rows; chin and throat pure white separated by a 

 dark brown collar; the tuider parts wdiite or light 

 ochre, quite heavily and regularly barred with 

 transverse spots of light brown ; undi>r jiarts of 

 tail and the whole of legs unmarked. 



The holes or burrows in which these Owls 

 breed are about five or six inches in heiglit and 

 diameter, and from four to ten feet in length, and 

 three or four feet from the top of the ground. 

 Jlany of the tunnels are shaped like an S. The 

 nest is generally at the end of the burrow, and is 

 composed of small pieces of palmetto roots. The 

 eggs are pure white, subspherical. The measure- 

 ments of the set are as follows, 1.23x1.03, 1.21x 

 1.05, 1.30X.98, 1.17x1.04, 1.24x1.05, 1.20x1.03, 1.18 

 xl.03. The two single eggs measure 1 .35x93 and 

 1.37x1.05. 



These Owls are not veiy shy and will allow one 

 to approach quite near before flying. They fly 

 but a short distance and then alight suddenly, 

 bobbing their bodies up and down and making a 

 short, mournful cry. At other times they stand 

 upright, and do not move for a considerable time. 

 Their chief food consists of bugs and other insects. 

 I foiuid a large number of dead bugs and small 

 insects near the burrows in which they were 

 breeding. I think they occupy a hole but one 

 season, burrowing a new one every year. The 

 holes I found them occupying were new ones and 

 I found many old holes on the ijrairie but none of 

 them were occupied. 



Birds of the Upper Passaic Valley, 

 New Jersey. 



BY n. F. BAUItELI/, NEW PEOVIDENCK, N. .7. 



Observed or taken within a circle of one mile. 

 Among the migrants, the dates of the first arrival 

 and of the last one seen are given for the past season 

 also those known to breed. Latitude 40° 43', lon- 

 gitude 74' 35'. 



1 Wood Thrush, {llylocichla muKteliiia,) Sum- 

 mer resident ; common ; generally found in 

 in woodland. Breeds. May 4— Sept. 14. 

 3 Wilson's Thmsh,(IIi/l"riVJil,ifiis,v«a)M,) tran- 

 sient visitor; tolerably common. May 5th. 

 ?, Olive-backed Thrush, (Ifi/hrir/iU VKtulnUi,) 

 transient visitor; rare. May 9— Oct. 29. 



