August, 1883.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



61 



The following, which is decidedly the 

 most interesting information so far placed 

 on record, was furnished by Mr. H. A. 

 Kline at our request, after purchasing from 

 him a set of eight eggs. Mr. Kline makes 

 no vague statements, but gives us interest- 

 ing facts as he observed them, and in a 

 straightforward manner : 



" My first acquaintance with this bird was in the Spring 

 of 1880, while on a ducking expedition in the Winneliago 

 swamps of Illinois. As I was tramping through the dry 

 grass along the edge of a- marsh, and on the loolc-out for 

 more edible game, a pair of these birds was flushed from 

 the tall grass, I succeeded in winging one with the right 

 barrel, and after sending 1\< oz. of No. 5 shot after the 

 other in vain, I proceeded to examine my prize, which 

 proved to be a male in fine plumage. I afterward learned 

 of several being killed in the same locality. I found these 

 birds very common in Johnson and Gage counties, Nebras- 

 ka. On one occasion while out shooting prairie chickens 

 in the winter of '81-82 I noticed one of these birds rise 

 from the grass about fifty yards in front of me. A load of 

 shot soon brought it to the ground, when at the report of 

 the gun four others raised from the grass, all of which 

 were within fifty yards of me, but they were all very shy 

 and kept well out of range. They seemed very loth to 

 leave the place, as I found them in the same locality every 

 day for a fortnight. They were very wild, but I succeeded 

 in taking two more good specimens. The site where these 

 birds were killed was along an old ravine, which was cov- 

 ered with a heavy growth of prairie grass. I could notice 

 no variation in the markings of any of these birds. I did 

 not disturb the birds at that place after securing the three, 

 as I thought they would breed there, and I often noticed 

 four or five of them flying about after sundown in search 

 of mice, etc. They appeared to be common anywhere on 

 the prairies, although I always met with best success along 

 the ravines. On the 17th of May I took my dog (a pointer) 

 and went to the same place where I got my specimens, to 

 look for their nest, which I found without much trouble. 

 The dog was ranging a short distance in front of me when 

 he was suddenly attacked by one of the Owls. It was soon 

 joined by the other (the male) and together they succeeded 

 in driving him from the field. They would swoop from the 

 right and left and strike him on the back with their wings. 

 Not being used to such treatment by any members of the 

 feathered tribe he beat a hasty retreat, followed by both 

 birds. After chasing him some distance they returned to 

 me and manifested great displeasure by swooping very 

 close to me and snapping their bills as many Owls do when 

 angry. I soon came upon the nest, which was placed upon 

 the ground, and contained eight white eggs. They were of 

 an oblong oval shape, and the shell closely resembled that 

 of the Long-eared Owl. Though the eggs are not near as 

 round as the Long-eared Owl's, being much less through the 

 lesser axis. The nest consisted of a mass of dry prairie 

 grass placed on the ground, and was hollowed out two 

 inches deep. Tlie interior was lined with fine grass, and 

 the whole displayed a good bit of skill in nest making for 

 an owl. The eggs of this nest are now in the possession of 

 Jos. M. Wade, Boston, Mass. The same week I found two 

 more nests, both of which were destroyed by fire before 

 the set of eggs was completed. One of these nests was on 

 a high knoll, and the other in a ravine. A gentleman who 

 had been watching these birds for several years told me he 

 found a nest in 1880 which contained six young birds and 



one egg. The young varied much in size and must have 

 been hatched at different times. The eggs of the first set I 

 found showed the same variation in the size of the embryos. 

 I don't think these birds ever prey upon anything but small 

 animals, and I have never found them in the vicinity of 

 timber. I have tried trapping them by placing a steel trap 

 on the top of a pole, but never succeeded in catching a 

 bird." 



The following received from G. A. Mc- 

 Callum, Dunville, Ont., is also a valuable 

 addition to the life history of this bird : 



A flock of Short-eared owls, that is if six may be called a 

 flock, have taken up their residence in the outskirts of our 

 town this winter (1882-3), and as many as four have been 

 seen together flitting abont the fields as if in play, dipping 

 down to the ground, then soaring up again, chasing one 

 another, etc. Is this conduct not odd ? I have secured two 

 of them, and hope to bag the rest, although they are very 

 wary. A friend of mine while shooting in the marsh last 

 fall had just shot a snipe when one of this genus darted at 

 the falling bird and had secured it, when the other barrel 

 dropped him ana he now sits in my collection." 



Long-eared Owl. 



On the 12th of April, 1880, I flushed 

 out of a cedar tree, in the middle of chest- 

 nut woods, a pair of Long-eared Owls, 

 these being the first I had ever seen in 

 this section. I commenced a most vigor- 

 ous search for the nest, but failed to find 

 it; the Owls in the meantime manifested 

 their disapproval of intruders by giving 

 vent to their low, plaintive wails, varied by 

 an occasional grating sound, and some- 

 times biting at the limb on which they 

 would alight, which induced me to believe 

 they contemplated building near by. I re- 

 turned on April 18th and started the fe- 

 male from an old Crow's nest which a pair 

 of Squirrels had piled with fine grass and 

 leaves, and which contained four eggs in 

 the most comfortable nest I ever saw. 

 They had burrowed down to the hollow 

 and left simply a space large enough for 

 their heads to stick up through to the outer 

 world. The average of the eggs in meas- 

 urement was 1.35 X 1.22. The next season 

 (1881) I could find no nest in that wood, 

 but on the other side of an immense 

 meadow, about a mile distant, I found a 

 nest April 21st in an old Cooper's Hawk 

 nest. On climbing I found three eggs, 

 which were left to be hatched, for I wished 

 to find the time occupied in incubation. 



