STRIilIK.H — TIIK fAV 



15 



Stri.r flmnmm. 



Til llio vicinity ol' I'liilmU'lpliia tlio I'.iirn Owl la not very luro, Imt, is 

 iiiiiiv ciiiimioii in sin'iii',' mill luituiim tiiim in llio suiiinu!!'. Its nests luivo 

 l„vu Idund in IidIIiiw trees near niiirsliy meadows. Southward it is more or 

 ji'ss ('(riiiiiiiiii as tar as South 

 Cainliiia, where it liecoiiies liioro 

 ii'iundant, and its ran,i,'e then 

 exteiuls south and west as lar 

 as the I'acilie. It is (piite ]>lenti- 

 liil in Texas and New Mexico, 

 and is one of tlu; most alinndaiit 

 liiids of Calil'ornia. It was not 

 met witli liy Dr. Woodhoiise in 

 t hi; expedition to the Zuni Ifivor, 

 lait lliis may lie utlrilmted to the 

 ili'sulale eharai'ter of the country 

 tlirou^li which he jiassed, as it is 

 cliieily found alioiit hahita'ioii.s, 

 and is never met witli in wooded 

 or wild rej^ions. 



Dr. Ileormann and Dr. (laniliel, 

 wlio visited Calil'ornia before the present increase in iiojtulatiou, speak of 

 its favirite resort as beinj,' in the nei<,'Iiliorliood of the Missions, and of 

 its nestin.u under the tiled roofs of the houses. The latter also refers to 

 his (indiiiu nninbers under one roof, and states tiiat they showed no fear 

 when a]i]iroached. The imijiensity of the California bird to drink the sacred 

 oil from the consecrated lamjis about the altars of the Missions was fre- 

 quently rel'errud to by the jiriests, whenever any allusion was made to this 

 Owl. Dr. (lanibel also found it about farin-houses, and occasionally in the 

 [trairie valleys, where it obtains an abundance of food, such as mice and 

 other small animals. 



Dr. Ileermann, in a subsetinent visit to the State, mentions it as bein<i a 

 very common liird in all ]iarts of (,'alifornia. Tiiey were once quite numer- 

 ous amoiiLi' the hollow trees in the vicinity of Sacramento, but have 

 <i;radnrtlly disappeared, as their old haunts were one by one destroyed to 

 make way for the j^radnal development and growth of that city. Dr. Heer- 

 niaiin fmind a large number in the winter, sheltered during the day among 

 the reeds of Snisun Valley. They were still abundant in the idd ( 'atliolic 

 Missions, wliere they freipiented the ruined walls and towers, and constructed 

 their nests in the crevices and nooks of tho.se once stately buildings, now 

 falling to decay. The.se ruins were also a shelter for innumerable bat.s, 

 reptiles, and vermin, which formed an additional attraction to the Owls. 



Dr. Cooper sjieaks of finding this Owl abundant throughout Southern 

 California, es))ecially near the coast, and Dr. Xewberry freiiuently met with 

 it about San Francisco, San Diego, and Monterey, where it was more com- 



