BTRIGID.K — THE OWLS. 79 



of one tall spruce to anotlicr, iii)i)aruiitly s\vini,niig or balancing itself, calling 

 to its mate at intervals, wliihi clui^sing or lieiiig eliased liy it. 



Captain Drmiiinoiiil states, in " Contributions to Ornithology" (p. .">7), that 

 he noticed a birti of this sjieeics, on tlie wing, within a lew yards of liini, in 

 the liernuidas. 



My. Dresser, wlio liad ample opportunities of oljserving the Hawk Owl in 

 New I'runswieU, where lie found it by no means miconmion, describes it as a 

 true day Owl. It was often seen l»y liini hawking after prey in the strongest 

 sunshine, or .seated (piietly bliid<ing on tlie top of an old blasted tree, ap- 

 parently undisturbeil by the glare of tht' sun. In its general appearance, and 

 ])iirticuhirly in its lUght, it appeared to hiui to have considerable attinity to 

 tiie Sparrow Hawk. In Xew Ibunswick it affected the open plains or so- 

 called blueberry barren.s, wliere tiie open country is covered with low bu.slies 

 and an occasional scathed tree, it would sit on one of these trees for hours 

 in an ui)right hawi<-like position, occasionally hunting over the ground, like 

 the Kestrel (»f Europi^ in .seareli of small field-mice. It showed l)ut little 

 fear, and could be easily ap[)roaciied \Nilhin gun-shot. When shot at and 

 missed, it would take a short llight and return to- its former perch. On one 

 occasion Mr. Dresser, firing at one with a rifle, cut the branch close under 

 the bird, which returned almost immediately to another branch, was a second 

 time mi.ssed, and fmally fell umler a third .shot. 



Its note is said to lie a slirill cry, similar to the call of the European 

 Kestrel, and geiu'rally uttered on tlie wing. The stomach was generally 

 found filled with small field-mice, and rarely contained any remains of small 

 birds. They a])peared to hunt after food chiefly early in the forenoon and 

 in the evening. During the day they rested on some elevated perch. In 

 the niglit they retired to nst like other diurnal Jiaptorof. 



An egg of this Owl, taken from the oviduct of its parent by Mr. 15. R. 

 Iioss, April U>, at Fort Simpson, measures l.oO inches in length by 1.20 in 

 breadth. It is of oval shape, and of a dull-white color. Another egg meas- 

 ures 1.G2 by l..')(i inches, is of a rounded oval, equally ol)tu!3e at either end, 

 and of a 3'ello wish- white color. It was taken by Mr. MacFarlane at Fort 

 Anderson. 



Gexis GLAUCIDIUM, Hoie. 



Ohiin'diiim, tiow., I.sis, lS2(i, 970. ^fil^l■<t|^h|ll.l\ K.\rr. (Typo, 'i'ri.'- pns.irriiia, Lisx.) 

 Mici-(y!iiii.t; K.wv. (Tv|ic, Slrix h.irrnviis,-, \\\V{\ = G. sija (D'Olili.) C'AU.) 

 .' T(iriiit)jiti//i.r, K.\I'l'. (TyiH', Xoc/iKt hnnliri, lU'liT.) 



Ok\-. Cii.vu. Si/e very siiuill ; \\v:v\ nitlicr .smiiU ; l)ill an(f re(>t very strong and roljtist ; 

 111) ear-tiil'ls ; tiiil Imiir. iilioiit thirc I'ourtlis iis loiiij iis llu- wiiipr, rounded. Nostrils eir- 

 eiiliii', opcninij; in tlu' luiddlo (if llic inlliitcil <'('iv-nioiid)nin(; (cxci'iiV in G. nijii). Tarsus 

 about c'(|Uid lo tin- niidillo loe, densely lealliered ; tiies haired. lAiur nuter (luills with 

 their inner welis eiuaririnaled : tiiiid t.i fiMuth lonirest. lvu--e(iueh very siiiali, siiniile, 

 rounded. fJiil yeiiowi.^h (exee|il in (t. jiIikIiviuh'iIi:-! :') ; iris yellow. 



