QJ. . Getieral JVotes. [January 



The Nest of the Saw-whet Owl. — In April, 1881, I was camped near the 

 base of Mt. Katahdin, while 0I1 a trip in that section in search of the eggs of 

 our Birds of Prej'. The weather at that time being quite cold, it was 

 necessary to frequently replenish the fire. About 3 o'clock in the morn- 

 ing I arose for that purpose, and noticed a small object moving around 

 amongst the remains of our last meal. Further investigation proved it to 

 be some kind of small Owl, gleaning among the bones for stray morsels 

 of meat. On my near approach it flew into a tall fir, and was hid from 

 sight. During breakfast I again saw it, coming down to within a few feet 

 of us, when, apparently seeing us for the first time, it again retreated to the 

 fir. I then saw it was a Saw-whet Owl, and it seeined to be in no wise 

 affected bv the light. At night one of my companions informed me he 

 had seen a pair of small Owls sitting together in an immense birch, but no 

 nest could be found. 



The next morning we struck camp, and moved toward the summit of 

 the mountain. In about a week we returned over the same route and again 

 camped at the place just mentioned. On the second night I was surprised 

 to see the little Owl come as before. We concluded he must have a nest 

 near, and the next day, April 30, we commenced to search for the nest. 

 In the afternoon one of my guides was so fortunate as to discover the Owl 

 going into a hole made by a Woodpecker, in a large birch. He looked 

 in but could see nothing, and had-stopped up the entrance with rnoss, so 

 that I might see it just as he found it. On going to it and removing the 

 moss I found the entrance quite large, having been slit by some animal 

 trying to eflfect an entrance. Carefully cutting away -^the bai-k below the 

 hole exposed the nest, which was merely a mixture of fine chips and small 

 feathers of the Grouse. It contained the old Owl and three young ones. 



I was disappointed at not securing any eggs, but felt amply repaid in 

 viewing one page in the life-history of this little Owl, who sometimes 

 visits me in my more southern home. 



The young Owls were wonderfully droll-looking little fellows, and as 

 they gazed at me with upturned eyes from down in the heart of that canoe 

 birch, in the middle of that immense forest, stretching away for mi?es, 

 remote from any human habitation, I thought that single look was 

 worth hours of gazing at prepared specimens, inclosed in mahogany cases, 

 in our scientific museums. The formation of a collection does not consti- 

 tute all there is in the study of ornithology ; and around the memory of 

 the scene in that old Maine forest are clustered affections which time 

 cannot destroy. — F. H. Carpenter, Rehoboth. Mass. 



Another Gyrfalcon in Rhode Island.- — A specimen of the varietj' sacer 

 was killed at Point Judith, R. I., Oct. 11, 1883, by E. S. Hopkins, Esq., 

 of this city. He also killed an adult Duck Hawk the same day, which is 

 the second I have examined from the same locality this month, Mr. R. G. 

 Hazard possessing the first one, a beautiful bird of the year. Gunners on 

 the seaboard report Hawks as being unusually plentiful this autumn. — 

 Fred. T. Jencks, Providence, R. I. 



