QUKG) REED, (Votes on the American Barn Owl. an 
ciently large he is often found by her side. I have often cau- 
tiously approached their nests and peered into them before they 
took flight, which enabled me to distinguish the sexes as they 
left the nest and were shot by my companion or a gunner who 
chanced to be patroling the meadows. If the eggs were heavily 
incubated the female was very reluctant in leaving them, but the 
male flushed very easily. 
In the wild state their food consists chiefly of meadow mice 
(Microtus pennsylvanicus).'_ From the examination of several 
hundred pellets gathered from about their roosts, etc., I have 
never yet found any indications of their having eaten birds. I 
find that two mice is the average number contained in a pellet; 
and would suppose the Owls on retiring to their roosts in the 
morning would have a full stomach, and if two mice is the average 
number eaten at a meal, which takes at least three hours to digest, 
they would not consume very many mice with even four meals in 
a night. The pellets are always regurgitated before additional 
food is eaten, and those which I have examined from birds in the 
wild state indicated a complete digestion. I have, however, found 
as many as six mice in a pellet, but in such cases they were always 
collected from the nests during the breeding season, and were no 
doubt discarded by the female; I have found as many as thirteen 
fresh mice in a nest at one time, and I would suppose she would 
take advantage of such a supply. 
In captivity they will eat anything in the fresh meat line. The 
following interesting facts I observed of a pet Owl belonging to 
Mr. Voelker, which was sent to him by a man from Haddonfield, 
New Jersey. From its plumage and size I should judge it was a 
two year old male. It was crippled in one of its legs, which had 
been broken above the knee joint, the bones having knit together 
with the foot sideways, pointing outward, which deprived it of the 
proper use of the foot; it therefore took kindly to Mr. Voelker’s 
hospitality, who fed it daily on small birds and mice taken from 
about his premises. When these were not available, slices from 
1 My friend, Mr. S. N. Rhoads, has identified the following mammals in their 
pellets: A@icrotus pennsylvanicus, Microtus pinetorum, Peromyscus leucopus, 
Zapus hudsonius, Blarina brevicauda and Condylura cristata. 
