BIRDS. 151 



ing almost like a hiimau being. Owiiiff to poor eyesight it is frequeutly cangbt alive in tbe baud 

 by tbe natives, and tbe Eskimo call it, in consequence, tbe "blind one'' — Tulc-whclhiguk. They 

 sometimes capture tbe bird and tie a small piece of dried fisb between its shoulders, and let it go 

 again, so that it will bring them a successful bunt, perhaps with the idea that this will render 

 the game as blind to the approach of the hunter as is the owl. I found Eskimo children keeping 

 these owls as pets on the Lower Yukon, feeding them with dried and fresh fish. The birds were 

 very tame, and looked complacently about when taken iu tbe baud, evidently perfectly reconciled 

 to their fate. In one instance, while at the Yukon mouth, I heard them uttering a peculiar grat- 

 ing cry on a cloudy morning the middle of May. A fur trader from Kotlik brought rae a set of 

 four fresh eggs of this bird, taken from a nest in a bush near the Yukon mouth, the 1st of June. 

 These eggs were white and round as are most owls' eggs. The man who brought them unfortu- 

 nately neglected to bring the nest, but told me that it was a rather small structure of twigs and 

 grass. It was probably a deserted nest of the common Rusty Black Bird or of the Gray-cheeked 

 Thrush, both of which nest commonly in that vicinity. The eggs were found in tbe midst of a 

 dense thicket. 



Dall and others tell us that this bird generally nests iu a hole iu a tree, but tbe lack of trees 

 at the Yukon mouth and the presence of bushy thickets may lead this bird to even build a nest 

 for itself, and the fur trader insisted that tbe eggs above mentioned were in a nest of the bird's own 

 construction. The only authenticated eggs known to Dr. Brewer were a set from Fort Simpson, 

 taken on May 4, 1861, one of which measured 1.28 by 1.06. Of tbe set secured by myself I have 

 been able to find only three of the eggs since my return. These measure, respectively, 1.54 by 1.245 

 1.50 by 1.24, and 1.50 by 1.27. A careful examination of my extensive series of these birds, from 

 various parts of the Territory, shows but little individual variation; the intensity and amount of 

 markings on the lower surface, especially on the feathers of tbe tarsus, is the main point. In 

 some instances the markings on the latter are almost entirely obsolete, while again they are very 

 distinct. Xortberu birds appear to be of a slightly lighter shade of brown, and grayer than birds 

 from Eastern North America; otherwise there appears to be no appreciable geographical differ- 

 ence. 



The difference between tbe Old World form and tbe present bird rests entirely upon tbe 

 light colors of birds from Europe and Siberia, as comjored with the dark tints of tbe American 

 birds. 



Megascops asio kennicottii (Elliott). Kennicott's Screech Owl. 



Tbe type specimen of this species was a young bird in the tawny brown phase taken at Sitka 

 during the explorations of the Western Union Telegraph Expedition, and described by D. S.Elliott 

 in the Proceedings of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences for 1869, p. 69. Up to a com- 

 paratively recent date our knowledge of its habitat and history was limited. We have, however, 

 within the last few years learned that it extends down the northwest coast from Sitka to Oregon, 

 and then east to Idaho, and Mr. Brewster, in a paper describing the smaller variety of this bird 

 [hendirei) as hereafter mentioned, shows that Icennicotiii intergrades with hendirei where their 

 habitats overlap. 



The habits of both birds remain as yet almost unknown, but the eggs of hendirei have been de- 

 scribed recently from notes published in tbe Bulletin of the ISTuttall Ornithological Club for July, 

 1881, giving an account of two sets taken by Capt. Charles Bendire at Fort Walla-Walla, 

 Wash., on the 7th and 11th of April of that year. Tbe first set contained four eggs and was taken 

 on April 7. This was in a hole iu a cottouwood tree about 25 feet above the ground, tbe eggs 

 resting upon decayed wood and a few dead leaves. The eggs measured, respectively, 1.47 by 

 1.28; 1.43 by 1.29; 1.45 by 1.30, and 1.46 by 1.30. The second nest, taken ou April 11, contained 

 five eggs, which measured, respectively, 1..53 by 1.31; 1.50 by 1.27; 1.47 by 1.32; 1.50 by 1.32, 

 and 1.49 by 1.30. This nest also was in a hollow cottouwood tree, and about 40 feet above tbe 

 ground. Tbe eggs rested upon rubbish iu the bottom of the cavity, there being ncitherfeathersnor 

 leaves as a lining. The parents in both instances remained in the boles while the eggs were 

 being removed. 



