86 'Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 



their stomachs to contain anything, except crayfish, and a sala- 

 mander that lives under old logs. 



Scops asio (Bonap.) Mottled Owl. — This little owl is very 

 common, especially in July, when the young begin to fly. In 

 the summer evenings may be constantly heard their long, plain- 

 tive, tremulous cry: "u, u, \i, li, ii," except before rain, when they 

 are generally silent. The red and gray form seem to occur indis- 

 criminately in any age or sex. The grays are not bad eating, 

 tasting something like woodcock ; but the red ones that I have 

 tried, were not nice. 



Bubo vieginianus (Bonap.) Great Horned Oivl. — Not an 

 uncommon bird, and its deep "hoooo-hoo-hoo," may often be 

 heard in the moonlight, or early dawn, especially in spring. In 

 the distance their voice seems to have a tremulous tone, and the 

 first note is the longest. A friend of mine shot one in the act of 

 carrying off a skunk, and the bird smelt so dreadfully of its evil 

 odoured captive, that he could not preserve the skin. 



Falco sparverius (Linn.) American Sparroiu Haivk. — This 

 pretty little kestrel, is the commonest hawk in the district, and 

 remains throughout the year. It is very fond of roosting in 

 tobacco barns in winter. I have seen it mobbing the big red- 

 tailed hawks most gallantly. I have watched it engaged in 

 catching locusts : sitting on a rail fence and pouncing on them 

 in the grass, and I have found its crop full of them ; but it also 

 eats small birds. 



Pandion haliaetus (Linn.) Osprey.— This is rather an un- 

 common bird in the district, though I believe more abundant 

 near the large rivers. I have generally seen it in April. 



Circus cyaneus var. hudsonius (Ridgw.) Marsh Haiuh. — 

 This form of the hen harrier is locally known as the " Blue-winged 

 Hawk," from the colour of the adult male. Although said to be 

 a permanent resident much further south than Virginia, this is 

 certainly not the case there, as far as my observations have gone. 

 It is most markedly a winter visitor, and is quite common during 

 that period ; one may often see six or eight of them during the 

 day, sweeping over the open lands, and carefully beating up any 

 fertile valleys, where masses of tall weed-stalks, the remains of 

 the summer's growth, afford good cover for their prey. My 

 earliest record of its arrival is the 27th of October, and it leaves 



