Nests of the Barred Owl, Red-Shouldered Hawk, and Barn Owl 

 on Staten Island in 1907 1 



By James Chapin 



I. The Barred Owl, Syrnium v.arium. — During the spring 

 of 1906, I had the pleasure of watching the family affairs of a 

 pair of barred owls at Great Kills, Staten Island, a report of 

 which may be found in the Proceedings i : J$. 1906. This year, 

 1907, I was naturally interested in the same owl home, and made 

 similar observations on the rearing of the young. As already 

 stated, the nest is in a hole in a pin oak, about twenty-five feet 

 from the ground, and was reached by " shinning " up a small 

 sapling that we placed against the oak. 



My first visit in the present year, 1907, was on March 23, when 

 the nest contained two eggs of dirty whitish color. Incubation was 

 in progress, one adult bird sitting on the nest, as on my next two 

 visits, March 30 and April 6. On April 13 one egg was slightly 

 cracked, and the following day both eggs had holes in them, 

 while the peeping notes of the birds within were plainly audible. 

 On April 20, the two young owls were still clothed in white down, 

 and kept their eyes securely closed. In the hole there were found 

 also more or less mutilated remains of three starlings, a gold- 

 finch, a female sparrow-hawk, two meadow mice, and a gray 

 rat. I tried feeding the little owls, and discovered that they 

 would readily gulp down small pieces of meat put into their 

 mouths. 



By April 30 the young birds kept their eyes open habitually,, 

 and the old owls had become bolder, sitting in the neighboring 

 trees and snapping their beaks. Again I found a good supply 

 of food on hand : three flickers, a woodcock, and a bullfrog, 

 while some of the sparrow-hawk's feathers still remained in the 

 nest. The characteristic banded appearance of the wings of the 

 young owls was plainly apparent on May 5. 



1 Presented October 19, 1907. 



