Nov. 1906.] PROCEEDiN(;s s. 1. ass'n arts and sciences. 85 



greatly in the preservation of his crops, and it has been truly said that 

 during all of their wanderings they are aiding mankind, their only 

 enemy. 



On the occasion of my visit I collected a number of pellets or rejects 

 of these owls, and there were remains of a great many others near by. 

 From these pellets I have raised the Tineid moth, Trichophaga tapetzella 

 Linn., but I fotnid no Trox beetles, as discovered in pellets found under 

 trees on several previous occasions. The tapestry moth, T. tapetzella, 

 is one of the true clothes moths and is described in Circular No. 36, 

 second series, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Division of Entomol- 

 ogy; also in the Canadian Entomologist for September, 1882, where 

 it is stated that the "larva in Europe feeds on animal matter, pelts, 

 carpets, and also on dried plant substances, forming a gallery of the 

 substance on which it occurs, thus destroying much more than it eats." 

 The tunneling habit of the larva can be well seen in the pellets exhib- 

 ited. Dr. Dyar and other authorities regard this moth as rare in the 

 United States. 



The owls were again visited on the thirteenth of October, but as on 

 the previous occasion, they heard me coming and flew away, though I 

 was careful and made as little noise as possible. On the eleventh of 

 November, with Mr. James Chapin and Mr. Alanson Skinner, I visited 

 the owls for the third time, and while I climbed to the loft my com- 

 panions stood outside and watched the hole from whence the owls 

 woiild fly. As before, the owls heard me coming, and one walked out 

 on the perch and stood in the light where my companions could see it 

 well before it flew off to a neighboring tree. It was then discovered 

 that another owl was hiding behind one of the rafters, and on two oc- 

 casions it came from its retreat and walked about so that we could ex- 

 amine it closely, but it seemed to be anxious to hide behind a beam 

 rather than to fly out into the daylight. Its gait was nervous and 

 Jerky, and it would stand for a moment and regard us and then hasten 

 to get behind the beam again. It is certainly a queer-visaged bird, is 

 the "monkey-faced owl." It is also sometimes called "golden owl," 

 ior its plumage is very beautiful. 



Last spring and summer these owls raised a considerable number of 

 young. On tlie top slielf of the pigeon loft the female laid seven eggs, 

 which were hatclied at various times, and later some eggs were laid on 

 the next shelf below among the pellets and other refuse littering the 

 place, for these owls build no regular nest. They live in holes in banks 

 and \\\ hollow trees and in buildings even in towns. A pair has nest- 



