90 



THE OOLOGIST. 



"shady" night collecting. It is a good 

 thing to prepare a few eggs for substi- 

 tute for Hawks eggs in case of finding 

 an incomplete set. This may be done 

 by selecting hens eggs as near the size 

 and shape as possible, boiling them 

 hard, and spotting them carelessly with 

 brown paint. Last, but not least, Lat- 

 tin's new Hand-Book should always be 

 in the pocket ready for reference. For 

 constant use it will be found that the 

 flexible leather covers are decidedly 

 preferable to the paper. 



B. S. B. 

 Ontario Co., N. Y. 



Screech Owl. 

 Megascops asio (Linn). 



This pretty mottled Owl is found 

 throughout the eastern part of the 

 United States and Canada; west of the 

 Rocky Mountains. 



He is known by various names, some 

 of which are', "Mottled Owl," "Little 

 Red Owl" and "Gray Owl." 



The female is from nine and a half, 

 to ten inches long; the tail being about 

 three and a half inches; the male is 

 nearly the same size. 



The Screech Owl is speckled and bar- 

 red; the ground color is gray or red, 

 the two colors bearing no relation to 

 age, sex, or season. The two condi- 

 tions of the plumage, gray and red, 

 generally give rise to the belief that 

 they are two distinct species. This, 

 however, is erroneous. 



The food of the Screech Owl consists 

 of mice, insects and small birds. 



He has ear tufts about one inch long. 



March 17, while I was out for Owl's 

 eggs, I caught a Gray Owl on the nest. 

 Immediately after I had removed her 

 from the hole, she disgorged a ball of 

 fur and bones commonly known as 

 "Owl Spit." 



The nest was built in a hollow limb 

 of an apple tree, and composed of 

 sticks, leaves and feathers; to my dis- 

 appointment there was no eggs. 



She is brown on the back with a few 

 white markings; the breast and under- 

 parts are white, beautifully mottled 

 and barred with brown; the eyes are- 

 large and yellow. When she is disturb- 

 ed, she grates her beak, (making a. 

 noise like that which is produced by 

 snapping the fingers) and puffs out her~ 

 feathers. It is queer, but so, that I 

 have not heard her utter any noise 

 other than that which I described above.. 



The eggs, like those of other owls,,, 

 are pure white and nearly round; they 

 measure on an average 1.40x1.20; from 

 four to six are the number usually laid,, 

 but sometimes eight or nine make up- 

 the set. The nest is made in a hollow 

 tree, stump, barn or shed. The notes 

 of the Screech Owl are uttered in a 

 tremulous, doleful manner, and may be 

 heard a hundred yards or more. 

 He is an entirely inoffensive species- 

 and not unfrequently flies about during: 

 the daytime. 



H. T. Greene 

 Montclair, N. J. 



Western Meadow Lark- 

 (Stumella magna neglecla.) 



The Western Meadow Lark is found,, 

 regularly, from that tier of states bor- 

 dering the Mississippi on the west to- 

 the Pacific; to the north as far as British 

 Columbia and Manitoba; and &outh- 

 ward into the northern limits of West- 

 ern Mexico. It is fouud sparingly east 

 of its regular range within the territory 

 of its cousin, Stumella magna. It is 

 imperfectly migratory and breeds 

 throughout its range. 



The Western Meadow Lark is a com- 

 mon resident of California. Almost 

 evei'y grassy plot has at least a pair of 

 these agreeable tenants. The spring 

 breezes that waft across these happy 

 homes come to the ardent student of 

 Nature ladened with the delicious fra- 

 grance of unnumbered flowers, and 

 the sweet strains of the Meadow Lark 



