THE OOLOQIST. 



27 



His ruff so grand he'd fill witli sand 

 In the dusty woodland way. 



A score of wives lost their lives 

 Ere Red Ruff's race was run. 



And a hundred chicks he lost by 

 tricks 

 Of fox, hawk, owl, and gun. 



But with weakened nerve, a fatal 

 swerve 

 From any covering shield 

 "When trees were bare — ^a snapshot 

 pair 

 Made the ruler's spirit yield. 



So we chance a tear o'er a brave ca- 

 reer- — 



Chant a sincere refrain: 

 Red Ruff we'll set in our cabinet. 



Let Science reign! 

 — 'C. L. Rawson. 



The Horned Owl in Wayne County, 

 Michigan. 



Fifteen years ago Bubo virginianus 

 was a common bird throughout the 

 county, but is now comparatively rare 

 owing to unremitting persecution and 

 the cutting away of large forests that 

 afforded safe retreats. At the pres- . 

 -ent moment I know of but three large 

 pieces of timber within the boundar- 

 ies of the county and feel confident 

 the Bubo has not nested in one of 

 those for many years. It is with the 

 remaining two we have to deal. 



The Dearborn Township parcel cov- 

 ers 750 acres of ground and here, in 

 1901, a Red-tail Hawk built an entire 

 new nest and had a complete set de- 

 posited just 23 days from the time 

 !her first was taken. This nest was 

 placed 65 feet above the ground in 

 the main fork of a large beech. April 

 13, 1902, we ate luncheon at the base 

 of this tree, ibut not before pounding 

 it and lotherwis'e convincing our- 

 selves that the nest was mot occupied. 

 Leaving the party I went some dis- 



tance to Investigate a tree cavity^ 

 and while returning noticed two pro- 

 jections above the nest that would 

 pass for ear tufts, tout no amount of 

 noise induced them to move. The 

 majority voiced an opinion of dead 

 leaves, hut this was not entirely sat- 

 isfactory to me, for a large owl had 

 glided from the vicinity at our ap- 

 proach. However, I would not climb 

 on the evidence at hand, but as we 

 started away I glanced back from 

 time to time, and suddenly discover- 

 ed that only one projection was vis- 

 ible and while I stood watching the 

 other swung into view. That settled 

 it. This owl remained upon the nest 

 until I could reach into it and then 

 vacated on a straight line through 

 the woods and did not return. Two 

 owlets about a week old and the re- 

 mains of two red squirrels and a do- 

 mestic pigeon represented the con- 

 tents of the nest which had been re- 

 lined with oak leaves' and was with- 

 out down. I did not disturb the con- 

 tents and hoped to secure a set of 

 eggs the following season, but a care 

 ful search throughout the woods fail- 

 ed to reveal any trace of the owls. 



The Monguagon Town'ship section 

 of timher comprises about 700 acres 

 — mostly oak and elm. of the largest 

 size. I explored this woods on April 

 17, 1898 and in the most dense and 

 gloomy portion discovered a nest of 

 the Great Horned Owl. It was a 

 rather insignificant appearing struc- 

 ture, situated 70 feet from the ground 

 in the main fork of a white oak with- 

 out an intervening limh and was un- 

 doubtedly built toy the owls. Nothing 

 was seen of the birds, but their claim 

 to the nest was assured ;by a profus- 

 ion of down clinging to its exterior 

 and also to the limhs and for some 

 distance down the trunk. Not far 

 from this tree grew another equally 

 large but with an abundance of limbs 

 and there was no difficulty in reach- 



