THE SAW- WHET OWL. 351 



Although the little Saw-whet Owl seems to be exceedingly gentle in 

 captivity and of an amiable disposition, it does not appear to lack strength 

 or com'age, and is able to captm-e and kill rodents considerably larger than 

 itself. Mr. George G. Cantwell informs me that he found a nest of this species 

 in a small hollow white oak tree, the cavity, which had evidently been an old 

 •squirrel's nest, being filled with leaves and other trash to within a few inches 

 of the entrance, which was about 15 feet up. The tree stood in the midst 

 of a dense piece of timber bordering a small lake near Minneapolis, Minne- 

 sota. This nest contained on June 1, 1885, four young owlets of diiferent 

 ages and an addled egg, as well as portions of two rats. Mice and other 

 small rodents appear to furnish the principal part of its food, and occasionally 

 a bird is captured. No doubt frogs and insects of various kinds are fed on 

 as well. This bird must certainly be counted among the beneficial species 

 and deserves protection. It seeks its humble prey mostly by night, while the 

 days are passed in hollows in trees or in the gloomiest and darkest portions of 

 the forests. 



It is only within the last ten years tliat anything reliable has been 

 learned about the nesting habits of this species, or fully identified eggs been 

 taken, and perhaps " none are better qualified to speak of the nesting habits 

 of these quaint and interesting little Owls than Dr. William L. Ralph and 

 Mr. Egbert Bagg of Utica, New York, who have devoted considerable time 

 to the study of these birds and have taken five sets of their eggs. The 

 former writes me as follows: "We found these birds quite common in Oneida 

 County, New York, especially in the northern and eastern parts. Their nests 

 are not very hard to find, and it seems strange that so few have been taken. 

 Those found by Mr. Bagg and myself were all in the deserted holes of 

 Woodpeckers and the eggs were laid on the fine chips found in such bur- 

 rows without much of an attempt at making a nest. They were all in 

 woods, wholly or in part swampy, such situations being particularly con- 

 genial to these birds, who usually frequent them tlu'oughout the year. 



"Just before and during the mating season these little Owls are quite 

 lively; their peculiar whistle can be heard in almost any suitable wood, and 

 one may by irhitating it often decoy them within reach of the hand. Upon 

 one occasion, when my assistant was imitating one, it alighted on the fur cap 

 of a friend that stood near him. They may often be seen at this season 

 during the day sitting in trees or bushes and sometimes even hunting; but 

 after their eggs are laid they are usually if not always silent, and are then 

 very hard to find, as they keep in holes most of the time, except during 

 the night. They are not at all suspicious and I have more than once stroked 

 one with my hand as it was roosting sleepily in some bush or tree. 



"Their call is a fi'equently repeated whistle, sometimes uttered in a 

 high and again in a low key, and given in either a slow or rapid cadence. 

 Generally it is commenced slowly and gradually becomes faster and faster 



