THE GEE AT HORNED OWL. 377 



North and South Dakota, eastern Nebraska, eastern and central Kansas, the 

 same parts of the Indian Territory, and the more heavily wooded districts of 

 eastern and central Texas. 



The Great Horned Owl, also known as the Cat and Hoot Owl, is the 

 most powerful and destructive bird of this family found within the United 

 States. Although apparently smaller than the Grreat Gray and Snowy Owls, 

 it is really considerably larger in body than either and coirespondingly 

 stronger. 



Excepting possibly in the extreme northern portions of its range, it is a 

 constant resident wherever found, and, though mostly nocturnal in its habits, 

 it sees well enough in the daytime and hunts its prey occasionally on cloudy 

 days, especially when it has young to provide for. 



Except during the mating and breeding season, it is an misociable and 

 solitary bird, rarely allowing another of the same species in the vicinity of 

 its range, which is usually some heavily wooded tract near water. As is 

 the case with most Raptores the female is coxlsiderably larger than the male, 

 the latter being but a poor match for his spouse at any time, and I have little 

 doubt that he occasionally falls a victim to the churlish and cannibalistic pro- 

 pensities of his stronger mate, »which sometimes happens when pairs of these 

 birds are kept in captivity. 



It is generally conceded that the Great Horned Owl is by far the most 

 destructive of all our Raptores, and, on the whole, commits more damage 

 than all the other species together. In this instance, at least, actual facts fully 

 bear out this universal supposition. 



Dr. C. Hart Merriam states that one of these Owls has been known to 

 decapitate three Tm-keys and several Chickens in a single night, leaving their 

 bodies uninjured and fit for the table.^ 



Aside from its frequent depredations in the poultry yard, where it helps 

 itself to anything within reach, and often kills many more victims than it 

 actually requires, such as Turkeys, Geese, Guinea Fowl, Ducks, Chickens, 

 and Pigeons, and even entering coops after them, it is the worst and most 

 relentless enemy our game birds, such as the Wild Tm-key, the Ruffed and 

 Pinnated Grouse, the Bob White, and Woodcock, have to contend against, 

 and wherever these valuable birds are still fairly common they furnish a con- 

 siderable portion of their daily food. Among the mammals, hares, "rabbits, 

 squixTels, skunks, opossums, muskrats, and the smaller rodents help to fill 

 out their bill of fare, and if fish are procurable they show an eqixal fondness 

 for this sort of food. 



Whenever provender is plenty they often content themselves with simply 

 eating the heads of their victims, rejecting the remainder, and thus wipe out 

 whole families of birds in a single night ; their sight is so keen that few man- 

 age to escape. They are generally able to procure an abtindance of food 

 even in the coldest weather, and it is the exception and not the rule to find 

 one of these Owls in poor condition at any time of the year. 



1 Birds of Connecticut, 1877, p. 67. 



