190 



THE OOLOGIST. 



Am. Long Eared Owl. 



In the past uumbei's of the Oologist 

 I have seen seA'eral short articles on 

 this bird. 1 have had tlie good fortune 

 with a friend, to secure live sets this 

 season. All were found in deserted 

 crow's nests and in four cases near a 

 house some them less than 100 yds. I 

 have often in winter known these birds 

 to roost in a pine tree a few yards from 

 a house, and they were always quite 

 tame, especially after night. 



My first set, taken on March 11, '89, 

 was one of eight eggs in a deserted 

 crow's nest in a white pine, a favorite 

 tree with the Owl, about 20 feet from 

 the ground. The old bird did not leave 

 the nest until I was ^ery close to it. 

 The eggs were placed in the bottom of 

 the old nest, just as it was, except a few 

 feathers from the breast of the old bird. 

 It had evidently begiui incubating with 

 the first egg, as some had well-formed 

 embryoes, and others were quite fresh. 

 One, to all appearances, having Ijeen 

 laid that morning. 



The next set was one of seven, taken 

 five days later in a pine tree ten feet 

 from the ground. I had ample oppor- 

 tunity to observe the old bird during 

 the time she was laying this set, as it 

 was only fifty yards from an old house 

 on th# farm, and not over ir^O yards 

 from the dwelling houses. Slie depos- 

 ited an egg every other day, taking 

 fourteen days foi- the seven eggs. In- 

 cubation began with the first egg. Be- 

 fore laying she sat on the nest for a 

 week or more, either to dry it or per- 

 haps to shape it. Nothing was added 

 to it by the Owl. 



The third set was taken from an old 

 crow's nest in a pine tree fifteen feet 

 from the ground. Nothing Avas added 

 to it by the Owl. It was taken March 

 22, and v/as of seven eggs, incubation 

 begun in some of the eggs, as usual, 

 while some were fresh. It is in the 

 collection of F. VV. McCo)'mack, (,*f 

 Leigton, Ala. 



The foui'th set was of seven eggs, 

 taken from the same nest as the seconfl 

 set of seven and from the same birds as 

 the female iieA'er left the nest, but con- 

 tinued setting. She began laying on 

 the 28th and deposited one egg every 

 other day as before, and had finished 

 by the 12th of April. Quite a . number 

 of feathers were shed fr(jm iier breast 

 and left in the nest. Inciibation as us- 

 ual. I can detect no difl'erence in this 

 set and the first set she laid. 



The fifth set was taken on Api'il lijth. 

 It was of five eggs, incubation Avell be- 

 gun in all. It was found in a deserted 

 crow's nest in a hedge, ten feet fnm\ 

 the groimd. Tlie nest was in very bad 

 condition and would hardly liold the 

 eggs. The Owls were around this nest 

 OA'er a month before thej' began laying. 

 The Owl in the grove began laying 

 her third set on April 25th and deposit- 

 ed seven eggs, making twenty-one in 

 the same nest. I did not take these l)ut 

 let her hatch them. The period of in- 

 cubation av as about a month. One egg 

 was throAvn from the nest autl anothei' 

 was found to be rotten. The first one 

 to hatch was found dead under the nest 

 next morning Three days later the 

 next one hatched, and Iavo days after 

 the thii'd, anotJier egg was thi-own from 

 the nest at this time and tlie foui'tli 

 hatclied four days after tliirtl. The 

 second and third Avere nearly of a size, 

 hut tlie fourth Avas much smaller, and 

 the others left the nest some time before 

 it. 



The female was very tame. When 

 throAvn from the nest she AvoiUd return. 

 A numl)er of mice Avere geiun-ally 

 found in the nest Avith the birds and the 

 pellets of th"' old birds conlaiiu'd no 

 bones but those of mice. 



A Green Heron raised a brood not 

 ovei' twe)ify ya.i'ds away, and many 

 Imndi'eds of Ki'niizcd (-iiackks nest 

 in the gr(i\e. 



A set of eight eggs sliows tlie follow- 

 ing dimensions: 1.62-1.25, 1.G4-1.28, 



