OOLOGIST'S EXCHANGE. 



"white at the centre and ashy on the 

 margins. 



Of the many thousands which I saw, 

 none exhibited the phase of plumage 

 given by Audubon as that of the ma- 

 ture bird, viz. : neck, half dark brown 

 and half yellowish white, the colors 

 occupying longitudinal divisions. I 

 had access to Audubon's works at San 

 Francisco, and examined the pelicans 

 with particular reference to his de- 

 scriptions, and I was so confident that 

 no such bird as his mature P. fuscus 

 was to be found in that locality, that I 

 was disposed to regard the brown peli- 

 can of the Pacific as distinct from that 

 of the Atlantic. 



W. E. Hillman 

 April 21st, 1888. 



THE CANADA JAY. 



BY GEOKGK H. CLARK. 



This bird is a native of northern 

 New England, Canada and Labrador. 

 An inhabitant of the dense evergreen 

 forests that extend in an almost unbro- 

 ken line from the New England States 

 far up into the British provinces, it is 

 one of the most noticeable species of 

 that vast wilderness, coming about the 

 camps in search of food with an easy 

 familiarity that quite atones for its 

 somewhat thievish habits. In the state 

 of Maine, where it has received the 

 names of Whiskey Jack and Moose 

 Bird from the lumbermen, it is resi- 

 dent throughout the year. 



In size the Moose Bird averages 

 slightly less than its well known rela- 

 tive, the Blue Jay, the average length 

 of the former being about ten and 

 three quarter inches. The head, 

 throat and breast are white, while the 

 crown and part of the back are a 

 bright brown ; the rest of the upper 

 parts being a plumbeous ash color, in- 

 termixed with Avhite. The bill and feet 

 are black. 



The nest of this Jay is generally 

 built in the latter part of February or 

 first of March, and is usually placed on 

 a limb of a spruce or hemlock tree in 

 the thick woods, the complement of 

 eggs varying from four to six. A nest 

 found by my friend, Mr. Gr. E. Palmer, 

 in the vicinity of Mt. Katahdin, on 

 March 24, 1887, was placed on a fork of 

 a branch in a young spruce tree. It 

 was situated about twelve feet from 

 the ground and was composed of twigs 

 and grass lined with fine grass and a 

 few feathers. The eggs, four in num- 



ber, are a typical set, the ground color 

 being a light drab or gray marked with 

 brown. They exhibit the following 

 measurements: 1.14 by .79, 1.16 by .80, 

 1.16 by .81 and 1.17 by .80. 

 Brookline, Mass. 



THE LITTLE SCREECH OWL. 



Scops asio, commonly called the Lit- 

 tle Screech Owl (a small and handsome 

 species of the Owl family), is quite 

 common throughout the United States. 

 It is about ten inches long, dark brown 

 above, shaded with paler brown, and 

 spotted with zig-zag points of black 

 and ash. The face is whitish, and the 

 breast is marked with lines of black 

 and brown on a whitish ground. The 

 big round head, cat-like eyes, strong 

 hooked bill, and curved claws, need 

 but little description, as all collectors 

 are familiar with these points, that so 

 characterize the Owls. The flight of 

 the Owl is buoyant and noiseless on 

 account of the softness of their feath- 

 ers. Scops is generally abroad at night 

 because it affords him a better oppor- 

 tunity to obtain his food than in the 

 daytime, besides that, he was made to 

 feed on prey that is active at night. He 

 lives mainly on mice and small birds, 

 but I think mice are preferred. The 

 Screech Owl is oftenestseen in autumn 

 and winter, when he is forced to ap- 

 proach the houses and barns in search 

 of mice. During- the day he hides in a 

 hollow tree or thick evergreen, and he 

 is subject to great derision and insult 

 if found by any of the smaller birds. 



In the latter part of April, '87, while 

 wandering in a woods I heard a chorus 

 of bird voices, and guided by the sound 

 I soon came in view of a number of in- 

 dignant little birds of the woods, 

 screaming and pecking at four young 

 owls that were huddled together on 

 the first limb of a majestic oak tree. If 

 owls can think they surely must have 

 thought that a cruel reception into this 

 bis? world. I watched them for quite a 

 while and sincerely pitied the dejected 

 looking little owls. If you should wish 

 to obtain some small birds without 

 missing their "tine clothes," just se- 

 cure Scops to a fence rail or limb, and 

 then smear the adjacent rails and 

 limbs with bird lime, and you will 

 have no difficulty in obtaining several 

 specimens. The Screech Owl has been 

 well named, for when his tremulous 

 and protracted cry is heard around our 

 (to be continued.) 



