THE NIDOLOGIST 
with, and when seen it is commonly during 
the winter season. 
Personally I have only seen it on two 
occasions, the first time was in November, 
in Somerset county, when I found one ina 
small cedar brush on the edge of a marsh. 
Again, March 4, 1894, while hunting 
through the woods near the Gunpowder 
river, Baltimore county, we flushed a Bar- 
red Owl from a medium-sized cedar tree 
and then saw an Acadian Owl on the same 
limb, about two feet from where the Barred 
Owl was perched. Thishad evidently been 
a roosting place for both birds for quite a 
time, as beneath the tree we picked upa 
large number of pellets from both species. 
Audubon states that it is found in the 
swamps of Maryland the whole year. 
Megascops asio:—Screech Owl. 
This little Owl, variously known as Little 
Horned Owl, Mottled Owl, Red Owl, etc., 
is a highly beneficial species, being an 
abundant resident throughout the state. 
Its flight bears much resemblance to that 
of the Woodcock (Philohela minor), and on 
one oceasion whilst hunting ‘‘Cock’’ in an 
Aldar swamp I shot an Owl by mistake as 
it flushed from the grass at my feet. 
Its food consists of small mammals, in- 
sects, fish, reptiles, crawfish ete. January 
14, 1894, I found a number of pellets con- 
sisting almost wholly of the remains of 
crawfish. 
They generally deposit their eggsin a 
natural cavity ina tree, or a deserted Flicker 
hole, laying them ona bare wood. Davie 
states (‘‘Nests and Eggs of Nor. Am. 
Birds’’)that they sometimes deposit as many 
as nine eggs; here I should say four was 
the average, sometimes three and often five 
being found. 
Three sets taken by me in 1894, were as 
follows: April 6, four fresh eggs from 
Flicker hole on apple tree, five feet up. 
Eggs on bare wood and covered by Owl in 
red phase. About three weeks previously 
my brother felt in the hole and brought out 
both birds; one was red, the other gray. 
April 7, four fresh eggs trom Flicker hole, 
fifteen feet up in apple tree; Owl in red 
phase. With the eggs I found two mouse 
skulls, numerous small bones, and some 
Bluebird feathers. On April 21, as I passed 
the tree I looked in hoping to take a second 
set, but found none although an Owl was 
there, this time a gray one. 
April 8, three slightly incubated eggs 
123 
from a natural cavity in beech tree, about 
twelve feet up, and covered by Owl in red 
phase. Eggs very much soiled from the 
damp rotten wood upon which they rested. 
I have never kept an account of the rela- 
tive number of the two phases of color, but 
think they are pretty evenly distributed in 
their locality; if either predominates I 
should say it is the red phase. 
Bubo virginianus:—Great Horned Owl; 
Booby Owl; Hoot Owl; 
Cat Owl. 
This, our largest Owl, is resident, where 
found. It inhabits principally heavy wood- 
land, and is much more abundant in our 
lower counties than near Baltimore. Fre- 
quently of a winter night, in Somerset 
county, I have heard one of these Owls hoot, 
presently to be answered by another and 
then a chorus would come from all direc- 
tions. 
They are frequently seen during the day, 
and I once saw one about 3 p. m., making 
sweeping circles over an open field where 
shortly before I had scattered a covey of 
Partridges. 
This is our most destructive Owl, killing 
many domestic fowls, game birds and rab- 
bits. They are very fond of the latter, and 
almost all pellets examined will show signs 
oi their fur. 
They usually nest from the end ofFebruary 
to the end of March, depositing two, and 
sometimes three eggs. 
In this locality the Great Horned Owl is 
more often found incubating in an open 
nest than in a hollow tree. 
Nyctea nyctea:—Snowy Owl. 
A rare visitor, sometimes making its ap- 
pearance during excessively cold winters. 
Baltimore, Md. 
= 
R. W. WILLIAMS, Jr., of Tallahassee, Florida, 
took a set of five eggs of the Florida Screech Owl 
this year. 
Mr. C. Barlow, of Santa Clara, finding that his 
duties as secretary of the Cooper Club occupy 
much of his spare time, has resigned the Cali- 
fornian editorship of a new publication to which 
he was appointed. 
Volume II of Major Bendire’s ‘Life Histories 
of North American Birds,” is now in type, after a 
long delay in the Government printing office. 
Volume III will commence with the Evening 
Grosbeak. 
