THE OOLOGIST. 



97 



Reports from collectors announce that, 

 on the whole, the winter has been an ex- 

 ceedingly mild one so far, and many mi- 

 gratory birds have found sufficient food and 

 shelter to detain them north. As early as 

 the middle of February, a number of the 

 earlier species had arrived in some locali- 

 ties. We fear, however, that these an- 

 nouncements, favorable as they may now 

 seem, will later on be shown to retard, rath- 

 er than to hasten nesting, for a comparison 

 of the seasons in different portions of the 

 country for a number of successive years, 

 have heretofore usually shown this to be 

 the case. We have also found that con- 

 tinued severe seasons are not so detriment- 

 al to nest-building, as seasons interspersed 

 with dismal and retarding rains, frosts, 

 and perverse winds. 



Those to whom this number is sent as a 

 specimen copy will please note the change 

 in our subscription price, as announced on 

 another ptige. 



That Hybrid Owl. 



ADOLPHE B. COVERT. 



fN the November number of The Ool- 

 OGiST I find an article on Hybrids, 

 written by Mr. W. H, Ballou, where- 

 in he describes a hybrid Owl, a cross be- 

 tween the Great Horned and Snowy Owls. 

 Now, living as I do here in Michigan, where 

 both of these birds are to be found, the 

 Great Horned Owl common in all seasons, 

 and the Snowy Owl quite common in win- 

 ter, and having an abundance of opportu- 

 nities for studying their habits, I was sur- 

 prised to see the article in question, know- 

 ing as I well do that these birds are sworn 

 enemies, never crossing each other's paths 

 without a battle, and in which the Snowy 

 Owl is generally defeated and often killed. 

 Now I cannot conceive of such a union as 

 the gentleman speaks of, a union of ene- 

 mies. We well know that the Great Horn- 



ed Owl is of a quarrelsome disposition, liv- 

 ing in peace with its own kind only during 

 the breeding season, and then lacking that 

 affection and kindness which generally char- 

 acterize other birds at that time. And 

 then sometimes a pair will have savage 

 battles between themselves, and I have 

 never known them to allow a different spe- 

 cies to remain within some miles of them. 

 Now can we look forward to such a union, 

 knowing as we well do, the quarrelsome 

 disposition of both ? I for one cannot. 

 I Let us look at Mr. Ballou's description of 

 I this supposed hybrid, and then let us com- 

 pare it with Bubo virginianus var. arcticus 

 as described in Baird, Cassia and Law- 

 [rence. Mr. Ballou says, "Legs and feet 

 snowy Avhite ; wings on the outside like the 

 common Biiho, on the inside like the Nyc- 

 tea ( white ) ; portions of the back and 

 breast alternately like one and then the oth- 

 er species." Now let us look at Mr. Cas- 

 sin's description of Bubo virginianus var. 

 ardicua. He says : "• Frequently nearly 

 pure white or pale yellowish-white or pale 

 cream color of various shades, to nearly the 

 color of the common Bubo ; under parts 

 generally lighter than the upper, and al- 

 ways throughout the plumage, is marked 

 and barred with brown, frequently pale and 

 indistinct ; tarsi and toes generally very 

 light, frequently nearly pure white. Feath- 

 ers of the face pure white or pale cream 

 color." I have not given Mr. Cassin's de- 

 scription entire, but I think enough to cov- 

 er Mr. Ballou's bird. Mr. Cassin does not 

 speak of the length of the ear tufts, but I 

 think if the gentleman will take ten speci- 

 mens of Btibo virginianus from different lo- 

 calities and measure the ear tufts, he will 

 find a difference, — that they will range from 

 one to three inches in length. I have now 

 in my study a Great Horned Owl shot in 

 the north woods of Michigan in the sum- 

 mer of 1876, that will fully answer the de- 

 scription given by Mr. Ballou, of the bird 

 seen in Chicago. I have also Great Horned 

 Owls, that will show the intermediate grad- 

 uations from Bubo virginianus proper to 

 Bubo virginianus var. arcticus. 



