32 



THE SUNNY SOUTH OOLOGIST. 



wing; the black resembles that of the Cedar 

 Waxwing, with slightly more yellow. 



THE RED CROSSBILL. 



(Loxia curvirostra Americana.) 

 The Red or American Crossbill has been 

 very common here this fall and winter, arriv- 

 ing late in August and is with us still. Its 

 principal food is the seeds of the sun flower, 

 and when feeding it is so tame that a 

 person can often get close enough to observe 

 their movements quite plainly. I have never 

 known a nest to be found in this locality, 

 though it must have nested very near here 

 last season, for in the latter part of the sum- 

 mer the young of these birds were very com- 

 mon. 



The Red Crossbill is a very handsome bird 

 in color, much resembling the Purple Finch , 

 only larger and of a darker red. The tail 

 which is very noticeable when flying, is very 

 short, with a deep nitch in the end. The 

 under mandible, which is quite short, crosses 

 to the left, while the upper mandible, being 

 about twice the length of the under, crosses 

 to the right. 



F. A. Patton, Lake City, Minn. 



[For the Sunny South Oologist.] 



MINNESOTA'S RESIDENTS. 



From the title, the contents of Ihls sketch 

 may ill be told. But, as all of my readers 

 who are interested in Ornithology know, this 

 term is applied to those birds which remain 

 in any particular locality the year round. 

 Almost all of our birds migrate to some ex- 

 tent and thus the species which are entirely 

 resident are limited somewhat in number. 

 They are chiefly different kinds of Owls, 

 Woodpeckers and Grouse, although some 

 notice is also taken of various other species. 



Though comparatively few, they afford 

 plenty of material for close and profitable 

 study; this may easily be done since they are 

 always within reach and do not seek South- 

 ern homes in winter as do the other birds. 



The largest among them is the White or 

 Snowy Owl (Nyctea scandiaca), a beautiful 

 bird at any age, but especially so when in its 

 first soft, white down. In the south-eastern 

 portion of the State, the bird is very rare, 



while in the western and northern parts it 

 is quite common. One was shot here (on the 

 Miss, river.) on Nov. 17. 1885, and was the 

 first seen since 1882; this bird was an adult 

 male in full plumage, measuring about twen- 

 ty-five inches in length and fifty-eight inches 

 in extent. 



This species, unlike most of the Owls, 

 builds its nest on the ground in an open prair- 

 ie; it is a large heap of sticks, straw, grass, 

 etc. , and is used for several years if the birds 

 are undisturbed. It is generally placed in a 

 natural hollow in the ground, surrounded by 

 a dense growth of grass. In this, during 

 the month of March, are deposited the set of 

 from three to five eggs. These are nearly 

 pure white, and measure somewhat less than 

 the egg of the Great-horned owl. This bird 

 is not very sociable, as regards either man or 

 those of its own kind, for in winter it is gen- 

 erally found away from its mate, and hardly 

 ever near the habitations of man. But it is 

 very fierce, and proves to be no mean antag- 

 onist even for a man to deal with. 



The Great-horned Owl (Bubo virginiauus) 

 is next in size and importance, and is very 

 much more common than the foregoing 

 species. This bird is not found except in 

 limited numbers in the western portions of 

 the State, but prefers the wooded regions of 

 the north. It has less fear of man than any 

 other owl, and on some occasions is quite socia- 

 ble. Many a farmer's son has watched early 

 and late for the stranger who was nightly 

 reducing the number of his chickens. And 

 from this same cause a great many owls 

 come to an untimely end. Living together 

 for several years, winter and summer alike, 

 they begin to build their nest and lay their 

 eggs in the month of March, and by the first 

 of April the young are generally hatched. 

 The eggs are two, three, or rarely, four in 

 number, nearly round, measuring about 2.35 

 by 2.05 inches; the color is a dirty or creamy 

 white, unspotted. The nest is usually one 

 used the year before by a pair of Red-tailed 

 Hawks, or other large birds; seldom of it* 

 own construction. The young are able to fly 

 by the first of June. 



The Barred Owl (strix nebulosa) is a some- 

 what smaller bird, and is much less common, 

 if indeed it is not to be called rare. Its 



