256 Twelve Months With 



hoo-hoo, whood, whooo!" all the syllables being on 

 the same note. 



The barred owl is usually a little later in nest- 

 ing, but he often begins to mate in February. This 

 species is four or five inches shorter than the great 

 horned owl, and is also distinguished by absence 

 of "horns" or ear-tufts and by its black eyes. I 

 once found a nest of this owl in a shallow cavity in 

 the fork of an elm only about ten feet from the 

 ground. An unusual experience led to the discov- 

 ery of the nest. I found an unbroken barred owl's 

 egg at the foot of the tree, among some chips on 

 the ground. The eggs of this species are dirty 

 white, and the shells are unusualy thick and heavy, 

 indeed they are so hard that it is difficult to drill 

 holes in them for the insertion of a blow pipe. 

 How this egg could have fallen ten feet to the 

 ground, however, without breaking, is a mystery. 

 After discovering it, I noticed some regurgitated 

 hair massed together with small bones in tell-tale 

 fashion at the foot of the tree, and soon located the 

 nest above in the decayed crotch. 



The barred owl is also called "Hoot Owl." 

 His call is similar to that of the great homed 

 owl, but it is more sonorous and more varied in 

 tone. 



Among the other owls more or less common in 

 this latitude may be mentioned the American 

 long-eared owl, the short-eared owl, the saw- 

 whet owl and the little screech owl. None of 

 these is now common, except in certain localities. 



