LONG-EARED OWL. 67 
itself with great spirit from the attacks of larger birds, making 
a ready use of its bill and talons, and when wounded is dan- 
gerous and resolute. 
The Long-Eared Owl seldom, if ever, takes the trouble 
to construct a nest of its own; it seeks shelter amidst ruins 
and in the accidental hollows of trees, and rests content with 
the dilapidated nursery of the Crow, the Magpie, that of the 
Wild Pigeon, of the Buzzard, or even the tufted retreat of the 
squirrel. True to these habits, Wilson found one of these 
Owls sitting on her eggs in the deserted nest of the Qua Bird, 
on the 25th of April, six or seven miles below Philadelphia, in 
the midst of the gloomy enswamped forest which formed the 
usual resort of these solitary Herons. So well satisfied was she 
in fact with her company, and so peaceable, that one of the Quas 
had a nest in the same tree with the Owl. The young, until 
nearly fully grown, are grayish white, and roost close together 
on a large branch during the day, sheltered and hid amidst the 
thickest foliage ; they acquire their natural color in about fifteen 
days. Besides mice and rats, this species also preys on field- 
mice, moles, and beetles. The plaintive cry or hollow moan- 
ing made by this bird, “clw cloud,” incessantly repeated 
during the night, so as to be troublesome where they frequent, 
is very attractive to the larger birds, who out of curiosity and 
for persecution assemble around this species when employed 
as a decoy, and are thus shot or caught by limed twigs. 
This Owl occurs throughout temperate North America, and is a 
common resident everywhere excepting along the northern limit of 
its range, where it is less abundant, and appears in summer only. 
