236 



NESTS AND mas OF 



Called the American Hoot Owl or Wood Owl, and Round-headed Owl. A large 



dark-eyed species, common to wooded 

 lantis of Eastern United States, especially 

 bottom woods; those of swamps, along 

 ravines and rivers where there is a heavy 

 growth of tall timber. The loud, laughing 

 notes of this Owl, heard in the night, are 

 something terrible, and if heard about the 

 farm-house or camp-fire will not soon be 

 forgotten. Its flight is soft, as if on wings 

 of down, noiseless, quick and easy. Nests 

 in hollows of trees, in old nests of hawks 

 and crows. In Ohio it is said to breed as 

 early as the last of February, but I have 

 always found it nesting in April and the 

 first half of May. In New London county, 

 Connecticut, Mr. C. L. Rawson has taken 

 eggs of this Owl in February, which were 

 deposited on a solid cake of ice In a cavity 

 or in the open nest; he states that of late 

 years full clutches of eggs are deposited 

 by the last of March. The usual time of 

 nesting in Iowa is March and April. The 

 same nesting place is occupied by the 

 birds for years, even after being robbed 

 many times. The eggs are two or three 

 in number, very rarely four; globular, 

 white. Between the eggs of this species 

 and those of the Great Horned Owl there 

 is commonly considerable difference in di- 

 ' mensions in favor of the former, but 

 sometimes they approach each other so closely that to identify them by size alone is 

 impossible. The Barred Owls' eggs measure in long diameter from 1.87 to 2.20, and 

 in short diameter from 1.50 to 1.75. 



368. Barked Owl (After Jasper). 



368a. FLORIDA BARBED OWL. Syniium nebulosum alleiii Ridgw. Geog. 

 Dist. — Florida, Texas, Louisiana and adjoining regions. 



A darker colored race found in Florida, Texas, etc. Mr. Sin^ley states this is the 

 commonest owl in Lee county, Texas, where it frequents almost exclusively the thick 

 wooded bottom lands. He found seventeen nests in hollows of trees with eggs or 

 young, and the number in each was invariably two. The sizes of a set of two eggs 

 taken March 20, 1885, now in Mr. Norris' collection, are 1.89x1.58, 1.86x1.61; six 

 other specimens measure 1.97x1.78, 1.90x1.61, 1.88x1.67, 1.89x1.60, 1.81x1 54, 1.87x1.63. 

 The eggs are subspherical, pure white, smooth, without granulation? 



369. SPOTTED OWL. Syrnium occidentale Xantus. Geog. Dist.— Southwest- 

 ern United States, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Lower California and Mexico. 



By no means a common bird and comparatively little is known concerning Its 

 life history. The Western Barred Owl was first described in 1859 from a specimen 

 which remained unique in collections until Major Bendire rediscovered it in Arizona 



