134 THE BIRDS 
FAMILY STRIGIDAE.—HORNED OWLS, 
ETC, 
GENUus Asio. 
[366]. Asio wilsonianus (Lesson). Long-eared Owl. 
Raxer.—Temperate North America. Breeds from 
eentral British Columbia, southern Mackenzie, southern 
Keewatin, southern Quebec, and Newfoundland south to 
southern California, northern Texas, Arkansas, and Vir- 
ginia; winters from southern Canada to Georgia, Louisi- 
ana, and central Mexico. 
While this owl is quite common further inland, I have 
still thought to positively identify a nest with either eggs 
or young taken close to the seacoast. I am quite confi- 
dent, though, they breed along the coast, and hope soon 
to verify my statement. The following data is taken 
from sets taken elsewhere, and now in the H. H. Bailey 
collection. Nest, an old crow, squirrel, or hawk’s nest, 
various heights, from twenty to forty feet above ground. 
Eggs, pure white. Size, 1.55x1.35, three to five in 
number. Fresh eggs (this locality) March 25th to April 
5th. Their food consists chiefly of small mammals, such 
as mice, shrews and moles, beetles, and occasionally a small 
bird or two. The good they do destroying small mammals 
offsets nearly one hundred to one the harm done small 
birds, therefore, the farmer and gunner should afford him 
the best of protection. They rear but a single brood a 
season, and are nocturnal in habits, so are seldom seen 
by the public. They remain throughout the year, unless 
the winter be extremely severe. They breed rather 
abundantly in the “Valley,” and sparingly in the higher 
mountains. 
