280 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



being very small, and surrounded with large bare trees, is a favorite 

 run between the river and the lake for large fish at night, so that 

 all the circumstances are very favorable for the prosecution of the 

 piscatorial pursuits of the owls. On the 8th May, 1884, I found a 

 pair of these birds in possession of an old nest in the Big Swamp 

 on the Assiniboine River, sojuth of the Big Plain. This, nest was 

 about 30 feet from the ground, in the crotch of a poplar tree, 

 which was as yet without leaves. The nest was formed of 

 sticks and twigs and was indistinguishable from that of a red- 

 tailed buzzard. Once or twice I tried to shoot the old bird on 

 the nest, but she was too wary, and evidently had all her wits 

 about her even in the day time. {Thompson-Seton.) 



As early as 20th March, 1892, at Indian Head, Assa., a pair 

 of these birds were nesting. On May 24th I visited the nest and 

 took the two young birds home with me. They soon became 

 quite tame and would allow me to stroke them, and although 

 they often pecked my hands they never were able to draw blood. 

 They seem to have little power with their beak. By July 7th 

 they were as large as the old ones. It depends very much on their 

 food how often they eject pellets. If fed on chopped gophers, 

 skins and all, they would eject about five times a week, if on the 

 bodies of birds that had been skinned, about three times a week. 

 On June 3rd found a nest with two very young ones. Their eyes 

 were not open yet, and they seemed only about five days old. On 

 the 7th one opened its eyes and on the loth the other one. They 

 were quite white when very young and altogether without ear 

 tufts. Their eyes are very small at first and the iris a dirty 

 white, and it was not until they were a month old that their eyes 

 attained the bright yellow appearance. {Spreadborough) 



MUSEUM SPECIMENS. 



Two; one taken in the Touchwood Hills, Assa., September 

 2ist, i88o, by the writer ; the other by W. Spreadborough at 

 Edmonton, Alta., June nth, 1897. 



One set of two eggs taken about four miles north of Red Deer, 

 Alta., by G. F. Dippie, April loth, 1896. Nest .evidently in an 

 old hawk's nest in a cottonwood about 35 feet from the ground. 



3756. Arctic Horned Owl. 



Bubo virginianus arciicus ,{Swaihs.). Cass. 1854. 

 The purest type of arcticus seems to centre about Lake Mani- 

 toba, in the winter at any rate, and I have always been able to get 



