226 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



by the odor. I have shot great horns which 

 were so heavily impregnated with this scent 

 that it still remained evident after days of 

 "airing" in the open and years of seclusion 

 in a museum case. 



In the north woods great horned owls 

 have been shot filled with the quills of a 

 porcupine, an animal usually immune to 

 attack. One owl was found in Massachu- 

 setts holding a large blacksnake in its talons 

 with the snake wrapped about its body so 

 that the bird was nearly choked. Rats, 

 mice, crayfish, large insects, domestic poul- 

 try, and birds of all kinds figure in the 

 diet of this species, which must be rated 

 as destructive. 



That great horned owls are not entirely 

 savage, however, is shown by one kept as 

 a pet; year after year it served as foster 

 parent to broods of young chicks, hatching 

 the eggs and caring for the unusual brood 

 assiduously. 



In the broad territory it occupies, this 

 owl has developed a number of forms that 

 differ in size and color. These differences 

 are illustrated by the accompanying plate 

 (see page 228), which shows the ordinary 

 type with dark coloration, and the arctic 

 horned owl of the north, which is very 

 pale in color though retaining the darker 

 markings. 



As a species, the great horned owl ranges 

 from Tierra del Fuego and the Strait of 

 Magellan north through western and north- 

 ern South America, Central America, and 

 Mexico to the limit of trees in the far north. 

 North of Mexico the geographic races are 

 recognized. 



Great Gray Owl 



(Scotiaptex nebulosa) 



Related to the barred owl, which it re- 

 sembles in smooth, rounded head without 

 feather horns, this species is easily distin- 

 guished by larger size, grayer coloration, 

 and light-colored eyes (see pages 229 and 

 232) . The great gray owl lives in numbers 

 in heavy forests in the far north and more 

 rarely in the western mountains. It is 

 known to relatively few persons. 



Though this species in actual measure- 

 ments of total length is among the largest 

 of our owls, equaling or exceeding the great 

 horned and snowy owls in this dimension, 

 its apparent size is due to the long wings 

 and tail and to the length and fluffiness of 

 its plumage in general. As compared to the 



others, its body is slight and its feet and 

 legs small and delicate. 



While it is in the far north, this owl must 

 be forced to hunt at times by daylight be- 

 cause of the length of the day; but it pre- 

 fers night, and even in its northern range 

 it rests secluded in dense shade when not 

 in search of food. 



The great gray owl builds in a tree, mak- 

 ing its nest of twigs and moss, lined with 

 feathers or other soft materials. From 

 three to five eggs, slightly smaller than 

 those of the great horned owl, are laid, 

 nesting taking place in the north from April 

 to June. 



The notes of this bird are described as 

 deep in tone, but its calls do not seem to 

 be well known. 



With its wonderfully thick dress of long, 

 soft feathers which extend clear to its toes, 

 this owl is immune to cold. Though it 

 comes south in winter into the northern 

 United States, its presence there is casual 

 except during years when its food supply 

 in the north fails. Then numbers of the 

 birds are forced southward. 



It lives on mice, rabbits, squirrels, and 

 birds, but, being less powerful than the 

 great horned owl, it necessarily chooses 

 smaller prey. Its long, slender, sharply 

 pointed claws penetrate the thick winter 

 fur and feathers of the creatures that com- 

 prise its food and hold them without the 

 slightest difficulty. 



The great gray owl {Scotiaptex nebulosa 

 nebulosa) in America nests from the north- 

 ern limit of trees south to central Califor- 

 nia, northern Montana, and central Canada. 

 It comes south in winter as far as Wyoming, 

 Ohio, New York, and New England. The 

 Siberian gray owl {Scotiaptex n. barbata), 

 which is paler colored, has been found in 

 Alaska. Allied races range in northern 

 Europe and Asia. 



Snowy Owl 



{Nyctea nyctea) 



One bleak December day on the beach 

 near Ocean City, Maryland, a large, appar- 

 ently pure-white bird, of graceful flight, 

 glided past me to perch on the summit of 

 a low sand dune overlooking the ocean. 

 From its size and color, I recognized it in- 

 stantly as a snowy owl, a winter visitor from 

 the north (see page 229) . It faced the cold 

 wind with gaze directed steadily out across 

 the water, where its attention was attracted 



