266 Bird Studies. 



again in isolated pairs. They excavate their own burrows, and their chief 

 food is small mammals, reptiles, and insects. They are diurnal birds, and may 

 be found generally at all times of the day, perched on the little mounds of 

 earth at the mouth of their burrows. When disturbed they often retire to 

 their holes, but as frequently fly oE a short distance and light on the ground. 



The birds are about nine inches long, and of a grayish brown body color 

 above, spotted and brokenly barred with white. Below white preponderates, 

 especially on the throat, which is generally unspotted. The rest of the lower 

 parts are more or less spotted and barred with grayish brown. Their long 

 legs, which are nearly unfeathered, round heads, and yellow eyes will, with 

 their size, readily identify them. 



They are resident and local birds breeding in their burrows in April, at 

 which season from five to seven white eggs are laid. These are nearly an 

 inch and a quarter in length, and over an inch in their smaller diameter. 



The Burrowing Owl of the Interior and West ranges from a little north 



of the United States south through parts of Mexico to Guatemala. It 



is a little larger than the Florida bird, more buffy in gen- 



speotyto cunicuiaria hypo- eral toue, especially below. Otherwise it is similar. It 



gaa(Bonap.>. j^^g beeu recordcd as accidental from Massachusetts. 



The Hawk Owl is another diurnal owl partaking of many of the charac- 

 teristics of the smaller Hawks. It is of extreme northern distribution, 



, breeding- from Newfoundland northward and is somewhat 



American Hawk ,. . . , . t i i , , 



Q^j nomadic m its winter wanderings, it has been recorded 



surnia uiuia caparoch casually at various points in the Eastern United States, as 



far south as Pennsylvania. 



It is a bird about fifteen inches in length, has a round head and yellow 



eyes. Its general tone above is dusky. The head and neck are variegated 



with white spots. The back is barred with the same color. The tail is long, 



rounded and obscurely barred with whitish. The face is grayish white, and 



the regions about the ears dusky. The lower parts have a general ground 



color of grayish white, barred from the lower breast regularly with defined 



dusky markings. There is a dusky spot on the throat. The legs and feet 



are heavily featbered. 



The birds nest in pine or other evergreen trees and sometimes in holes 



