AIKEN'S SCREECH OWL. 371 



birds from Oracle, Pinal County, Arizona, seem to be intermediate between this 

 race and the slightly smaller and lighter colored Mexican Screech Owl. The 

 habits of Aiken's Screech Owl are similar to those of the other geographical 

 races and the number of eggs laid to a set varies probably from three to 

 five, and are deposited during the months of April and May, according to 

 latitude. It is probably a constant resident wherever found. 



129. Megascops asio macfarlanei Brewster. 



macfarlane's screech owl. 



Megascops asio macfarlanei Brewster, Auk, viii, April, 1891, 140. 



(B — C — R — C — U 373h.) 



Geographical range: Southeastern Washington to western Montana (and prob- 

 ably through the entire intervening region from the eastern slope of the Cascade Moun- 

 tains in Washington, south to central Oregon, east through northern and central Idaho 

 to the eastern foothills of the Bitter Root Mountains in western Montana, north into 

 southeastern British Columbia). 



According to Mr. William Brewster, this recently described race (named 

 in honor of Mr. R. MacFarlane, of the Hudson Bay Company, to whom 

 we are indebted for a great deal of valuable information about the nesting 

 habits of so many of our birds), is similar to the California Screech Owl in 

 coloration, but much larger, resembling in this respect the type of Kenni- 

 cott's Screech Owl, which appears to be equally large. 



MacFarlane's Screech Owl is a constant resident wherever found and its 

 habitat as far as known seems to be restricted to the timbered bottom lands 

 of the lower sagebrush and bunch grass covered valleys and plains of the 

 dry interior portions of the States above mentioned. It seems to avoid the 

 mountains, and I do not believe that it is found at much greater altitudes 

 than 4,000 feet. Its general habits are in no way different from those of the 

 other members of the genus Megascops, excepting that on account of its larger 

 size it is compelled to nest entirely in natural cavities of trees, the excava- 

 tions made by the larger Woodpeckers breeding in the same localities, like 

 Melanerpes torquatus and Colcvptes cafer, being too small to accommodate them. 



I found my first nest of MacFarlane's Screech Owl in southeastern Ore- 

 gon on April 16, 1877, but referred it at the time to the California race, as 

 the female caught in the cavity corresponded with the latter in plumage, 

 but it unquestionably belonged to the race now under consideration. This 

 nest was found in a hollow willow stump, in a small grove of these and 

 cottonwood trees among which I camped while on a hunt after waterfowl 

 on Lower Silvies River, near Malheur Lake, 20 miles southwest of Camp Har- 

 ney, Oregon. The hole was about 5 feet from the ground, 18 inches deep, and 

 contained six partly incubated eggs. There was no nest, the eggs lying on 

 some rubbish which had accumulated in the hole; the female was caught 



