speckled breast and walk of a chicken. 

 I do not think that any stay here 

 through the summer, although they are 

 quite plentiful in the winter. 



Icterus galbulas (Linn.), Orchard 

 Oriole. — Seen only during the migrations, 

 but sometimes a few remain to breed. 



Spizella doniestica (Frost.), Chipping 

 Sparrow. — In the fields and orchards in 

 the summer time .you can't see or hear 

 anything but Mr. Chippy, and perhaps 

 his family in some neighboring tret. 

 This species build quite a neat little 

 nest and lay from three to four pale blue 

 eggs which are speckled with brown. 



Junco hyenialis (Linn.), Slate-colored 

 Junco. — The pretty littie snow birds adu 

 very much to the scenery of a snow cov- 

 ered held with their pleasant forme flit- 

 ting about as if they loved the snow, 

 and 1 beleive they do. They depart in 

 the last of March. 



Cardinalis virginianus (Briss.), Card- 

 inal Grosbeak. — The Kedbird with his 

 splendid dress cuts a figure among the 

 plainer clad birds. He seems to know 

 the gaudiners of his dress and plays the 

 best part imagineable among the other 

 birds. 



Pyranga aestiva (Linn.), Summer 

 Tanager. — This species arrive sometime 

 in April and depart in September. 

 They are not protected by the farmers 

 because they have a fondness for bees. 

 They will sometimes sit around a hive 

 for hours going "schnipp, schnipp" at the 

 bees. 



Progue subis (Linn.), Purple Martin. — 

 Summer resident. Arrives in the first 

 of April and leaves in September. They 

 generally build in boxes put up for their 

 accommodation by the benevolent farm- 

 er who seem to want them to build near 

 the house to keep the much dreaded 

 Hawks from their poultry. 



(To be continued.) 



J. W. P. Smithwick, 



Sans Souci, N. C. 



THE AMERICAN LONG- 

 EARED OWE. 



The Long-eared Owl is one of out- 

 most common Owls, but on account of 

 its nocturnal habits is hardly ever seen; 

 and thought by many persons to be rare. 

 It is distributed throughout Noit'i Am- 

 erica and is found in most any kind of 

 woods. It may be generally described 

 as of a buff color mottled and spotted 

 with brown and grey. 



It breeds wherever found. The nest is 

 usually an old Crow's or Hawk's nest 

 repaired with a few sticks and feathers, 

 although it sometimes builds in a hollow 

 tree or stump. The nest in most cases is 

 about twenty feet from the ground and 

 it is most always in a small oak or ever- 

 green tree. The eggs are white and oval 

 in shape, and are from three to six in 

 number. The average size of eggs found 

 by me is 1.62x1.34. One egg measured 

 1.(55x1.35. The number found here is 

 uiHt always four, sometimes five. In 

 Iowa the eggs are disposited most any 

 time in April. The time for looking for 

 a complete set of fresh eggs is in the sec- 

 ond week in April. 



April 8, 18J0, I found two nests of this 

 Owl each containing three fresh eggs. 

 Both nests were old Crow's and both 

 were in oak trees about twenty feet from 

 the ground. Within thirty feet of ore 

 nest was a Crow's nest containing four 

 eggs. April 11, I found three more nests 

 The first was in a box elder tree about 

 fifteen feet from the ground. It con- 

 tained four fresh eggs. Nothing was 

 added to this nest by the Owl except a 

 few feathers. The next nest contained 

 five eggs, incubation begun. The next 

 was in an oak tree, and like all the other 

 nests of this bird that I have found this 

 season, was a Crow's nest. The other 

 nest contained no eggs although the Owi 

 flew off. "E. S. P.," 



Des Moines, Iowa. 



