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THE BARN OWL. 



f Strix Americana, Jlud. 

 PLATE XXXIV.— Male and Female. 



The Barn Owl of the United States is far more abundant in the Southern 

 Districts than in the other parts. I never found it to the east of Pennsyl- 

 vania, and only twice in that State, nor did I ever see, or even hear of one 

 in the Western Country; but as soon as I have reached the maritime districts 

 of the Carolinas, Georgia, the Floridas, and all along to Louisiana, the case 

 has always been different. In Cuba they are quite abundant, according to 

 the reports which I have received from that island. During my visit to 

 Labrador I neither saw any of these birds, nor found a single person who 

 had ever seen them, although the people to whom I spoke were well acquaint- 

 ed with the Snowy Owl, the Grey Owl, and the Hawk Owl. 



Thomas Butler King, Esq., of St. Simon's Island, Georgia, sent me 

 two very beautiful specimens of this Owl, which had been caught alive. 

 One died shortly after their arrival at Charleston; the other was in fine order 

 when I received it. The person to whose care they were consigned, kept 

 them for many weeks at Charleston before I reached that city, and told me 

 that in the night their cries never failed to attract others of the same species, 

 which he observed hovering about the place of their confinement. 



This species is altogether nocturnal or crepuscular, and when disturbed 

 during the day, flies in an irregular bewildered manner, as if at a loss how 

 to look for a place of refuge. After long observation, 1 am satisfied that our 

 bird feeds entirely on the smaller species of quadrupeds, for I have never 

 found any portions of birds about their nests, nor even the remains of a 

 single feather in the pellets which they regurgitate, and which are always 

 formed of the bones and hair of quadrupeds. 



Owls which approach to the diurnal species in their habits, or which hunt 

 for food in the morning and evening twilight, are apt to seize on objects 

 which are themselves more diurnal than those which I have found to form 

 the constant food of our Barn Owl. Thus the Short-eared, the Hawk, the 

 Fork-tailed, the Burrowing, and other Owls, which hunt either during broad 

 day, towards evening, or at the return of day, will be found to feed more on 

 diurnal animals than the present species. I have no doubt that the anatomist 

 will detect corresponding differences in the eye, as they have already been 

 found in the ear. The stomach is elongated, almost smooth, and of a deep 



