BARN OWL. 137 



Among tlie large number of skulls of different animals found by Dr. 

 Altum only 22 belonged to birds, of which 19 were those of the worthless 

 English sparrow. 



The Barn Owl, like the other Owls, is fond of fish, and their remains 

 have been found in its stomach. An interesting case in which the owl 

 caught its own fish is cited by Seebohm: "Waterton records an in- 

 stance, which he saw himself, of a Barn Owl dropping down into a pond 

 like an osprey and flying off with a fish." (Hist. British Birds, vol. I, 

 1883, p. 150.) Insects are more or less often taken, for Prof. Aughey 

 found a considerable number in all the specimens which he examined 

 in Nebraska. 



It breeds sparingly in all suitable localities throughout the territory 

 which it inhabits, and in the Southwest, particular in Southern Cali- 

 fornia, it breeds abundantly. Owing to the extensive range of the 

 bird the nesting season varies widely. Thus, Prof. B. W. E verm ami 

 found full complements of eggs at Santa Paula, Cal., in February, while 

 in southeastern Texas, H. J^ehrling found eggs in the early part of May; 

 in Florida, Maynard found that it nested in March, April, and May. 

 Except in the more northern parts of its range, where it breeds as late 

 as June, it is probable that the majority of eggs are deposited in March. 



In Europe the Barn Owl breeds more commonly in old ruins, church 

 belfries, cavities in the abutments of bridges, and old walls. In Amer- 

 ica, where few suitable ruins and open belfries exist, such nesting sites 

 are comparatively uncommon. The most usual nesting site in the West 

 is in cavities in the sides of gullies, which in California are called 

 barrancas. These barrancas are nothing more than miniature canons, 

 formed in the rainy season by torrents of water washing away the 

 earth. The walls are nearly perpendicular and contain innumerable 

 cavities. Some authors think the birds partially excavate the nesting- 

 site, but this seems to be doubtful, and if the holes are enlarged by 

 artificial means it is probably by some rodent. Crevices in rocky cliffs 

 are also used, as well as hollows in stubs and trees, and on one occasion 

 Prof. Evermann found a pair using the deserted nest of a crow (Or- 

 nithologist and Oologist, vol. vn., April, 1882, p. 109). This instance 

 of the use of a deserted nest is the only one which has come to the 

 writer's notice, and the habit must be extremely rare. In the East the 

 habit of nesting in buildings is more frequent than elsewhere in the 

 United States, though various other locations are also chosen. Barns, 

 churches, cupolas of town halls, and ice-houses are used, and in the 

 city of Washington a pair breeds in one of the towers of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution. 



The nest proper when placed in a cavity, whether of a tree or a bank, 

 is usually nothing more than a few feathers from the parent bird, 

 together with the accidental material found in the hollow. If placed 

 in a building it is more bulky, and is composed generally of the mis- 

 cellaneous rubbish which collects in such places, combined with the 



