GREAT GRAY OWL. 157 



dog, the first three or four notes lasting about one second each; these 

 succeeded by long, harsh, whining notes." * 



Mr. H. W. Henshaw took a specimen in the Upper Pecos region, N. 

 Mex., August 20, 1883, but did not ascertain whether it bred or was 

 common there. (Auk, vol. in, 1886, p. 79.) 



Mr. A. W. Anthony secured a specimen in Colorado in January or 

 February, 1882. " It was in a wet, marshy place grown up to coarse 

 grass. The bird seemed to make its home in this locality for some 

 time, as he says he flushed it from the grass on several different occa- 

 sions during the winter before he succeeded in shooting it " (Auk, vol. 

 in, 1886, p. 284). 



As yet very little is known of the habits of this species and abso- 

 lutely nothing of the food. It is to be presumed, however, that the 

 latter is of much the same character as that of the Barred Owl. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Size, color, and form, much the same as the Barred Owl, but the bar- 

 ring on the head and back is broken up into round or irregular spot- 

 ting. The belly is transversely barred much the same as the breast in- 

 stead of being streaked as in the Barred Owl. 



Length: 19 inches (182 mm ): wing, 12 to 13.50 inches (305 to 342 ram ); 

 tail, about 9 inches (228 mm ). 



GREAT GRAY OWL. 



Scotiaptex cinerea. 



This large and handsome Owl is a boreal species, occurring in arctic 

 and northern temperate America and migrating south in winter to the 

 northern United States. A closely related geographical race ( Scotiaptex 

 c. lapponicum) inhabits the northern portions of Europe and Asia, strag- 

 gling eastward to western Alaska. The Great Gray Owl is a very rare 

 winter or accidental visitant as far south as the fortieth parallel, the 

 limit of its wandering being reached in southern Xew England, ^New 

 York, New Jersey, Ohio, and Illinois in the East, and northern Cali- 

 fornia in the West. It is a common resident throughout all the wooded 

 portions of Alaska, as it is in the Anderson Kiver region and the fur 

 countries generally. 



The food seems to consist principally of hares, mice, and other of the 

 smaller mammals as well as small birds. Whether it destroys many 

 grouse or ptarmigans is not stated by authors who are most familiar 

 with the bird. Dr. W. H. Dall took no less than thirteen skulls and 

 other remains of red-poll linnets {Acanthis) from the crop of a single 

 bird. 



*Mr. F. Stephens secured an adult and young of this species at Smith Mountain, 

 some 50 miles NNE. of San Diego Bay, California, June, 1892. (Auk., vol. ix, 1892, 

 pp. 392-393.) 



