160 THE HAWKS AND OWLfi OF THE UNITED STATES. 



SAW-WHET OWL. 



Nyctala acadica. 



The little Saw-whet, or Acadian Owl, inhabits temperate Canada and 

 the northern United States, ranging south to about the thirty-ninth 

 parallel in the east, and in the mountains to southern Mexico in the 

 west. It breeds sparingly in Massachusetts and New York, and prob- 

 ably in suitable localities all across the continent to Oregon, north of 

 the forty-second parallel of latitude. Occasionally it wanders south in 

 winter as far as the Carolinas and Kentucky. 



The food of this little Owl is composed almost entirely of mice, of 

 which the wood-dwelling species seem to predominate. At times it 

 attacks larger mammals, such as rats, half-grown red squirrels and 

 chipmunks. The following, from Mr. George Lawrence Nicholas, is 

 most extraordinary, as it hardly seems possible that so small a bird 

 could swallow so large a morsel: " To-day, while hunting in a pine 

 wood near this town [Summit, N. J.], I obtained an Acadian owl. Upon 

 dissecting it I found that its stomach contained a flying squirrel, which 

 had been swallowed whole and but slightly digested." (Forest and 

 Stream, vol. xn, February 27, 1879, p. 67.) 



It rarely molests small birds, unless its favorite food — mice — for some 

 reason, is scarce. Occasionally it feeds on scraps of raw or cooked 

 meat, which it has been observed to pick up in the vicinity of camps, 

 and in winter, in the north, it will feed on the carcasses of compara- 

 tively large animals. Dr. Merriam mentions the following, which oc- 

 curred at Point de Monts, Canada: "In winter Mr. Comeau once saw 

 one of these little owls fly from within the carcass of a great northern 

 hare that had been caught in a snare. The owl had eaten away the 

 abdomen and was at work within the thoracic cavity wTien frightened 

 away." (Bull. Nuttall Ornith. Club, vol. vn, 1882, p. 237.) 



It also feeds to some extent on insects of various kinds. Thus it 

 will be seen that while the diminutive size of the Saw- whet limits its 

 power of usefulness, its mode of life renders it a useful adjunct to the 

 farmer, and, small though it be, yet in districts where it abounds the 

 number of mice it annually destroys must be very large. 



Mr. Brewster gives an interesting account of the operation of dis- 

 gorging the pellets which he observed in a young specimen in his pos- 

 session: "The owl would gape several times, then the head would be 

 violently shaken sideways, and finally the pellet, coated with mucous, 

 would shoot forth, frequently falling several inches in front of the spot 

 where the bird was sitting. After it was all over the little fellow 

 assumed an expression of relief and contentment which was very 

 comical." (Bull. Nuttall Ornith. Club, vol. vn, 1882, p. 24.) 



The following species of mammals were positively identified among 

 the stomach contents: Arvicola riparius, Sitomys americanus i Sitomys 

 a. sonoriensis, Sorex, and Mus musculus. 



