BURROWING OWL. 



195 



The eggs are usually five to eight in number, though sets of eleven have 

 been taken. When a nest exists, for the eggs are sometimes placed on 

 the bare earth, it is usually composed of a small quantity of grass or finely 

 broken cow or horse dung, and is situated at the end of the burrow in 

 a somewhat enlarged chamber. The distance from the entrance of 

 coarse depends on the individual burrows, which vary from 4 to 10 feet 

 in length. A nest which Mr, Ridgway dug out, was situated 8 feet from 

 the entrance and 4 feet below the surface. (U. S. Geol. Explor. of the 

 Fortieth ParaL, King, vol. IV, 1877, p. 574.) 



DESCRIPTION. 



Lower leg more than twice as long as middle toe and about half as 

 long as tail. Above, earthy brown, with buffy spotting and barring. 

 Below, ground color, distinctly buffy, feathers covering base of lower 

 surface of tail unspotted. 



Length: 9 toll inches (228 to 280 mm ); extent, 22.50 to 23.50 inches 



(572 to 597 mm ); wing, 5.80 to 7.20 inches (147 to 183 r 

 3.50 inches (80 to 89 mm ). 



'); tail, 3.15 to 



Table showing the results of examinations of S2 stomachs of the Burrowing Owl 

 (Speotyto cunicularia hypogcea). 



Locality. 



Date. 



Poultry 



or game 



birds 



Other birds. 



Mammal9. 



Miscellaneous. 



Fort Buford, 1ST. Dak . . 



Wayne County, Nebr. 



Do 



Pierce County, Nebr. 

 Do 



Do 



Wayne County, lS T ebr. 

 Sydney, Cheyenne 



County, Nebr. 

 Ogalalla,Keith County, 



l^ebr. 



Do 



Woodland, Cal. 



Pierre, S. Dak. 

 Do 



Reeder, Kans . . . 

 Cheyenne, Wyo 



Do 

 Do 



Phoenix, Ariz 

 Do 



Albuquerque, N. Mex. 



Big Butte, Idaho . 



DelPvio, Tex 



Verde Valley, Ariz 



Sept. 29, 

 June — , 

 ....do.. 



1837 

 1868 



July- 

 J une - 



Sept. • 



.. ..do.. 



May 24, 



May 21, 

 May 30, 



July— , 

 Aug. 21, 



Aug. 23, 

 ....do .. 



1875 

 1876 



1886 

 1888 



1888 

 1888 



May 7, 

 May 9, 



1889 

 1889 



July 16, 1889 



July 18, 1890 J . 



Jan. 31, 

 Aug. 6, 



1890 

 1884 



Prairie dot 



Mouse . 

 Mouse . 



Grasshoppers. 

 62 insects. 

 Lizard, 30 in- 

 sects. 



49 locusts, 17 



other insects. 



46 locusts, 10 



other insects. 



54 locusts, 8 



other insects. 



65 insects. 



59 locusts, 3 



other insects. 



51 locusts, 12 



other insects. 



58 locusts, 4 



other insects. 



4 grasshoppers, 



6 other insects. 



Beetle. 



3 grassboppers, 

 7 crickets, 2 

 beetles. 

 Grasshopper, 

 other insects. 

 10 grassboppers, 

 45 beetles, oth- 

 erinsects. 

 35 grasshoppers, 

 20 beetles, etc. 

 15 grasshoppers, 



6 beetles. 

 Insect remains. 

 Scorpion, crick- 



ets, beetles. 

 20 beetles, 2 

 crickets, lcen- 

 tiped. 

 Insects, scorpi- 

 ons. 

 Small insects. 

 Grasshoppers. 



