566 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. (VoL. XXXIII. 
in the pellets. As far as I can determine, the gastric juices 
of the owls have no noticeable action upon bones. 
I. 
The following tables represent the food eaten by the owls 
under my observation. Table I is for the long-eared owls on 
the arbor vitz tree; Table II for the long-eared and the short- 
eared owl on the Norway spruce. For each table the first 
TABLE I. ARBOR ViIT& TREE. 
, DaILy 
Chi aiik NUMBER OF OWLS ON THE TREE CONTENTS OF PELLETS Foop 
AVERAGE 
Dec. 25, 4 
wr y0, 4 
“ age 4 
“ 28, 4 
4 29, 4 
tee. 4 1 Finch 
we gi 4 1 Blarina 
Jan. 8 Jane f; 4 1 Micr. pinet. 
vi 2; 4 139 Micr. penn. 
n 2, 4 14 Micr. undet. 
“ 4 4 
7 4 
“ 6, 4 
é Y; 4 
es 8, 4 
Jan. 9, 4 
“ 10, 4 
Ti n, 4 1 Peromyscus 
Jan. 15 "cS 4 1 Micr. pinet. 1.6 
vena: © 4 43 Micr. penn. 
To ee 4 
“ I 5, 4 
1 The pellets of hawks (I am familiar with those only of Falco sparverius) are 
very different from those of owls. The pellets of the sparrow hawk are smaller, 
elongate, usually pointed at the ends, and more or less spirally twisted. In them 
there is frequently no trace of bones, and when the latter are present they are 
usually in a fragmentary condition. A hawk tears its prey to pieces in the process 
of eating, which would account for the breaking of the bones. 
