1875.] 161 [Bendire. 



bottom covered with small chips, on which I found two eggs. These 

 resemble the eggs of other woodpeckers in color, a clear white, but 

 the white is a dull opaque, and not so polished as those of C. mexi- 

 canus. One end of the egg is considerably larger than the other. 

 They measure, one 1.02 in. by .75 in., the other 1.02 in. by .73 in." 



46. Brachyotus Cassini Brewer. " March 5th. This species 

 was met with for the first time to-day. I saw more here during the 

 winter." 



47. Syrnium ? " On the 26th of February I examined 



a dead pine stump, in which a pair of owls are building their nest. 

 I did not succeed in seeing them, but by the description given to me 

 by the wood-chopper, who told me of them, I am inclined to think 

 they are of this species. They are too small for S. cinereum, though 

 I have not the least doubt #hat the latter breeds here also." 



48. Nyctale acadica Bon. " On the 20th of January, I ob- 

 tained a fine adult female specimen of this species alive. One of 

 my men had caught it sitting on a low bush, about twenty feet behind 

 the company's quarters. I had a cage made for it, hoping to be able 

 to keep it alive, for the purpose of watching its habits. It killed 

 itself, however, during the first night, by flying violently against the 

 sides of its cage. Its iris was a bright lemon-yellow. It appeared to 

 be darker and more spotted below than those described, the breast 

 being uniformly marked with large, rusty, fulvous blotches. This 

 color predominates throughout, over the white of the under parts; 

 upper tail coverts like the back, lower ones immaculate white. The 

 tibiae and tarsi are of a delicate and uniform fawn-color, not spotted, 

 this tint becoming paler, almost white r near the toes. My men tell 

 me that a small owl resembling this one is common during the 

 summer about the basaltic cliffs in the neighborhood. On the 25th 

 of January, one of my men caught another specimen of this bird 

 alive; this time a male. He saw it flying out from the willows on 

 the creek running through the garrison, and alighting on a pro- 

 jection of a chimney at the quarters. He walked right up to the 

 bird and caught it in his hands. It was in good condition, and its 

 stomach contained the remains of a small bird hardly digested. This 

 one is still darker about the lower parts than the other one. I put it 

 in the cage also, and found it likewise dead the next morning. I 

 cannot account for it. This one certainly did not die of hunger. It 

 is considerably smaller than the female, and colored differently. 1 ' 



PROCEEDINGS B. S. N. H. — VOL. XVIII. 11 NOVEMBER, 1875. 



