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THE CONDOR 



Vol. XIX 



ber them in local poultry yards nearly twenty to one. The mammals eaten were 

 confined almost entirely to rabbits and small skunks, or civets {Spilogale), it 

 was somewhat difficult to tell which as both have the same odor. It is remark- 

 able what one of these owls can swallow, as in one stomach I found the entire 

 hind leg of a full grown civet, which was torn off where it joined the body. 

 Mr. D. E. Brown, of Seattle, reports finding the entire leg of a full grown hen 

 in one owl. 



Great as was the flight of these owls in the vicinity of Tacoma, the main 

 abundance seems to have centered in Vancouver Island, as is shown by a letter 

 to me from Mr. Walter F. Burton, of Victoria, B. C. This I quote in part as 

 follows: "We have a plague of Horned Owls here, which has cleaned out all 

 our pheasants. Hundreds have been shot, but the damage is done. I was out 

 after them yesterday and in a short walk counted fourteen pairs of pheasant 

 wings. I have killed a great many of the owls. Their chief food here is phea- 

 sants, grouse, Short-eared Owls and Meadowlarks. Now that they have fin- 

 ished the gamebirds they are eating salt-water ducks ; the last one I shot had a 



Fig. 46. Poisoned Dusky Horned Owl clutching Hutchins Goose 



THAT IT HAD KILLED; TACOMA, WASHINGTON. 



Golden-eye. Out of all the owls shot here I have not heard of a rat or mouse 

 being found in the stomachs, and many have been searched." This letter was 

 written under date of January 1, 1917, and from as excellent and conservative 

 an observer as Mr. Burton, must be accepted as of great value. 



The largest bird that I have known the Horned Owls to kill is the Hutch- 

 ins Goose shown in the illustration (fig. 46), which also came from the game 

 farm of Dr. Shaver. The killing must have taken place in the water, as the 

 body of the goose was in the lake with the head and neck on a floating log. The 

 body was poisoned and the owl found beside it next morning, the claws of one 

 foot securely grasping the tail of the goose as may be seen in the picture. It is 

 of interest to see that the method of killing so large a bird was by ripping up 

 the neck, as the head and body were uninjured. This is precisely the same 

 method used by the Kennicott Screech Owl in killing a full grown Ring-necked 

 Pheasant. In both species of owl the victim is several times as heavy as the 

 murderer. 



