GREAT HORNED-OWL. 55 



The Great Horned Owl is not migratory, but remains with 

 us the whole year. During the day he slumbers in the thick ever- 

 greens of deep swamps, or seeks shelter in large hollow trees. He 

 is very rarely seen abroad by day, and never but when disturbed. 

 In the month of May they usually begin to build. The nest is ge- 

 nerally placed in the fork of a tall tree, and is constructed of sticks 

 piled in considerable quantities, lined with dry leaves and a few 

 feathers. Sometimes they choose a hollow tree, and in that case 

 carry in but few materials. The female lays four eggs, nearly as 

 large as those of a hen, almost globular, and of a pure white. In 

 one of these nests, after the young had flown, were found the heads 

 and bones of two chickens, the legs and head of the Golden- winged 

 Woodpecker, and part of the wings and feathers of several other 

 birds. It is generally conjectured that they hatch but once in the 

 season. 



The length of the male of this species is twenty inches ; the 

 bill is large, black and strong, covered at the base with a cere; the 

 eyes golden yellow; the horns are three inches in length, and very 

 broad, consisting of twelve or fourteen feathers, their webs black, 

 broadly edged with bright tawny; face rusty, bounded on each side 

 by a band of black; space between the eyes and bill whitish; whole 

 lower parts elegantly marked with numerous transverse bars of 

 dusky on a bright tawny ground, thinly interspersed with white; 

 vent pale yellow ochre barred with narrow lines of brown; legs 

 and feet large and covered with feathers or hairy down of a pale 

 brown color; claws very large, blue black; tail rounded, extend- 

 ing about an inch beyond the tips of the wings, crossed with six 

 or seven narrow bars of brown, and variegated or marbled with 

 brown and tawny ; whole upper parts finely pencilled with dusky, 

 on a tawny and whitish ground; chin pure white, under that a band 

 of brown succeeded by another narrow one of white; eyes very 

 large. 



