60 
BIRDS OF DURHAM AND VICINITY. 
caution aside, to run forward as quickly as possible without any attempt 
to avoid noise. By this means I have been able to surprise them into 
forgetting to fly, till I had stopped at close quarters. 
This owl is one of the few birds which are distinctly noxious, 
though it is not abundant enough to be of very much importance. Its 
food includes poultry, game, and small birds, skunks, rabbits, rats, 
mice, squirrels, insects, and fish. Fowls roosting out of doors are 
very likely to be attacked. Skunks are a common prey. One stomach 
examined by me in November contained chicken bones and the remains 
of at least two caterpillars of the species Eacles iniperialis. 
Great Horned Owls breed regularly in this vicinity. Two nests 
containing half grown young were found by Mr. D. B. Bartlett, April 
26, 1899. ^^"^^ ^^""^ college woods, in a nest occupied two 
years previously by a Red-shouldered Hawk. Beside the young this 
nest contained a skunk partially eaten, while on the ground beneath 
were scattered the remnants of many meals. In this instance, the 
parents showed an amount of finesse that is w^orthy to be related. The 
two young were taken from the nest and placed on the ground near 
by, in the hope that the old birds would come and be shot. Before 
long the hooting of an owl allured one of the young men on guard 
away from the young. The hooting was at first near at hand, but it 
gradually receded as the man with the gun advanced. Presently, his 
companion who remained behind to keep an eye on the prisoners was 
surprised to see one of the parents swoop down and clutch one of the 
young in her talons, making off wath it regardless of the hurriedly- 
aimed gun that roared at her back. On the same day the other 
nest, containing young also, was found in the heavy timber owned 
by Mr. Albert Demeritt. Both nests were in pine trees. The eggs 
must have been deposited before the middle of March. 
Nyctea nyctea. Snowy Owl. 376. 
The beautiful Snowy Owl, though rarely seen alive by most people, 
is more often found here in the tide-water district than anywhere else 
in the state. Hampton sand-hills and marshes have been known to 
yield no less than fifteen in a single season, but this is an exceptional 
record. Many winters pass when there is not one to be seen. They 
are more often found in fall and spring than in midwinter, October 
and November, March and April being their regular months here. 
Ducks, grebes, auks, and other water fowl are sometimes killed by 
them, but mice appear to be taken in greater quantities than anything 
else. The milky whiteness which characterizes the aspect of this owl 
enables one to identify it at a glance. 
