brown; a patch under the throat, rest of under parts whitish barred with 
black; legs and feet feathered; eyes yellow. 
Length about twenty-two inches. 
Resident. 
Favorite Haunts. In the deep woods. 
Field Marks. A large owl with long ear tufts or "horns." 
Note. "Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo," the 
short notes given with more energy than the longer ones, the last note 
of all generally being prolonged with an accent. 
The great-horned owl was once much more common in Vermont 
than at present, but is still sparingly common. This owl is probably the 
earliest of our birds to nest. I once found a nest when the snow was 
three feet deep in the woods and I travelled on the crust. This species 
sometimes gives forth a loud, piercing scream which makes one shudder, 
and which is often mistaken for some wild animal, a panther or lynx. 
This large bird of prey lives chiefly upon skunks, rabbits and mice. In- 
vestigations have proved they do more good than harm. 
The barred owl which is somewhat smaller than the great horned, 
has no "horns"; its head is rounder and its eyes are black. 
The screech owl, probably the commonest owl in the state, is a small 
edition of the great-horned owl. The plumage of this little owl varies 
from reddish brown to gray. 
BLACK-BILLED C\jCK.OO-{Coccyzus erythrophthalmus.) 
Upper parts grayish brown with a slight green gloss; wings and tail 
the same, but the tail narrowly tipped with white ; under parts dull white • 
bill black. 
Length nearly twelve inches. 
Arrival. May 3 to 25. 
Favorite Haunts. Orchards, shade trees, and woods. 
Field Marks, A long, slender, graceful, brownish-olive bird with a 
black bill. Tail slightly tipped with white. 
Note. "Kow-kow-kow, kuk-kuk." 
Two species of cuckoos are summer residents of Vermont, the black- 
billed and the yellow-billed, the former being the more common. As their 
name signifies, the birds may be distinguished by the color of their bills. 
12 
