54 RED AND MOTTLED OWLS, ETC. 
specific name — ncBvia — to the gray or mottled owl 
in my collection four years ago. 
I am indebted to a friend for extracts from a 
Boston journal, in which Samuel Cabot, jr., con- 
tends for the identity of the two birds, hut reverses 
the priority of age, so as to make the mottled the 
young of the red owl. His testimony, however, 
does not change my opinion as already expressed, 
that the red and mottled owls are specifically dis- 
tinct. 
I will briefly state the facts on which this opinion 
is founded. 
In early life, I have sometimes seen broods of 
' young screech-owls accompanied by their parents 
after leaving the nest. I have seen them both red 
and gray, but never saw the two colors in company, 
nor have I ever heard any of my friends mention 
such an occurrence. 
In the spring of 1833, some boys brought me two 
very young screech-owls, whose only covering was 
a grayish-white down. One of them was much 
less than the other, and soon died. The survivor 
began to put forth feathers in a few days, all of 
which came from the sheaths red. I had not an 
opportunity of seeing the parent bird, but the boys 
said that they had several times caught her on the 
nest, and that she was “ as red as a fox.” The con- 
clusion, then, is certain, that red parents have red 
young. Unfortunately, my bird died when about 
six months old. 
During the summer of that year I commenced 
forming a cabinet of birds, in which I was assisted 
by my kind friend, J. K. Townsend, who was wit- 
