28 
THE WILSON BULLETIN — March, 1922 
number ap])eared to be four witli five in a few instances. The 
first eggs were taken April 2(1, at v\ liich time one burrow had 
nesting cavity coni])leted but no eggs laid. One nest contained 
three fresh eggs, probably inconqdete. Two nests held four 
eggs each, one of these clutches being several days advanced in 
incnbation. The fourth clutch — five eggs — was complete and 
incubation begun. On Ajual 11th four bnrroAvs were examined. 
Two coiitaiiied four eggs and one held five eggs ; all of these were 
from a third to one-half advanced in time of incubation, while 
the fourth nest has already been referred to as holding three 
chicks just hatched and two pipped eggs. 
l>y iiiformatioii gained from older residents I infer this owl 
is disappearing, in some sections at least, quite rapidly. The 
country is being settled ; many small truckers are already 
scattered over the district and doubtless before many years these 
most interesting birds Avill be classed with the rarer of the 
Eastern species. 
The following titles embraced much of interest pertaining to the 
Life History of this little Owl; 
Scott, W. E. D. The Auk, Vol. VI, 1889, p. 249. 
Hoxie, Walter, Ornithologist and Oologist, XIV, 3, p. 33. 
Rhoads, S. N. The Auk, IX, p. 892. 
Bendire, Maj. C. E. Life Histories North Am. Birds, I. 
Palmer, Wm. The Auk, XHI, p. 99, 1896. 
* Kennard, F. H.— The Auk, XXXII, April, 1915, p. 154. 
THE BIEDS OF THE CAPE FEAR REGION OF THE 
NORTH CAROLINA COAS^T 
Z. P. METCALF 
NORTH CAROLINA STATE COLLEGE 
AND EXPERIMENT STATION 
For two weeks this past summer I had the pleasure of camp- 
ing in company with some other biologists on the ocean front 
a few miles above Cape Fear, and while my main interest was 
tracing out some of the relations of the animal life to the tidal 
zones I spent some time studying birds and always had an open 
ear and eye for our feathered friends. The region in Avhich we 
were located is one that has not been much visited by biologists 
and a brief description of the locality nia}^ not be amiss. Start- 
ing with the Cape Fear River at Wilmington we find that we are 
some nine miles, as the crow flies, from the ocean, but the ocean 
