Jan., 1911 
A HISTORY OF CERTAIN ORRAT HORNED OWLS 
took some pains to find a possible nesting site. There ajipeared to be none, .so I 
concluded that the owls were merely transients.- On Februar_\' 6, 1906, just at 
nightfall a friend and I were walking along the public highway which forms the 
north boundary of the pasture and the woods. Suddenly the hooting of big owls 
boomed out from a nearby linden of the timber pasture and there, sure enough, 
were both birds engaged in ardent courtship and not minding our i^resence in the 
least. They stood facing each other on the same brancli and, with feathers ruffled and 
heads bobbing, were hooting in low tones as they side-stepped toward one another 
and greeted one another with low bows. Finally they flew away, side by side, 
into the timber tract. That the.se were transient birds was beyond belief; so, on 
February 17, after allowing what .seemed to be a fair margin of time, I decided to 
give the vicinity a thorough search. To 
make the story short the nest was at last 
found in the very place where previously 
it had not seemed worth while to look. 
It was not in the heavy timber at all but 
in one of the large elms of the pasture 
and, moreover, hardly more than fift\- 
yards removed from the above-mentioned 
public road where teams were constantly 
pa.ssing. Toward the south the view was 
wild, open, and picturesque enough; to 
the we.st, north and east, at distances vary- 
ing from 200 to 500 yards, were the school - 
house and farm houses as above stated. 
A more fortunate set of conditions for 
tlie study of the owls’ home life could 
hardly be hoped for. The short distance 
from town has already been indicated. 
The nest was in a large shallow hollow, 
28X32 inches in diameter at the bottom, 
with an entrance 18X20 inches in diame- 
ter set at an angle of 45°and facing towards 
the southeast. The hollow was only 8 
inches deep on the expo.sed side, thus per- 
mitting fairly good illumination. Of still 
more importance the nest .site was onlv 
22 feet from the ground and a .strategic 
brancli some five feet above the nest 
afforded a point of attachment for a ladder 
combination from wdiicli pictures might 
be taken. As Great Horned Owls generally make use of old hawks’ nests placed 
in the tops of the largest trees the good fortune of this modest elevation can readily 
be appreciated. At the very moment when this nest was discovered a .second pair 
of these birds were domiciled in a Redtail’s nest placed in a tall white elm in heavy 
timber three miles and a half to the northwest and just ninety-two feet above the 
ground! Further, the proximity of farmhouses made certain the nece.s.sar\' 
supphyof ladders and ropes. Mr. Benedict, who lived just across the road and 
only two hundred yards to the east, and Mr. McFarland, whose house stood only 
seventy-five yards fartlier to the east, were our interested and generous benefactors. 
Our opportunities were indeed great and, as I said, we greatly regretted our in- 
ability to make better use of them. 
Eig-, o. ADuryr m.ace great horned owe; 
DURING A day’s CAPTIVITY IIE; WAS 
SIEENT, PROUD .AND DEFIANT 
