Asi o wilsonianus . 
Ball's Hill, Concord, Mass. 
1897. a rare piece of good fortune fell to my lot as I was on 
Nov. 17. my way back to the cabin this evening. It was aoout five o'- 
clock and twilight was fast deepening although the afterglow 
in the west cast a strong light over the larger open spaces. 
It was perfectly still the wind having long since died away. 
I was following the wood-road that leads around the south end 
of Davis's Hill and had nearly reached the brook when an Owl 
glided close past me flying just above the tops of the young 
oaks and quickly disappearing in the gloom against a back- 
ground of pines. I gave a few low squeaks when it quickly 
reappeared and passed and repassed low over ray head a dozen 
times or more finally pitching sharply upward and alighting 
on a dead upright prong of one of the large pines that stand 
on the edge of the brook. Up to this time I had taken it for 
a Short-ear but putting my glass on it I saw at once that it 
was a Long -eared Owl . I looked at it for several minutes and 
then squeaked again. It left its perch at once and came di- 
rectly towards me but before it reached me another and much 
larger bird of the same species suddenly appeared directly 
over my head and literally within reach of ray hand . There, 
to my amazement, it poised for several seconds on loosely 
beating wings not two feet from and directly above my upturned 
face. Every time I squeaked it would drop its legs to their 
