Nesting of the American Long-eared 
Owl. 
BY THOMAS H. .JACKSON, WEST CHESTEH, PA. 
The Long-eared Owl, (Agio americanus), is one 
of our commonest winter Raptores m this part of 
Pennsylvania. During some winters they are ex- 
ceedingly abundant in and near our town, asso- 
ciating with the Short-eared Owl, (Am accipi- 
trinus), and hiding by day among the thick ever- 
green and fir trees that are numerous in the lawns 
and nui'series in the vicinity of the town. 
But as summer residents they may be considered 
extremely rare, only two or three instances of 
their nesting in tire county (Chester) have come to 
my notice. The only data, however, to which I 
have access is that of a set of five taken by myself 
on the 15th of April, 1870. 
These eggs are as brilliant and glossy now as 
on the day they were taken, over sixteen years 
since. The location of this nest was near the 
centre of a large tract of woodland. It was placed 
in the crotch of a medium-sized chestnut tree, 
about thirty feet from the ground. The tree 
sloped over a ravine, and was not at all difficult 
to climb. 
The nest was evidently an old structure, prob- 
ably one that had been used by a pair of Crows 
the previous season. The interior seemed to have 
been torn out, and replaced by coarser materials 
than are usual to the Crow, making a platform- 
shaped nest of sticks, pieces of bark, etc., with a 
few feathers. 
Upon this the eggs, five in number were placed, 
and from the length of time the bird had been 
sitting — probably ten days or two weeks, they 
were much soiled and stained. This, however, 
was easily removed by an application of soap and 
wuiter, which left them a very handsome set. 
These eggs have the usual shape that distinguishes 
the Long eared Owls, an elongated form with 
both ends so nearly of a size in some of them as 
to triage it impossible to tell the large from the 
small end. The measurements of this set are 
1.58x1.28,1.58x1.29,1.59x1.28,1.65x1.26,1.65x1.29. 
The female did not leave her nest until I had 
almost reached her, and then she flew, or rather 
dropped to the ground, and went through a series 
of evolutions that would lead a novice to imagine 
she was badly wounded, or in her death agonies. 
I do not remember that she uttered a single 
vocal sound, although she manifested great dis- 
pleasure by loud snapping of her beak as she flew 
around me at close quarters. 
A long search through all the adjacent woods 
later in the season failed to discover a second nest 
of these birds, and, indeed, never since have I 
found the Long-eared Owls breeding, or heard of 
any other sets of their eggs being taken in this 
county. 
The murderous law passed by our State legisla- 
ture some two years since, and which has been in 
full operation the past season, is doing its full 
share toward the extermination of this innocent 
bird, along with its more objectionable relative, 
the Great Horned Owl, which is really the only 
species of our Raptores of doubtful use to mankind. 
Q.&O. XI,Dec.lb80.p. /if - I &?■ 
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