JOSIAH HOOPES, 
Maple Avenue. 
Api. i6th. la'Oi. 
My Be a r Mr. Brews ter. 
We have had during the past winter, ue largest 
I 1 ight of 11 Siio v t-e are d Owls’" that I remember in a lon^ time. 
They seemed to app ear in waves, sometimes one f lock arri- 
ving before the previous one bad moved its abiding place. 
'ine 31 skins collected are ve ry largely females, and mostly 
in beaut ii' u 1 plumage, so that I felt like offering you 3 pairs 
of Pennsylvania birds as a slight e on t r i bu t ion to your valua- 
ble collection. These I express you to-day (or possibly to- 
morrow)), and shall leel gratified by your acceptance of the 
same. I have found it a difficult task to study the habits 
of this species with any degree of accuracy, owing to their 
extreme shyness, - so much so that the collector was forced to 
resort to strategy in approaching their resort. My first ree 
ord is November 2.8th, and the last April 4th. They invaria- 
bly^ appeared in flocks, and night or day were rarely separate!! 
± lock seen numbered 10, and this was lessened It® 
tne collector' s „un to 4, when a fresh wave of birds reinfor- 
ced it to 13. Other flocks consisted from 8 to 12. All at- 
temps to observe their habits by moonlight was unavailing, as 
it was impossible to approach sufficiently near, and the chai-- 
acter of their au rroundi ng s rendered it still more diff icult 
to find them until they were flushed.. Their favorite loca- 
tion was in a piece of low rather swampy land, covered with a 
growth of coarse grass and 3edges, always close together, and 
arising simultaneously. I xeel quite positive they do not 
feed during the day, although a d iu rn a 1 bird in a me auu re. 
Their accustomed resort was plentifully sprinkled with the 
pellets of hair and bones ejected, but. out ©X the entire num- 
ber of birds collected not one contained fresh food, - those 
taken in the i orning showed partial digestion, and those in 
the afternoon had the contents almost entirely assimilated or 
the stomach quite empty. i'ie lc-rr.ice appeared to be their en- 
tire food, as in no instance was there a trace of any other 
animal or insect. These little rodents were unusually plen- 
tiful during the past winter, and the owls in consequence were 
exceedingly fat, a sure indication of their great value to t&e 
farmer. I am under the impression these birds moult late in 
the season, as those shot f irst had a large preponderance of 
pin-feathers, whilst those collected toward spring were entire 
ly devoid of them, and were in perfect plumage. When flying 
they occasionally uttered a sharp shrill note, similar to that 
of the Re d^ tailed Hawk, but fainter, although silent when not 
on tne wing. With us, the * Sho r t-=e are d Owl* is always found, 
on the ground, & x e opting when alighting f rom being flushed, 
and then they usually take to a low tree of large shrub, where 
they may readily watch their enemy; and at such times it is 
indeed difficult to approach within easy ^un-shot range. A 
female snot March 2 Oth, and a male April 4th, showed tne gene- 
rative organs very largely developed, plainly indicating the 
near approach of the breeding season, notwithstanding they 
have never been known to nest in this county. Indeed it is 
somewhat problematical their breeding in the state, the one 
instance recorded by Audubon, being an exception. 
Cordially yours. 
