1892 Mass. Syrnium nebulosum. 
Dec. 29 Concord .- giving him a ludicrously ragged appearance. Indeed 
(NO. 2) there was nothing firm nor graceful in either his pose or out- 
lines. The facial disc, as with most Owls, was very conspicuous. 
After a little I tried to creep nearer out at the very first 
step the "bird spread his broad wings and flapping them quickly 
and continuously ten or a dozen times just after leaving his 
Perch gained sufficient impetus to glide a hundred yards or more 
further before alighting again. His course, during his flight, 
was at first directly towards the woods but on entering them he 
turned to the right and, scaling only a few feet above the ground 
passed through a wide belt of densely growing maples and eoming 
out into an opening beyond pitched sharply upward and alighted on 
an isolated tree. We traced him easily enough during the entire 
flight for we stood well above him and the ground in the swamp 
was covered with snow over which he glided slowly like a great 
shadow. I have never before seen a Barred Owl abroad and hunting 
at midday in this latitude although such an experience is not un- 
common in the South. This bird was quite as alert as a Hawk. He 
flew from the elm when I was fully 50 yards away. I did not fol- 
Barred 
Owl. 
low him into the swamp. I afterwards learned that Mr, Bensen saw 
this Owl in the same place nearly every day up to February! 93 > 
