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Rapfcores, Bristol County, Mass. 
Hilton B, Read. 
Barred Owl ( Sri* nebuloca). This species is 
quite common in our county and breeds spar- 
ingly, although more frequently than formerly. 
I quote two instances of capture and two 
nests to which they yearly resort, in Rehoboth, 
(Carpenter). One specimen from Seekonk, 
(Miller) and three from Dartmouth, (Dexter), 
besides numerous observations. One was cap- 
tured alive and is now in confinement in the 
h'ouse of a friend in Attleboro. One of their 
nests was simply a decayed cavity in an old 
walnut tree, in a grove not far from a house. 
Two sets of two eggs each were taken April j 
7th and 25th, when the .Owl resorted to an old 
nest of the Red-shouldered Hawk, and laid a 
third “set” ? of one egg, which was taken, to- 
gether witli the old bird, May 7th. This nest 
has been occupied by the owls for a number of 
years, and it will be interesting to observe 
whether the male will return with a mate, to 
again establish a home. The set of eggs is 
usually complete with two, but three has been 
taken several times by both Mr. Carpenter and 
myself. The eggs are globular — as all Owl’s 
eggs are — and when first taken from the nest 
are generally very dirty, owing to no lining 
being used to protect the eggs from the rotten j 
punk on' the bottom of the nest, but water soon 
brings out their true color, a creamy white. 
O.&O. XII. Aug. 1887 pH 1-fiY 
Nesting of the Barred Owl in Mass. 
BY C. L. PHILLIPS, TAUNTON, MASS. 
April 28, 1888, while exploring a large, dense 
swamp in South Dighton, Mass., I was so fortu- 
nate as to find the Barred Owl ( Strix nebulosa ) 
breeding. The nest was placed about thirty 
feet high, in the fork of a swamp maple. The 
owl had evidently utilized an old Red-should- 
ered Hawk’s nest, simply adding a few pine 
twigs and lining it with downy feathers and 
moss. The nest contained two white, translu- 
cent eggs, measuring 56x44 mm. and 57 x 
46 mm. respectively. 
I sat down and watched for the owl’s return; 
she soon made her appearance, approaching 
slowly and cautiously from tree to tree. She 
had got within two rods of her nest when a 
! crow came diving down on her back; taken by 
surprise she took to flight and soon disappeared 
in the dark recesses of the swamp with corvus 
in hot pursuit. _ 
O.&O. XIII. Aug. 1888 p.119 
