somely spotted and clouded with russet /and 
chestnut. The larger end is entirely obscured 
by them: 1.40x1.13. No. 3. Delicately /‘loud- 
rd and spotted with russet and chestnuj. The 
markings entirely cover the ground color at the 
smaller end : 1.44 x 1.13. 
Seh XVI. June 13, 1877. Blue Mountains, 
Northampton County, Penn. Collected by 
Shriner. Nest on a chestnut tree /bout thirty 
feet from the ground. Four eg®, incubation 
very far advanced ; dull grayish; white ground 
color. No. 1. Heavily blotched and spotted 
with burnt umber, the marking# forming a par- 
tial band around the centre of the egg: 1.50 x 
1.24. No. 2. Speckled and shotted with burnt 
umber. At the larger end there are very heavy 
blotches of the same color :j 1.54 x 1.24. No. 3. 
Speckled, spotted and blotched very heavily 
with burnt umber : 1.51x1.24. No. 4. Heavily 
blotched and clouded vvfth burnt umber and 
raw umber. The marMngs are much heavier 
at the larger end : 1.52 i 1.26. 
Set XVII. May 19/ 1885. Near the Blue 
Mountains, Northampton County, Penn. Col- 
lected by Shriner. Nest on a white pine tree. 
Four eggs, incubation commenced; ground col- 
or grayish white. Md, 1. Heavily blotched near 
the larger end wijtli very dark chocolate and 
cinnamon : 1.53 x ¥23. No. 2. Heavily blotched 
at the larger enq with dark chocolate brown 
and cinnamon : n . 51 x 1.23. No. 3. Heavily 
blotched with dark chocolate and cinnamon. 
The markings fprm an indistinct band near the 
larger end: 1/48x1.21. N». 4. Very heavily 
blotched with dark chocolate brown : 1.52 
x 1.23. 
And now /here remains to be described seven- 
teen eggs of this species, which are not one set, 
but -which were all laid by one bird. On May 
23, 1880, '/.I . M. W.” found a nest in a pine 
grove near Norwich, Conn. Mr. 1 Rawson de- 
scribes the male as being “ridiculously small, 
and of Jay size. The female was normal, wdth 
a pecu|lar break in her quaverings of alarm, 
marking her identity anywhere.” Mr, Rawson 
continues: “From nest in pine but thirty feet 
south! of road, May 23, took one broken and 
three fresh eggs. Same Sunday, p. m. nest 
tony down by Crow hunters. Entire new nest 
thefi built the next day in pine, one hundred 
fee!; north of road. Take three eggs May 30, 
leaving none. June 1, note one egg, but leave 
it. June 2, take two eggs leaving none. June 
si note one egg. June 6, two eggs in nest, take 
fine. June 9, take two eggs substituting pig- 
ieon’s. Mavvk on side of nest — not covering 
I eggs. Clutch not laid. June 11, one egg. 
-June 13, one egg. June 17, one egg. .> June 19, 
one egg. June 21, one good egg, June 23, 
nestxegg cold. Male and female not seen. 
June 25L take last egg — under-s/zed.” 
These Seventeen eggs are now before me, and 
they are particularly interesting as showing 
two points: \1) the general resemblance in 
markings of thesmajority of them, and (2) the 
gradual exhanstimi pf coloring matter owing 
to the great number odd in quick succession by 
this one female. The ground color of all is of 
a bluish white, and they're blotched, clouded 
and spotted wi/h burnt umtW. chestnut, cinna- 
mon, drab-gyUy, and lighter Dints of the same 
colors. They present a greatVmiformity in 
size alsar except the last laid egg, which is 
smaller. The others all average amgut 1.40 to 
1.45 in length, by 1.17 to 1.19 in breadetp 
The persistency with which this bird raid is 
truly remarkable. \ 
Nesting of the Barred Owl. 
BY “J. M. W.,” NORWICH, CONN. 
During the last ten days in January, 1888, the 
Barred Owl was heard calling nightly, with the 
mercury steadfastly at zero. The nights were 
wonderfully clear and woe befell vermin or ro- 
dent that crossed the moonlighted spaces in the 
woods on the snow-covered earth. But it was 
not alone for his early breakfast that Syrnium 
lets us know he is afield so soon this season. 
Notwithstanding the intense cold, he knows it 
is time to look up his mate, and all through Feb- 
ruary he grows noisier in his addresses, and his 
serenades are not hushed until the eggs are 
laid, when he is under the spell of the same in- 
stinct which makes the Buteos silent during in- 
cubation. 
During the open Februaries, several years 
ago, Mr. Brand and myself took eggs in win- 
ter, but of late the last of March sees full 
clutches of this bird. I have seen eggs on a 
solid cake of ice in a hole and in open nests 
with a foot of snow in the woods. On March 
13, 1887, Mr. Win. Ely of this place, took a set 
of four fresh eggs from an open nest almost in 
the city limits. Sets of four are extremes and 
are far from common. Three eggs is the rule 
for young birds and two eggs for old owls. 
Though Syrnium dearly loves a hole or crev- 
ice in a tree and will cling to a suitable hole for 
years though often harried, yet any old open 
nest will be made to answer the two month’s 
