Nesting Habits of the Great Horned 
Owl. 
Great-horned Owl in Iowa. 
It appears to be generally believed by 
ornithologists and oologists that the Great 
Horned Owl will occupy the same nest for a 
| number of years, even after being frequently 
i molested. Although my experience is some- 
j what limited, owing to the scarcity of that 
: specie in this locality, as only five nests have 
I come under my observation, it does not es- 
tablish the fact to the contrary, and yet it . 
has been my misfortune in every case to find 
it otherwise. 
My first was an open nest in a large beech 
tree, and contained three young Owls when 
found. They were left in the nest to mature 
unmolested, with the hopes of collecting a 
set of eggs there the following season. The 
next spring I visited the nest frequently, 
but no owls appeared in that locality. 
My second was an open nest in a beech 
tree and contained two young Owls, about 
half grown when found. They were allowed 
to mature in the nest unmolested, and in the 
following spring the nest was unoccupied. 
The third and fourth were both open nests 
and found by Albert and Elmer Durfee. 
From one of these nests they took a set of 
three eggs and the other contained young 
birds, which were left in the nest undisturbed. 
I visited both of these nests the following 
spring and found them unoccupied, and no 
Owls could be seen in the woods. 
The fifth nest was found by myself, situ- 
ated in a hole in the side of a basswood tree, 
from which I took a set of two fresh eggs on 
March 20, 1892 ; and up to the present date, 
March 24, 1893, there is no appearance of 
the Great Horned Owl occupying the same 
cavity this spring. 
I should like to hear from other collectors 
with more extended experience on this sub- 
ject, so that we might be able to ascertain 
what proportion of Great Horned Owls’ nests 
found, have been occupied the following 
season. James B. Purdy. 
Plymouth, Michigan. 
O.& O.V 0 I.I 8 , June, 1893 p.92-93 
The 17th of February (1883) was cold, 
but being clear, we decided, in the after- 
noon, to take a short tramp through the 
woods north of the city, notwithstanding 
the snow was quite deep, rendering walk- 
ing rather laborious. Entering the woods, 
we. passed several large sycamore trees, 
from one of which flew a large Owl. As 
we thought it a little too early for eggs, 
we gave it no further consideration, but 
crossed the river. An hour later we re- 
turned, and stopped beneath the same tree. 
On looking up to an opening in the trunk 
some forty feet from the ground, we were 
greeted first by a pair of large black horns, 
followed by two great yellow eyes. A few 
seconds later, away flew the Owl, which we 
immediately recognized as a Bubo. The 
ascent of the tree occupied but a few min- 
utes. When within ten feet of the open- 
ing, the female left the tree. The hollow I 
found to be about three feet in diameter 
and the same in height. It had three en- 
trances : One — a small one — facing the 
southeast ; one at the top ; and the third, 
the principal one — and the one from which 
both birds flew — was a few inches from the 
bottom, and about a foot from the nest — 
if it could be designated as such, for it was 
merely a shallow depression in the soft de- 
cayed wood, that formed the floor of the 
cavity — containing two pure white eggs. 
Blowing showed that incubation had just 
commenced. 
Scattered about over the bottom of the 
cavity were numerous bits of rabbit’s fur, 
a portion of a cranium of a rabbit, a dozen 
or more tail feathers of the Owls, the foot 
and leg bones of a large raptorial bird, 
and numerous other bones. May 2d, while 
passing through the woods several miles 
west of the city, we started a Bubo from a 
nest on a large limb of a white oak. As- 
cending it, two young Bubos fluttered out 
of the nest to the ground. These I secured 
and carried home, and have them still in 
confinement, (Dec. 31, 1883.) About the 
middle of June the horns began to appear, 
and by the first of August they were fully 
developed. Rats, mice, birds and beef 
(fresh) form the principal part of their 
diet. — Ch. li. Keyes, Bes Moines, lovia. 
Jj.& O. IX.'F#b.l 884 . p /7 
