GREAT HORNED OWL. 
261 
HABITS. 
I have described the Great Horned Owls as possessing certain, strongly marked feat¬ 
ures by which they may be at once distinguished from all other members of the family. 
This is not only true regarding form, plumage, etc., but they also exhibit many character¬ 
istic habits, not observable in any other species of our native Owls. They are the wildest 
of the group and it is only by exercising the greatest caution that one can approach within 
gun shot of them. Even in the wilds of Florida, they are very shy, notably so during 
daylight, at which time they are extremely restless, especially during the breeding season, 
and about the first of January, I have frequently heard them hoot at intervals from morn¬ 
ing until night. It is not unusual to meet them flying about the swamps at any hour at 
this time and I have even seen them in the piney woods at a considerable distance from a 
hummock. When thus wandering, if they perceive an intruder, they will at once start, 
flying as steadily as any of the diurnal birds of prey. They differ, however, from this class 
for they will make frequent pauses in order to look*at the object of their dislike.- This 
fear of man appears to be inherited for even the young, when scarcely able to fly, are very 
wild and I once spent an hour among the Alleghany Mountains endeavoring to obtain a 
shot at a Great Horned Owl which led me a chase of some miles and when I, at length, 
succeeded in obtaining it, I was surprised to find that the bird was only in the nestling 
plumage. 
- Unlike any other Owls which I have kept, the Great Horned are very difficult to tame; 
in fact, it will not be easy to find fiercer birds, for they will seldom permit one to caress 
them and scarcely appear to recognize their best friend. The only exception to this rule 
that ever came under my notice, is a fine specimen now in the possession of the Bangs 
Brothers which, although far from being good-tempered, does acknowledge his masters 
and will permit them to handle him on some occasions but will instantly attack all other 
intruders. 
As already noted, the Great Horned Owls are not only variable in plumage but also 
in regard to their notes, yet no one would be apt to mistake an Owl of this species for any 
other when he saw it, no matter how singular the color; neither would any one fail to rec¬ 
ognize the peculiar notes, even though there is considerable difference in the songs, if so 
we may call them, of different individuals. My extended experience in the woods of Flor¬ 
ida has brought me in contact with very many of this species and I have spent many hours 
in listening to them. The usual cry consists of four notes which may be expressed as fol¬ 
lows: who-ho-ho-whoo, the first two being given quite rapidly, then a pause of a second or 
two ensues and the third syllable comes out distincily with emphasis, quickly followed by 
the last which is dwelt upon, often with a rising inflection just as though the birds were ask¬ 
ing a question. Some Owls add another note and one which came about our camp at 
Blue Springs during the winter of 1872, gave eight distinct sounds. Besides this hoot, 
they emit other sounds and when the males are pursuing the females during the nesting 
season, they utter a series of guttural notes, sounding like wack-wack-ho-ho-wa-who, all 
delivered rapidly but dwelling, on the last with the same rising inflection as when hooting. 
