THE NATURALIST AND COLLECTOR 
17 
The Screech Owl. 
T HIS IS the most abundant owl in 
Western New York and is one 
of the few birds that remain 
here throughout the year. 
Its cry, a wierd and plaintive screech, 
halfway between a laugh and a moan, 
may be heard at any season, though 
perhaps more frequently in spring and 
summer. Many a traveler has wished 
himself safe at home, on hearing the 
notes of the Screech Owl echoing' from 
the branches over head. Many a be 
lated farm-boy in search of straying 
cows has been filled with terror at the 
same sound. Last August and Septem¬ 
ber I was favored with a Screech Owl 
serenade nearly every night. They 
could always be heard just after sun¬ 
down and again before daybreak, and 
often the screeching would continue 
all night. While I was camping at 
Canadice Lake, they seemed to delight 
in keeping up a series of moans and 
yells around our cabin, making sleep 
almost impossible. 
Old orchards are a favorite resort of 
this owl, perhaps because the cavities 
and hollows always found in old apple 
trees afford places of concealment dur¬ 
ing the day, and the abundance of mice 
furnishes a supply of food. Here they 
may be found in the evening, perched 
on some dead limb, watching for mice* 
and now and then flying silently to 
another tree. 
It is most often seen here during the 
winter, when it is driven to barns and 
other buildings in search of food; then 
it proves its usefulness by ridding the 
buildings of mice and other vermin. 
Its bill of fare consists chiefly of 
mi<je but it is often varied with small 
birds, frogs, etc. It destroys great 
numbers of English Sparrows, which 
should win for it the regard of every¬ 
one. Insects are not despised by 
M. a,no; the stomach of one that I ex¬ 
amined was filled with larvae; I could 
not tell what species; another had 
gorged himself with grasshoppers. 
The color of this owl is an interest¬ 
ing problem, as both red and gray 
phases of plumage are found, and this 
entirely regardless of age, sex or season. 
In this locality the gray phase seems to 
predominate; of fifteen specimens 
noted by me, eleven were gray; but in 
some parts of its range only the red 
phase is found. Sometimes a red and 
a gray one are found mated and the 
young, some of the red and some of the 
gray phase. 
The nidifieation of this species 
usually takes place in March or April; 
though occasionally it lays as early as 
February, and it is not unusual for 
fresh eggs to be found in M'ay. A hole 
or hollow in some tree is selected; some¬ 
times the excavation of a woodpecker 
is used and here, on a bed of leaves 
and feathers, are laid from four to six 
round white eggs. Nests have been 
found ranging from five to sixty feet 
from the ground. The apple tree is a 
frequent nesting place of the Screech 
Owl and occasionally the nest is 
placed on the purline in the upper cor¬ 
ner of an old barn or shed. 
When taken young this owl makes 
an interesting pet and soon learns'to 
know its master and take food from 
his hand. 
On the whole Megascops asid is one of 
our most useful birds and well 
deserves our protection. 
„ — N. Raymond Reed. 
A determination by Prof. Rarnard 
with the Lick talescope places the di¬ 
ameter of Neptune at 52,900 miles— 
from 2000 to 4000 miles less than is 
stated in most text-books. 
