erinierens Ua. Be Ne (bY 0 HoT iN 5 
hatching each of the four corners of the bottom of the box contained a 
white-footed deer mouse freshly killed and laid in place neatly and system- 
atically. The nests were always kept free of foul meat, droppings, and 
pellets. 
The usual number of eggs per screech owl is five. In every instance in 
which a pair of adult owls were found together in a box, one would be of 
the gray color phase and the other would be of the red. This difference in 
coloration is not a sexual character since it was found that a red or gray 
owl may be either a male or female. In this area the color ratio between the 
red and gray individuals is about 50-50. 
During the two seasons that these boxes have been on this four-square- 
mile intensively farmed area, 32 young screech owls have been successfully 
hatched and reared in them. These young have been banded. Approximately 
60% of the owls using the boxes for nesting during the second season were 
young owls reared in the boxes the previous season. Since it is known that 
the bulk of the winter food of these owls is made up of mice and shrews, 
Female sparrow hawk in nest box with brood of five young 
just hatched. Urbana Township Restoration Area. 
and that the bulk of the summer food consists of insects, the aid furnished 
by these boxes in raising the screech owl population is of high import to 
farmers. 
Sparrow hawks are also among the important users of the boxes for 
nesting. Nineteen of these young hawks have left the boxes safely during 
