III. FAMILY STRIGID.,E, (THE OWLS).
Genus Strisic, Outs. Barn owl. Winter reeident, rsre ; carnivorous. "I am satisfied that our bird feeda entirely on the smaller apecies of quadrupeds " (Aud.) Thia, of comae, refere to mice and other nocturnal animale.
Genus' Bubo. Great horned owl Resident, frequent: carnivorous. "Ita food coneists of half grown turkeys, pheasaute, and domestic poultry of every kind; also hares, young opossums, and squirrels.'' (Aud.) Thia ie our moat noteworthy robber of the hen-roost.
Gentle Scops. Red owl Resideut, common ; Carni vorous; preye on mice, email aparrows, etc., and very often catchea nocturnal beetles and other ins, eta. It thus' destroys a lsrge number of field mice, and the large cock chafer, BO injurious to our fruit trees. In winter it famil iarly entere our barna and outhouaea, where it becomes an expert and induatrious moueer. Mottled owl. Real dent, common; carnivorous; habits aimilar to the laat. Moat ornithologists consider the red and gray acreech-owla identical. Thia may be ao. Bonaparte, Audubon, and others Bay the red ie the young and the mottled the mature bird; others just reverse it. Audubon Faye the feathers change their colora aa the pairing aeason advan ces', and in the first spring the bird is in its perfect dreas ; consequently the young or red bird could not be expected to breed, yet I have found red parenta with a red brood, and alao mottled parents with a mottled brood. Although pre
aenting an anomaly perhapa unknowu itt any other spe cies' of bird, I have therefore reaeparated them for the preeent.
Genus Otus. Long-esred owl. Reaident, rare, or ael dom eeen; carnivorous'. It preye chiefly on quadru peds' of the genua Arvicola, (meadow mice,) and in aum mer deatroys many beetlea.
Genns Brachyotus. Short-eared owl. Resident, fre quent in winter, rare in summer; carnivore-me; hahita and food similar to those of the preceding apecies, which it aomewhat reaemblee, except that it is more diurnal, snd conaequently feeds more on day food. When hungry, it will approach the farm-house in quest of garbage ejected from th e kitchen.
Genus Syrtpium. Barred owl. Resident, frequent; moat so in winter; carnivorous A great deatroyer of poultry, particularly of chickens when half grown ; it alao aecurea mice, rabbits, and amall birds, and like uther gourmands, in especially fond of a kind of frog common in the woods of Louisiana.
Genus Nyctale. Little owl. Reaident,not common, or rarely seen; carnivorons ; feeds on mice, beetlea, motha, and grasshoppera, (Nutt.,) email quadrupede and birde.—Snowy owl, Nytea. Winter resident. very rare; carnivoroue; rather diurnal or crepuacular than noctur nal. Its naual food while it remaiva with us consists of hares, equirrele, rats and &Mee. It also catchea the pheati ant and other kindred birde.