A History of North American Birds; Land Birds; Vol. 3 of 3Baird, Spencer Fullerton
Science
A History of North American Birds; Land Birds; Vol. 3 of 3
Baird, Spencer Fullerton
Birds -- North America
Dr. Townsend is said to have found this Owl in Oregon, Dr. Gambel met
with it in California, Mr. Audubon has taken it both in Kentucky and
in Louisiana, Mr. Wilson met with it in New Jersey, Mr. McCulloch in
Nova Scotia, and Dr. Hoy in Wisconsin. Dr. Newberry met with this
bird in Oregon, but saw none in California. Dr. Suckley obtained it
at the Dalles, on the north side of the Columbia, in December. This
was several miles from the timbered region, and the bird was supposed
to be living in the basaltic cliffs of the vicinity. Dr. Cooper found
one at Vancouver in February. It was dead, and had apparently died of
starvation. Professor Snow speaks of it as rare in Kansas. Mr. Boardman
and Professor Verrill both give it as resident and as common in Maine.
It is rather occasional and rare in Eastern Massachusetts, and Mr. Allen
did not find it common near Springfield. On one occasion I found one of
these birds in April, at Nahant. It was apparently migrating, and had
sought shelter in the rocky cliffs of that peninsula. It was greatly
bewildered by the light, and was several times almost on the point of
being captured by hand.
This Owl is not unfrequently kept in confinement. It seems easily
reconciled to captivity, becomes quite tame, suffers itself to be
handled by strangers without resenting the familiarity, but is greatly
excited at the sight of mice or rats. Captain Bland had one of these
birds in captivity at Halifax, which he put into the same room with a
rat. The bird immediately attacked and killed the rat, but died soon
after of exhaustion.
The notes of this Owl, during the breeding-season, are said to resemble
the noise made by the filing of a saw, and it is known in certain
localities as the Saw-Whet. Mr. Audubon, on one occasion, hearing these
notes in a forest, and unaware of their source, imagined he was in the
vicinity of a saw-mill.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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