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Jan., 19o7 A SEASON WITH THE PACIFIC HORNED OWL Xl We were well satisfied with the afternoon's work; so started for home determined to get busy at once and pay other owl homes a' visit. The next Sunday found me fifteen miles from home at a much higher altitude than that where I had been the Sunday previous; for large patches of snow lay on the ground in many places. I knew the exact nest where a family of young Bubos had been reared in 1902, so I made straight for the tree. No leaves had started, so the nest could be distinctly seen for some distance. A nearer approach revealed to me the horns of an owl clearly outlined against a distant hill. Small sycamores are easy clilnbiug with good irons and it took but a few minutes to cover the forty-nine feet of tree-trunk to the nest. One egg was all I saw. Five days later I returned and secured a fine set of three. I also did a little exploring at this time. The nulnerous canyons in the neighborhood all contained a number of old hawk's nests. These were boinbarded with rocks as fast as I could drive from one to another. I probably had gone a couple of miles and visited a dozen nests before I found that for which I was looking. The old owl left when I threw the first rock and disappeared up the gulch. The nest was a large affair fifty-five feet up in a live oak and one I had never seen before. Inlagine my disappointment when I looked over the edge and saw oue dirty egg. Closer examination however revealed a crushed one glued tightly to the bottom of the nest. I had no kick coming for the day's trip, so I returned home plamiing my next excursion. Washington's birthday was my next opportuuity to look for Bubo and I planned a long drive. A twenty-niile ride brought me to the top of a high cliff which had been formed by the gradual wearing of a creek leaving perpendicular walls one hundred feet high on each side. A horned owl flew from an old dilapidated eagle's nest, which proved to be empty. I noxv began my usual opera- tions of rolling large rocks over the edge and watching results. After a couple of trials I flushed another oxvl from the center of the cliff. I felt encouraged but could see nothing. I tied my rope to a large rock, slid doxvn to a ledge and worked my way down a crack in the direction of the place xvhere I had flushed the bird. I soon found myself on a shelf about four feet wide and five feet long. A large rock had lodged on the outer edge but behind this lay three Bubo eggs. Rabbit fur and small bones littered the ledge, but made a poor nest lining especially when mixed with a number of pieces of broken stone. As a probable result, I fouud one of the eggs cracked in several places. I packed the set alld in a fexv moments was at the top of the cliff. This set proved to be nearly hatched, so was prepared only after some difficulty. After dinner we drove six lniles further to a grove of sycamores containing a number of red-tails' nests. The hawks were flying around but had no eggs as yet. However, the tell-tale horns of all owl could be seen above the edge of oue of the nests. The structure was the largest in the grove but fortunately in an easy tree and only fifty-five feet up. The nest yielded three nearly fresh, abnorlllally-shaped eggs. Had they been snmller they would have passed for barn owl's eggs. Other species of Raptores occupied my time for the next couple of weeks; but on March 15, just three weeks later, I returned to collect red-tail rent. The first thing I found upon entering the grove was a dead hawk; but still hoping for the best I began to search the grove. Mrs. Bubo had taken possession of another nest very much to lily surprise and had two more pointed eggs. On the Sunday following I made a trip to the mountains after more red-tail rent. I had collected a set'of two, two of three, and one of four and fomld I still