May, 1913 NOTES ON CERTAIN KANSAS BIRDS 121 present fall, however, but one bird was noted, a male seen along the Wakarusa River, in a' locality where the species is usually fairly common; and none were seen in the territory recently occupied by them. Wintering birds of Nannus h. hiemalls seem also to have been almost com- pletely wiped out, none being observed, though careful search was made for them in localities where formerly they were common. Cardinalis c. cardinalis alone among the Fringillidae seemed to have suf- fered loss, the birds being rare until the first of November when their numbers were augmented by migrants from the north. Large numbers of quail were killed also in this locality, but recovered through .favorable weather during the early breeding season. In 'the western part of Kansas conditions were much more severe, and it is reported that Prairie Hens and quail were almost entirely ex. terminated, and that even the jack rabbits have almost entirely disappeared. These observations would seem to emphasize the well known fact that within a single species or subspecies of bird we have divisions or groups, resident or mi- grant, as the case may be, within certain defined limits; and when one of these local groups is .through any cause greatly lessened in numbers, it regains its form- er abundance mainly through the increase of the survivors, though slight gains may come through the encroachment of others of the same species from unaf-- fected neighboring areas where competition between the members is severe enough to cause them to seek new haunts. SOME NOTES ON THE NESTING OF THE SI?ORT-EARED OWL By ARETAS A. SAUNDERS WITH ONE PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR URING the nesting season of 1912 I spent most of my spare time on an area lying about half a mile southeast of the town of Chouteau, Montana. This area consisted of open grassy meadows crssed by a small creek, cot- tonwood groves along the edges of the creek, ?nd a large area of brush land, overgrown with shrubby cinquefoil, wild rose bushes, and a few scattered wil.- lows, buffalo-berry bushes and other shrubs. This brush area formed the nest- ing ground for a good many birds. Mallards, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Clay-colored Sparrows and .?t colony of Brewer Blackbirds nested in or beneath the cinque- foils, and m the thickest part of the brush I found the nest. of a pair of Marsh Hawks. During the latter part of May and early in June I frequently saw a Short-eared Owl (ztsio flammeus) sitting in the top of a dead willow bush that was near the Marsh Hawk's nest. I began to suspect that this bird, too, had a nest in the vicinity, but when I searched near th? bush, the bird merely flew to a tall dead cottonwood on the border of the creek and sat watching me, giving no sign to show whether his nest was near or not. Finally, on the evening of June IO, I extended my search to a new part of the brush area, a good I5 yards from the willow bush and still farther from the cottonwood tree. I soon noticed that the owl bad left his perch and wa?q hover- ing overhead watching me. As I went farther in that direction he circled lower over my head and called anxiously a low, short, hoarse note that sounded to me
