372. (American Ornithologists' Union check-list #) Saw-whet Owl; Acadian Owl: Nyctala acadica (Gmel.) Adult--Upper parts grayish, streaked and spotted with white; under parts white, with few broad streaks of grayish or reddish brown; legs and feet fully feathered; no ear tufts. Length--8.00. Breeding Range--Northern New York and northern New England, rarely in Massachusetts and Connecticut. The white eggs are laid in hollows in trees, deserted woodpeckers' and squirrels' nests, also in crows' and even herons' nests; rarely in boxes made of bark and fastened to a tree, at some height from the ground. There is nothing in the way of a nest, a few feathers from the parent bird being sometimes used. 4 to 6 and rarely 7 eggs are laid. Size--1.20 x 1.02. These diminutive owls are easily recognised by their size alone, as they are the smallest of the owls found in the Eastern States; they are strictly nocturnal, and may be seen during the day sitting on the branch of hemlock, spruce, or other trees affording shade from the bright daylight. The breeding season begins about the end of March.