THE SHORT-EARED OWL IN VOLE PLAGUE DISTRICTS 223 



which are of different ages, leave the nest, or are expelled, as 

 soon as they are well feathered, but before they can main- 

 tain themselves, and sit among the best available cover near 

 the nest, where they are fed by the parent birds till they 

 are self-supporting. After the nesting season, it is of 

 common occurrence to flush the family parties. At present 

 the birds are seen singly, or in pairs. Farmers and shepherds 

 are unanimously of opinion that the birds have had two 

 broods this season. In the company of Mr. William Evans, 

 Edinburgh, and of Mr. John Scott, West Deloraine, I had 

 the pleasure of inspecting two nests with young on the 9th 

 of July. They were placed on a heathery slope, on the east 

 side of Deloraine Burn, and were about half a mile apart. 

 No attempt at the construction of a nest was discernible, 

 simply a scrape under the shelter of the heather. One of the 

 nests contained two infertile eggs, and five young birds, two 

 of which were well grown and getting rudimentary feathers, 

 while the youngest was only a few days old. The other nest 

 (beside which lay two dead voles) also contained two infertile 

 eggs and four young birds in nearly the same stages of 

 growth as those in the nest first referred to. The shepherd 

 informed us that three young of the first nest had already 

 left the nest, and that two of the eggs in the second nest had 

 been broken. In each nest the elder birds occupied the out- 

 sides, the youngest keeping to the centre, and being com- 

 pletely covered by its relatives. Both nests were occupied 

 by the parent birds when we approached. One of the 

 parent birds of the nest first referred to kept flying over 

 and past us at twenty to thirty yards distance, exhibiting 

 particular wrath at two dogs which accompanied us, and 

 repeatedly drawing away one of them from the immediate 

 neighbourhood of the nest by skilfully feigning lameness : 

 its mate flew round at a height varying from eight}- to one 

 hundred and twenty yards. Only one of the parent birds of 

 the nest second referred to was visible. She allowed us to 

 approach within a few yards, then flew silently away and 

 did not return. 



The birds do the greater part of their hunting towards 

 dusk. They appear in numbers in genial weather ; but 

 during rain storms few arc to be seen. I luring the nesting 



