208 NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 61, FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



on May 10, 1936, and saw 1 near Sand Point, Popof Island, 

 on May 16. Osgood (1904) found it plentiful at the base of 

 Alaska Peninsula. The first mate of our ship reported seeing 

 one flying offshore at Bristol Bay, May 23, 1936. 



In 1925, I noted several of these owls at Moffet Cove, at the 

 west end of Alaska Peninsula, and others were seen on Umnak 

 Island at Urilia Bay, St. Catherine Cove, False Pass, and Ikatan 

 Peninsula. All of these localities contain excellent marshy nest- 

 ing places. In the evening of May 13, 1925, we watched a short- 

 eared owl soaring and hooting high in the air at False Pass, 

 in its mating performance. 



In 1936, a short-eared owl was found on Amak Island; this 

 owl was found, not on marshland, but on a high grassy slope, 

 where mice were plentiful. 



On August 26, 1937, we collected a short-eared owl on Akutan 

 Island. In 1902, McGregor reported that "The short-eared owl 

 was observed on Amaknak Island June 23, where one was flushed 

 from its nest containing two eggs. The nest consisted of a deep 

 hollow on a hillside, and was neatly lined with grass." In 1906, 

 he reported taking a specimen on Amaknak Island. It is known 

 to occur on Unalaska, where the natives say it nests commonly. 

 Dall (1873) reported finding these owls nesting in burrows on 

 Unalaska. Swarth, also (1934), reports 1 seen on Unalaska and 

 1 on Akutan, and Eyerdam (1936) observed 1 on Unalaska. 

 Turner (1886), Nelson (1887), Clark (1910), and Cahn (1947) 

 all observed this bird at Unalaska, and Gabrielson saw one there 

 on June 18, 1943. 



Certainly, the occurrence and nesting of this owl is well es- 

 tablished for Unalaska. West of that island, however, it appears 

 to be rare. Turner (1886) intimates that it is common in the 

 Aleutian Islands, yet he mentions only two places west of Una- 

 laska where he observed it — Atka and Attu. Natives told us that 

 although the short-eared owl does not nest in the western Aleu- 

 tians, it occurs there in winter. In 1936, while at Atka Island, 

 we were told that in the previous winter a short-eared owl had 

 been shot on an adjacent islet, and our informant volunteered to 

 guide us to the place. Upon searching the vicinity we found 

 the wings and part of the body, which was sufficient for identifica- 

 tion. The stomach, which we found also, contained the remains 

 of a common house rat. 



The short-eared owl has a nesting distribution quite similar to 

 that of the rough-legged hawk in this district. It is practically 

 certain that more detailed work on Umnak, lying just west of 



