CATALOGUE OF BIRDS. 257 



immediately, they very soon became quite bold, 

 their one idea being to try and drive me away by 

 circling- round me and by occasional violent swoops 

 at my head. At times they came so near as almost 

 to hit me in the face. So far as I can remember, 

 there were seven or eight eggs in the nest of a dirty 

 white colour, very smooth in texture and almost 

 round. Howard Saunders says that this Owl feeds 

 on " rats, mice, lemmings, and other rodents — birds 

 from the size of a Lark to that of a Plover — 

 occasionally bats, fish, reptiles, and large insects." 



The Short- Eared Owl appears to be pretty well 

 distributed throughout the British Isles, being found 

 in the eastern and northern counties of England ; in 

 Wales and Ireland in suitable localities ; whilst in 

 Scotland and its western islands it may be said to 

 be plentiful. Howard Saunders says, " No other 

 species has so wide a range," and, on perusal of his 

 book, I should say that there is hardly a country in 

 the world where the bird is not in evidence. 



CASE 56, 



COMMOxN AND ARCTIC TERN. 

 Oj^der, GavicB. Fainily, Laridcs. 



The Common Tern. 

 This is a very handsome little bird with its scarlet 

 legs and bill, its glossy black head, and its French 

 grey plumage. It is distinctly a migratory species, 



