136 Short-eared Owl 



The latter was greatly disturbed, hovering close over the dog in 

 evident anxiety. The behaviour suggested young birds unable to 

 fly. Of nic, the Owl took no notice, often coming withing a few yards, 

 his whole attention being given up to the dog. I had, therefore, an 

 ample opportunity of e.xamining it carefully at close quarters, and 

 I have not the least doubt, from its small size and very pale colour, 

 that it was an adult male in summer or breeding plumage. 



This brings me to a point which I should like to emphasize. 

 I don't know of any English writer who recognizes that there is a very 

 distinct difference between the summer and winter plumage of these 

 Owls, except that best of all field-naturalists, the late Mr. E. T. 

 Booth. 



Professor Newton (Yarrell, 4th Edition) maintains a silence on 



the question. Mr. Seebohm alludes to various pale and rufous 



phases " or geographical-races of the Short-eared Owl, but is 



evidently unaware that our own bird is rufous in the autumn, and 



pale, almost sandy-coloured, in the spring. 



Mr. Dresser figures an adult female in what he calls " the 

 ordinary dress " (really aiitiiiiiii plumage), and " an old male 

 in pale plumage," the latter being the ordinary breeding dress of 

 the bird. 



Mr. Booth figures an adult male in summer (the so-called " pale 

 form " of other authors) with two nestlings ; and on a second plate, 

 a bird in ordinary winter plumage. The sex is not stated, but I 

 imagine, from the size, that it is a female. In the letter press, he 

 draws particular attention to the very marked difference between the 

 summer and the winter dress. 



In conclusion, I would remind you that the terms " long-eared " 

 and " short-eared " are entirely misleading. The so-called ears are 

 simply tufts of elongated feathers springing from either side of the 

 crown of the head above the facial discs — for purposes of expression, 

 they are somewhat analogous to our eyebrows — and have nothing 

 whatever to do with the organ of hearing. In the Short-eared Owl, 

 these tufts are about three-quarters of an inch long, and consist of 

 only four or five feathers. As these " ears " can be raised or 

 depressed at will, the tufts are, presumably, operated on by a pair 

 of symmetrical cutaneous muscles. 



^ih Febriiarv. 1909. 



