LONG-EARED OWL. '293 



wings, producing a dull note bock^ bock. Mr. Pycraft, who like 

 others, asserts that this is produced by the wings striking 

 together above the back, states that the bird immediately after 

 throws itself into the air as if in play. My friend Mr. I. 

 Whittaker, who has carefully watched the bird, supports my 

 view that the wings do not meet, but are sharply struck down- 

 wards, with the result that the bird is lifted in the air. In its 

 terrifying attitude, similar to that assumed by the Short-eared 

 Owl, the secondaries are arched and meet above the back and 

 the primaries spread wide ; the wings frame the head, whilst 

 with glaring eyes and snapping beak the bird hisses and spits 

 defiance like an angry cat. Birds form a larger proportion of 

 the food of this species than of the Barn-Owl, a fact which can 

 be proved by the pellets ; decapitated and partially plucked 

 birds lie in and round the nest. 



The Long-eared Owl appropriates the old nest of some bird — 

 often Jay, Magpie, Sparrow-Hawk or Wood-Pigeon — or a 

 squirrel's drey on which to lay its three to five white eggs, 

 rounder than those of the Barn-Ovvl (Plate 131). Occasionally 

 it nests upon the ground, even when apparently suitable nests 

 are near (Plate 121). The eggs are laid early, in March as a rule. 

 The young are covered at first with buffish-grey down, but later 

 the down is barred with grey and brown ; though the feet and 

 legs, as in the adult, are covered to the toes, the fleshy colour 

 shows through. In this stage the bill and cere are dark slate- 

 blue, and the irides pale orange. In the first feathering the 

 facial disc is blackish, and the irides are deeper in colour. 



The adult bird has the upper parts buff, marbled and 

 vermiculated with grey and brown and with dark brown streaks ; 

 the facial disc is buff, dark close to the eyes. The buff under 

 parts are streaked with brown, and have dusky bars which form 

 crosses or arrow-shaped markings. The bill is brownish black, 

 the claws dark brown, and the irides bright orange. Length, 

 14 ins. Wing, ir5 ins. Tarsus, r6 ins. 



