SPRING-TIME ON THE MOORS 45 



The Long-eared Owls are equally abundant, but pre- 

 fer coniferous woods. They also prefer a proper nest, 

 but dislike the troubles of construction ; hence their 

 keenness to forestall some more industrious architect. 

 This may be one reason for their extremely early nest- 

 ing. One pair, on March 19th, had already commenced 

 to sit on five eggs laid in a nest which was built and 

 occupied the previous year by sparrow-hawks. These 

 latter, on arriving six weeks later, must surely have 

 been concerned to find their patiently constructed plat- 

 form of larch-twigs — their "freehold" — occupied by a 

 staring, snapping, hissing brood. But the hawks did 

 not resent the usurpation ; on the contrary, they adopted 

 the precedent, and appropriated a wood-pigeon's nest 

 hard by, where they laid their eggs alongside the 

 cushat's pair. Next year the hawks built a new nest 

 for themselves, and on May 4th, had seven eggs. The 

 owls at that date had two large young — one ready to 

 fly — besides three addled eggs, in the evicted hawk's 

 abode. 



A peculiarity in the habits of this owl [Asio otus) 

 deserves remark, though I have never noticed it but in 

 one particular spot. In those woods, the whole of the 

 resident owls, as soon as fledged, associated themselves 

 (perhaps three or four broods) into a single family and 

 selected a big umbrageous Scotch fir for their diurnal 

 abode. To the particular tree of their choice — (it 

 varied in different years) — the whole owl-world of those 

 woods resorted at dawn ; and by day could be inter- 

 viewed, though it was not easy, amidst flickering 

 shadows, to detect the slim brown upright bodies 

 pressed closely against the brown branches of the pine. 

 Towards dusk, their awakening was notified afar by 



