SCOPS OWL. 311 



believed, been shot in this county, and that Charles Fothergill 

 of York had another, shot in the spring of 1805 near Wetherby. 

 Thomas Allis, 1844, wrote : — 



Scops aldrovandi. — Scops-eared Owl — F. O. Morris mentions this 

 bird as having been met with at Womersley ; two pairs have been 

 shot at Ripley, near Harrogate, some years ago ; the birds shot at 

 Ripley were a pair of old and a pair of young birds ; when shot they 

 were nailed up to a house, and, after being there for a fortnight, and 

 spoiled, were seen by Mr. Stubbs, animal preserver, of Ripon. The 

 gamekeeper of Matthew Wilson, Esq., of Eshton Hall, in describing 

 his exploits to a gentleman, said that some years ago he shot such 

 a thing as he never saw before or since ; it was a regular formed HuUet 

 not bigger than his fist, with horns above its eyes ; this, it is almost 

 certain, could be nothing else but the Scops. Another specimen was 

 shot near Driffield about 1839, and Arthur Strickland says " A beautiful 

 specimen of this little bird appeared in July 1832, in the grounds at 

 Boynton, and, from its loud and distinct note, attracted general 

 attention ; this note was like the sound of a single note on a musical 

 instrument, repeated at about half a minute's interval, and was so 

 loud that it could be distinctly heard in the house when all the doors 

 and windows were shut, and the curtains drawn, and when the bird 

 was in some tall trees some distance from the house ; after some time 

 it was shot by firing at the sound, as it was too dark to see the bird — 

 it is now in my collection." Another instance has been mentioned 

 to me, and, from the description, I have no doubt of the species ; it 

 was in the grounds of Mr. Beaumont of Bossal, near Sand Hutton, 

 and I think it was stated to have been heard for more than one spring. 

 Three other specimens are mentioned in Yarrell's " British Birds " 

 as having been obtained in Yorkshire.* 



Mr. Thomas Stephenson of Whitby writes that the late 

 William Lister of Glaisdale had not the least doubt that this 

 species was captured on the Egton estate in 1865. The bird 

 was described to him as being a little mottled Owl, only half 

 the size of the Short-eared Owl, and having longer ears. Mr. 

 Lister went to examine this bird, but unfortunately it had 

 in the meantime come under the notice of a stranger, to whom 

 it was sold. 



A pair in the Hull Museum is stated to be well authenti- 

 cated as having been obtained at Marton, near Bridlington. 



* Two specimens in the York Museum are from the Allis and 

 Strickland collections. 



