464 THE SHORT-EARED OWL. 



Nesting. — Xcst: on the ground or at the end of a short, under-ground tun- 

 nel ; a few sticks, grass, and feathers mark tlie spot, or else the bird lays on the 

 bare earth. Eggs: 4-6, sometimes 7. subsplierical. Av. size, 1.57 x 1.23 ( 39.9 x 

 31.2). Season: Ajiril ; one brood. 



General Range. — Thruout Xorth America; nearly cosmopolitan. Breed.s 

 somewhat irregularly and locally, from about latitude 39° northward. 



Range in Washington. — .Xut uncommon smnmer resident in lowlands east 

 of the Cascades; migrant both sides of the .Mnuntains; casual in winter. 



Authorities. — Otiis brachyotiis. Cassin, 'Illustrations," (1856) p. 183. T. 

 C&S. L-'. Rh. Sr. Ra. D-'. Kk. B. E. 



Specimens.— (U. of W. ) 1". Trov. B. BN. E. 



IN SECTIONS where all three birds are conimuii, a rough and ready 

 division of territory has been agreed upon by the Long-eared, Short-eared, 

 and Burrowing Owls — Owlia est oiiiiiis dk'isa in partes trcs. To the Long- 

 eared Owl has fallen the right to search groves, thickets, and piney woods ; to 

 the Burrowing ( )wl behjng all pastures and the open sage; whilst the Short- 

 eared has chosen meadows, rye grass areas, swampy bottoms, and all expanses 

 of rush and reed. This equitable arrangement regards, of course, only Owls, 

 for the last-named species has always a keenly contesting rival of his claims 

 in the person of the Marsh Hawk, or Harrier (Circus IiiiitsouiitsJ. So sharp 

 has the rivalr\- become, to interpret the situation fancifully, that the Owd, no 

 longer content with a monopoh- nf the night rights, hunts o\'er the contested 

 preserve on all cloudy days, and on some bright ones as well. Indeed, he has 

 almost forgotten tlie family tradition wdiich enjoins upon all good Owls 

 careful avoidance of sunlight, and seems not at all disconcerted thereby. 



Let no one stippose that because the bird under consideration has abbre- 

 viated ear-tufts, he is anywise "short" on hearing. On the contrarx', bis ear- 

 parts are enormotislv developed. Part the feathers on the side of the head, 

 bringing the ear-coverts forward, and you will see it, an ear-opening some two 

 inches long — as long, in fact, as the skull is high, and proportionately broad. 



It is more than a coincidence that these marsh prowlers, the Harrier and 

 the Short-eared Owl. should be ])rovided with such a remarkable auditory 

 apparatus. When one considers the circumstances of their life, the reason 

 for this common provision becomes verv plain. In a thicket of reeds, espec- 

 iallv if the_\- be dry. one hears a great deal more than he is able to see. Move- 

 ment thru grass or tules without noise is almost an impossibility, even for 

 the tiniest bird or mouse. Hence, it becomes important to locate any creature 

 in the tangle 1)\' hearing. Surely a vShort-eared Owl could hear the footfall 

 of a beetle at a hundred yards! 



Short-eared Owls are somewhat liawk-like in their appearance, wliether 

 quartering to and fro across the meadows, or watching from a convenient 



