LONG-EARED OIVL. 187 



Diagnostic characters : The pale creamy tint on 

 the eggs of the Short-eared Owl readily distinguishes 

 them from those of the Long-eared Owl, which are 

 pure white. The nesting-sites of the two birds, how- 

 ever, are also very dissimilar. They cannot readily be 

 confused with those of any other species breeding in 

 our islands, except perhaps those of the Stock Dove, but 

 even then the breeding-grounds are usually different. 



Family STRIGID^. Genus Asio. 



Sub-family BUBONliYyE. 



LONG-EARED OWL. 



Asio OTUS, LhmcEiis. 



Single Brooded. Laying season, end of February to beginning 



of April. 



British breeding area: With the exception of 

 the Orkneys and the Shetlands, the Long-eared Owl is 

 pretty generally distributed throughout the British 

 Islands, its habitat to a great extent being influenced 

 by the presence of pine and fir woods, to which the bird 

 is much addicted. 



Breeding habits: The Long-eared Owl is a resident 

 in our islands, and in many districts a fairly common 

 bird, in spite of the persecution of the gamekeeper. 

 Here in Devonshire, for instance, this fine Owl not many 

 years ago was abundant in the fir woods near Churston ; 

 now it is scarce, the keeper having destroyed almost 

 every bird. The favourite haunts of the Long-eared 

 Owl are pine woods and fir plantations, or large woods 

 of deciduous trees in which evergreens are intermingled. 



