66 THE BIRDS OF DEVONSHIRE. 



Order STRIGES. 



Family Strigid^. 

 BARN OWL. — Sfrix flammea, Linn. 



A RESIDENT species. Mr. Mitchell considers the 

 Barn Owl scarce in the Tavistock district but 

 Mr. Rawson has met with it commonly in North 

 Devon, and I find it pretty generally distributed 

 throughout the Southern portions of the County. 



LONG-EARED O^Nh.—Asio of us (Linn). 



A WINTER visitant, fairly numerous in some seasons, 

 in others little observed. Large flights appear in 

 certain autumns ; Mr. Gatcombe examined a good 

 many specimens killed near Plymouth in different 

 years. Mr. H. Nicholls informs me that in 

 November and December, 1875, more than twenty 

 specimens were brought into Kingsbridge to be 

 stuffed, and that every little wood in the neigh- 

 bourhood was crowded with them. In the winter 

 of 1888, on the other hand, he only saw two 

 specimens. The Rev. Murray A. Mathew includes 

 this species in a list of those breeding in Devon ; 

 I have not, myself, met with the Long-eared Owl 

 during the nesting time, within the limits here 

 treated of. 



SHORT-EARED OWL.— ^sw accipitrinus (Pall). 

 A WINTER visitant, often numerous in South Devon 

 in early winter, nor are flights unknown in North 

 Devon, but its movements are irregular, very few 



