117 



SHOET-EAEED OWL. 



Asio AcciPiTKiNus (Pallas). 



Local Names — Mooy-Oui, Broirn Oivl, Fcni-OicI, Grei) 

 Hulh't. 



The Short-eared Owl is by far best known as a winter 

 visitor, but it still remains to breed in one or two 

 localities, and would do so, without doubt, in many 

 more, if only permitted by the gamekeepers. It arrives 

 about the last week of October, frequenting at first the 

 sand-hills of the coast, and thence straggling to the 

 more inland wastes, mosses, and moors, on which, m 

 all parts of the county, specimens have been shot. It 

 is especially common on the island of Walne}-, but does 

 not seem to remain to breed [A pair bred there in 1884, 

 as I learned on the spot in 1885. — Ed.] , and disappears 

 in February or March, Mr. W. A. Durnford, who has 

 had great opportunities for observation there, says 

 (ZooL, 1877) that in the winter of 1876 it was unusually 

 plentiful, and that during November numbers were 

 killed almost daily. In this year it was also noticed as 

 being more numerous than usual in the Southport dis- 

 trict, but the winter following Mr. Durnford found it 

 just as scarce at Walney as before it had been the 

 opposite. He records in the Field of June 19, 1880, an 

 instance of its breeding on the borders of Lancashire 

 and Westmorland, there being six young birds in the 

 nest, all of different sizes, and young were reared, too, 

 in the same place in 1884. It has bred in Bleasdale, 

 and a nest, containing six fresh eggs, was taken on the 

 lower slopes of Pendle Hill in May 1877, by Mr. T. 



