SHORT-EARED OWL 33 
Entrerios: “An abundant and familiar bird in 
the neighbourhood of Concepcion through the entire 
year. It is commonly seen in flocks of twenty and 
upwards, visiting grain-fields, gardens, etc., and 
sometimes, if I was correctly informed, completely 
stripping the grain-fields. They nest in communities, 
many pairs uniting in the building of a large common 
nest or mass of nests. I only saw these nests on two 
occasions, and had no opportunity of examining 
their structure. They were placed on high trees, 
and appeared from below to be simply irregular 
masses, six or eight feet in diameter, formed of 
small sticks and twigs. Where the nests are abun- 
dant the natives destroy the young by hundreds, 
and the ‘squabs’ when nearly grown are said to 
be very fine eating. The young are easily tamed, 
and may be taught to articulate a few simple words.” 
SHORT-EARED OWL 
Asio brachyotus 
Above variegated with fulvous and blackish brown; face whitish, 
with black centre; wings pale tawny, with irregular broad blackish 
cross-bars ; tail whitish, with four or five broad black cross bands ; 
beneath as above, but paler; bill black, eyes orange; length 15, 
wing 13, tail 6 inches. Female similar but larger. 
THERE are but six Owls known in Argentina, a very 
small number in so vast a country when we remem- 
ber that England alone has five species without 
Cc II 
