162 BRITISH BIRDS. 
August. This bird is also occasionally taken in the flight-nets on the 
Lincolnshire coast. 
The Long-eared Owl is an early breeder: fresh eggs may be obtained 
by the second week in March; and the young are hatched by the end of 
April or beginning of May. It is doubtful if this bird ever builds its own 
nest. It usually takes possession of a deserted Crow’s nest, sometimes a 
Wood-Pigeon’s, and more frequently the deserted “ drey” of a squirrel. 
Norgate informs me that at Didlington he was told that this bird nested 
habitually in the Herons’ nests, and he himself saw quantities of pellets 
beneath the trees in which the nests were built. On one occasion he 
climbed up to a deserted nest in a pine tree, from which he looked 
down upon a deserted squirrel’s “ drey”’ in a neighbouring tree, and saw a 
pair of Long-eared Owls sitting side by side on the top, which was slightly 
flattened, and on which were laid seven eggs. At this nest were the 
remains of a Yellow Bunting. Dixon has found the eggs of this bird in 
old Wood- Pigeons’ nests, amongst dense masses of ivy growing on trees. 
The selected nest does not appear to undergo much alteration, although 
many naturalists have asserted that it is lined with wool and feathers ; but 
pellets are often found in it in great numbers. The eggs of this bird 
are from four to seven in number, generally five or six; and it appears 
that, as is the case with many other birds of this family, the eggs are 
sat on as soon as laid, as young birds and fresh eggs are seen in the same 
nest. The eggs of the Long-eared Owl are somewhat oval in form, 
possessing some little gloss, and are pure white in colour. They measure 
from 1°76 to 15 inch in length and from 1°35 to 1°26 imch in breadth. 
The young birds remain in the nest some weeks, and when able to fly 
usually take up their quarters in the adjoining branches, where they 
are fed for some time by the parents. 
My friend Mr. A. W. Johnson writes to me as follows respecting the 
habits of the Long-eared Owl in Northumberland :—“'The Long-eared 
Owl breeds somewhat sparingly, in suitable localities, throughout Northum- 
berland and Durham—plantations of black firs, bordering upon moors or 
other open ground, being its favourite haunt. If this bird was only 
allowed to dwell in peace, and was not so commonly and erroneously 
regarded as vermin by the keepers, and destroyed accordingly, it would 
soon become a fairly common bird here. In proof of this, some years 
ago, in one district of Northumberland, where the birds were undisturbed, 
my friend Isaac Clark, of Blaydon, used to find large numbers of their 
nests for several consecutive seasons. A letter of his just received (25th 
August 1882) proves how common they were in 1871. He writes, ‘In 
answer to your note about the Owls breeding, they always repair an old 
Wood-Pigeon’s or Magpie’s nest. The earliest date I have found a 
nest containing young was one which had three young birds and two 
