ASIO ACCIPITEINUS 69 



ASIO ACCIPITRINUS (Pallas). 

 SHOET-EAEED OWL. 



Strlx accipitrina, Pall. Reise Riiss. Reichs, i, p. 455 (1771). 



Asio accipltrinus, Newton's ed. Yan: Birch, i, p. 163 (1872) ; Skarpe, 



Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. ii, p. 234 ; Whitaker, Ibis, 1894, p. 95 ; Erlanger, 



J.f. 0. 1898, p. 491. 

 Strix (Otus) brachyotus, Malherbe, Cat. Rais. d'Ois. Alg. p. 7 (1846). 

 Brachyotus segolius, Loche, Expl. Sci. Alg. Ois. i, p. 97 (1867). 

 Brachyotus palustris, Kocnig, J. f. 0. 1888, p. 163 ; id. J. f. 0. 1892, 



p. 358. 



Description. — Adult female, spring, from North Tunisia. 



Facial disc creamy-white, with some grey feathers ; region round the eye 

 blackish-brown ; bristles round the bill creamy-white, tipped with dark 

 brown; ruff white, mottled with buff and dark brown; ear-tufts, which are 

 very short, dark brown ; remainder of plumage above and below creamy- 

 white, thickly marked and striped with dark brown, the wings and tail being 

 more rufescent, and barred with dark brown. 



Iris bright yellow ; bill and claws black ; feet covered with short feathers. 



Total length 14 inches, wing 12, culmen 1-25, tarsus r80. 



Adult male similar to the female, but rather smaller. 



No other species of Owl, and but few birds, have so wide a range 

 as the Short-eared Owl, the distribution of which apparently extends 

 over the greater part of the two hemispheres. 



In Tunisia the species is not uncommon during the periods of 

 migration and in winter, when it is generally distributed both north 

 and south of the Atlas Mountains. In Central Tunisia I have fre- 

 quently met with these Owls on the Haifa-covered plains in spring, 

 when the birds have been on passage, and I have notes of their 

 occm-rence in winter from both North and South Tunis. South of 

 the Chott Djerid Mr. Aplin often met with the species in February. 



The Short-eared Owl frequents, as a rule, open country covered with 

 a low-growing vegetation, and evinces a partiality for wet, marshy land, 

 although in Tunisia, when on migration, it may just as often be met 

 with on the dry semi-desert plains. When flushed in the daytime, 

 this bird flies off at a fair pace, and apparently without being in the 

 least inconvenienced by the glare of dayhght; in fact, the species seems 

 to be more diurnal in its habits than most other Owls, and may 

 sometimes be seen pursuing its prey during the daytime. Its food is 



