124 Among the Birds in Northcrii Shires. 



Owls are popularly supposed to be exclusive birds of 

 darkness — crepuscular and nocturnal; but the Short- 

 eared Owl is a regular day-flier, and may often be 

 seen beating about in its own peculiar unsteady 

 erratic way during bright sunshine without any visible 

 sign of inconvenience. Neither does it seem ever 

 dazed by the brilliant gleam of lighthouses, but takes 

 advantage of the glare to catch birds more susceptible 

 to the artificial light. During the autumn months 

 especially we may meet with this species in the most 

 unlikely spots, amongst the sand dunes, in turnip- 

 fields, in wet meadows and saltings. The birds that 

 breed on the heaths, however — especially in the 

 English shires — seem to be sedentary. Although 

 this Owl unquestionably feeds upon birds, say up to 

 the size of a Missel-thrush, as its diurnal habits appa- 

 rently suggest, there can be no doubt of its great 

 usefulness to man in killing off voles, mice, reptiles, 

 beetles, and such-like destructive pests. We need 

 only point to the extraordinary numbers of this Owl 

 that congregated in Scotland some few years ago 

 during the plague of voles, and the way in which 

 they preyed upon them, for an object-lesson of this 

 bird's usefulness to man. In the matter of its nest- 

 ing the Short-eared Owl presents us with another 

 anomaly. Fully in keeping with its love for open 

 country and its partiality for daylight, it nests upon 

 the bare ground, and in this respect differs from all 



