THE SHORT-EARED OWL. 463 
which evidently at the time desired nothing so ardently as to be able to find 
a ready-made hole in the atmosphere and to crawl into it. I debated with 
myself whether it might be an undersized Long-eared Owl. There was 
nothing but the ear-tufts to show for it, for the very face of the bird was 
pinched and wizened. I gazed until the bird made sure of detection. Presto, 
change! The pretended stick resumed her natural appearance and made off 
with a great clatter, only to fall upon the ground in the well-known “last 
stages.” The interest of the bird-man always lies in the opposite direction 
from that being pursued by a self-wounded bird. The owlet sat about ten 
feet back of me in a clump of willows. Tho only half-grown, its countenance 
bore an expression of imperturbable gravity. After I had had my laugh out 
at his absurd solemnity, I approached the little fellow. Psst! Instantly 
there were about six of him. Every feather stood on end,—wings extended, 
eyes blazing, bill snapping. Goodness gracious! Suppose he had been about 
forty times bigger yet! He wore my cap gracefully enough until we got 
down on the ground and could hobnob in the open. There he nibbled medi- 
tatively at the visor of his cap cage, and mumbled little incoherent bad words 
between his teeth. Anger is always amusing, especially if strictly harmless; 
the younger and the more helpless the exponent of it, the more ridiculous it is. 
The food of the Long-eared Owl consists chiefly of mice and other 
rodents. Altho the night-patrol does make an occasional levy on the small- 
bird population, it deserves the strictest protection on account of its over- 
balancing services. 
No. 183. 
SHORT-EARED OWL. 
A. O. U. No. 367. Asio flammeus (Pontoppidan). 
Description.—Adults: Ear-tufts very short—scarcely noticeable; entire 
plumage, except facial disk, nearly uniform buff, ochraceous-buff or cream-buff, 
striped or mottled with dark brown,—heavily above and on breast, the stripes 
becoming more narrow on belly and disappearing altogether on legs and crissum; 
edge of wing white ; the wing-quills and tail-feathers broadly barred with brownish 
dusky; the facial disk gray centrally, with black around each eye and on the 
bridge; bill and toe-nails dusky blue; eyes yellow; ear-opening enormous, but 
fully concealed; the wings fold just beyond the tail. Jinmature: Dark brown 
with ochraceous tips above; brownish-black face, and unstriped fee 
ee 14.00-16.75 (355-6-425.5) ; wing 12.00-13.00 (304.8-330.2) ; tail 5.50-6.2 
(139.7-158.8) ; bill (chord of culmen) about 1.00 (25.4); tarsus 1.75 (44.6). 
Adult female larger than male. The preceding measurements include both sexes. 
Recognition Marks.—Little Hawk to Crow size; general streaked appear- 
ance, dark brown on buff; inconspicuous ear-tufts ; semi-terrestrial habits. 
