464 THE SHORT-EARED OWL. 
Nesting.— Nest; on the ground or at the end of a short, under-ground tun- 
nel; a few sticks, grass, and feathers mark the spot, or else the bird lays on the 
bare earth. Eggs: 4-6, sometimes 7, subspherical. Av. size, 1.57 X 1.23 (39.9 x 
31.2). Season: April; one brood. 
General Range.—Thruout North America; nearly cosmopolitan. Breeds 
somewhat irregularly and locally, from about latitude 39° northward. 
Range in Washington.—Not uncommon summer resident in lowlands east 
of the Cascades; migrant both sides of the Mountains; casual in winter. 
Authorities.—Otus brachyotus, Cassin, “Illustrations,” (1856) p. 183. T 
C&S. L+. Rh. Sr. Ra: D*. Kk. B. E. 
Specimens.—(U. of W.) P'. Prov. B. BN. E. 
IN SECTIONS where all three birds are common, a rough and ready 
division of territory has been agreed upon by the Long-eared, Short-eared, 
and Burrowing Owls—Ovwlia est omnis divisa in partes tres. To the Long- 
eared Owl has fallen the right to search groves, thickets, and piney woods; to 
the Burrowing Owl belong all pastures and the open sage; whilst the Short- 
eared has chosen meadows, rye grass areas, swampy bottoms, and all expanses 
of rush and reed. This equitable arrangement regards, of course, only Owls, 
for the last-named species has always a keenly contesting rival of his claims 
in the person of the Marsh Hawk, or Harrier (Circus hudsonius). So sharp 
has the rivalry become, to interpret the situation fancifully, that the Owl, no 
longer content with a monopoly of the night rights, hunts over the contested 
preserve on all cloudy days, and on some bright ones as well. Indeed, he has 
almost forgotten the family tradition which enjoins upon all good Owls 
careful avoidance of sunlight, and seems not at all disconcerted thereby. 
Let no one suppose that because the bird under consideration has abbre- 
viated ear-tufts, he is anywise “short” on hearing. On the contrary, his ear- 
parts are enormously developed. Part the feathers on the side of the head, 
bringing the ear-coverts forward, and you will see it, an ear-opening some two 
inches long—as long, in fact, as the skull is high, and proportionately broad. 
It is more than a coincidence that these marsh prowlers, the Harrier and 
the Short-eared Owl, should be provided with such a remarkable auditory 
apparatus. When one considers the circumstances of their life, the reason 
for this common provision becomes very plain. In a thicket of reeds, espec- 
ially if they be dry, one hears a great deal more than he is able to see. Move- 
ment thru grass or tules without noise is almost an impossibility, even for 
the tiniest bird or mouse. Hence, it becomes important to locate any creature 
in the tangle by hearing. Surely a Short-eared Owl could hear the footfall 
of a beetle at a hundred yards! 
Short-eared Owls are somewhat hawk-like in their appearance, whether 
quartering to and fro across the meadows, or watching from a convenient 
