1916 



THE OWLS 



tion, the number in a clutch will rise to seven or eight; and during the recent vole 

 plague in Scotland even larger numbers are recorded, reaching to as many as thir- 

 teen. The eggs are usually laid in a hollow of the ground, with only a very slight 

 nest. In India Jerdon states that this owl "is almost exclusively found in long 

 grass, and in beating for florikan many are always flushed; one now and then paying 

 the penalty of keeping company with such a game bird by falling to the gun of some 

 tyro. It is migratory in India, coming in at the beginning of the cold weather, and 

 leaving about March. ' ' In North America the breeding range of this owl extends 



SCOPS OWL AND LONG-EARED OWL. 



(One-fourth natural size.) 



from the middle of the United States to the Arctic regions. "Its home," writes 

 Captain Beudire, ' ' is amidst the rank grasses or weeds usually found along the 

 borders of lakes and sloughs in the open prairie country, where it hides during bright 

 sunshiny days. If the sky is clouded, this owl may be frequently seen hunting in 

 the early morning or evening, and sometimes in the middle of the day, and at such 

 times it flies very low, not more than a few feet from the ground, which it carefully 

 scans for its humble prey. Its flight is remarkably easy, graceful, and perfectly 

 noiseless. From the fact that these owls are generally seen in pairs at all seasons of 

 the year, it is very probable that they remain mated through life." While in the 

 Arctic regions the nesting of this owl is often deferred till June, in the more southern 



