THE " WOODCOCK " OWL 133 



several have been deposited in this way, an inter- 

 val of as much as a week may elapse before the 

 production of a fresh batch. The first egg laid is 

 frequently sat upon. 



Some books state that laying does not com- 

 mence till May : this is wrong. The first egg is 

 generally dropped during April, sometimes, indeed, 

 early in that month ; consequently some nests are 

 destroyed by heather-burning. Occasionally full 

 " sets " are found early in April or late in March. 

 Fresh eggs discovered after, say, May 10th, are, 

 I imagine, nearly all second attempts consequent 

 on accident to the first clutch, though I suspect 

 that occasionally a genuine second brood is reared 

 late in the summer (witness the eggs found in June 

 and July), as I have proved sometimes to be the 

 case with the Long-eared Owl. 



The same haunt, though never, it seems, the 

 same nest, is in use annually, and despite the fact 

 of no sociability being evinced, several nests may 

 often be found fairly close together. Even in these 

 cases, each pair keep much to themselves and to 

 their own particular beat. 



Merlins mob the Short-eared Owl with spirit, 

 but I once saw one of the latter harass a Kestrel 

 which chanced to be passing by the former's 

 home, while small birds, no doubt recognising its 

 power to kill, keep well out of this Owl's way 

 if they can. 



In the Orkneys, as indeed elsewhere, this 



