ASIO BRACHYOTUS. 4<J 



sheltering itself everywhere in caverns and hollow trees, so that it is 

 always present, and ready to take early advantage of the commodious 

 church-tower or other large building raised by man. On the level 

 pampas, where there are no hills or suitable hiding-places, it is rarely 

 seen : it is exclusively a town bird. 



Nothing more need be said of the habits of a species so well known, 

 and about which there is so much recorded in general works of Natural 

 History. 



Fam. XXXI. BUBONID^l, OR OWLS. 



287. ASIO BRACHYOTUS (Forst.). 

 (SHORT-EARED OWL.) 



Otus palustris, Darwin, Zool. Beagle, iii. p. 33. Otus brachyotus, Scl. vt 

 Salv. Nomencl. p. 116; Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 439 (Rosario) ; Hudson, 

 P. Z. S. 1870, p. 800 (Buenos Ayres) ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 186 (Buenos 

 Ayres), et 1878, p. 390 (Patagonia). Asio brachyotus, Gibson, Ibis, 1879, 

 p. 423 (Buenos Ayres) ; White, P. Z. S. 1882. p. 622 (Buenos Ayres) ; Withing- 

 ton, Ibis, 1888, p. 468 (Lomas de Zamora). Asio accipitrinus, Sharpe, Cat. 

 B. ii. p. 234. 



Description. Above streaked and variegated with fulvous and blackish 

 brown ; face whitish, with a largo central blotch of blackish round the eye ; 

 wings pale tawny white, with several irregular broad blackish cross bars ; tail 

 whitish, with four or five broad black cross bands : beneath as above, but much 

 whiter on the belly, which is only slightly streaked, and without markings on 

 the crissum and thighs ; bill black ; tarsi and toes densely feathered : whole 

 length 15*0 inches, wing 13-0, tail 6'0. Female similar, but rather larger. 



Hab. Old and New Worlds. 



The Short-eared Owl is found throughout the Argentine country, 

 where it is commonly called Lechuzon (big Owl) in the vernacular. 

 Like the species last described the Barn-Owl it has an exceedingly 

 wide range. It is found throughout the continent of Europe ; it also 

 inhabits Asia and Africa, many of the Pacific Islands, and both 

 Americas, from Canada down to the Straits of Magellan. Such a very 

 wide distribution would seem to indicate that it possesses some advan- 

 tage over its congeners, and is (as an Owl) more perfect than others. 

 It is rather more diurnal in its habits than most Owls, and differs 

 structurally from other members of its order in having a much smaller 

 head. It is also usually said to be a weak flier ; but this 1 ain sure is 

 a great mistake, for it seems to me the strongest flier amongst Owls, 

 and very migratory in its habits, or, at any rate, very much given to 

 wandering. Probably its very extensive distribution is clue in some 



VOL. n. K 



