TAWNY OWL. 301 



nest on the Egton Moors, near Whitby, about the year 1850, 

 and had no doubt that, within recent years, they occasionally 

 bred there. On the Danby Moors, also in Cleveland, Mr. 

 W. H. Raw has found at least four nests, all of which con- 

 tained young birds, and were placed among " old heather 

 broken down and dead at the roots." The young did not 

 in any instance exceed three in number. Mr. Raw found 

 the last nest in 1882, when both eggs and young birds were 

 taken, and he thinks it is quite possible that they may still 

 breed there. 



An example examined by Mr. W. Eagle Clarke at Spurn 

 in October 1879, is in the Arctic form of plumage described 

 by Seebohm (" Brit. Birds," Vol. I. p. 72). 



The local names are Woodcock Owl in general use, so 

 called from the fact that its arrival is coincident with that of 

 the Woodcock ; Moss Owl on the north-western fells ; and 

 Mouse Hawk is a term applied to it by G. Allan in 1791. 



In concluding my account of this species, mention should 

 be made of the fact that " Hawk Owl " is a name by which 

 it is known in some parts of the county ; and the result of 

 my inquiries and the examination of specimens has been to 

 prove that the " Hawk Owls " reported to have occurred in 

 Yorkshire have in every instance been examples of the Short- 

 eared Owl. The Hawk Owl (Surnia funerea), so far as I have 

 been able to ascertain, has never occurred in this county.* 



TAWNY OWL. 

 Strix aluco (Z.)- 



Resident, generally distributed and fairly common in well wooded 

 districts. 



Probably the earliest Yorkshire reference to this species 

 is made by Graves in his " History of Cleveland " (1808), 



* For particulars of an Owl carrying a Goldcrest on migration, 

 see the latter species ; and Zool. 1882, pp. 72-3, also Field, 3rd March 

 and 7th April 1888. 



