404 THE OWLS 



such plantations. Large woods are not essential ; small clumps of firs, 

 or trees bordering forests, are all-sufficient, but old ruins, barns, or 

 outbuildings are shunned. While nocturnal in its habits, it is not 

 affected by the glare of daylight, though in a very strong light it will 

 generally draw the nictitating membrane over the eyes. Like most 

 of its kind, however, it rarely ventures abroad by day, being possibly 

 deterred by its fear of being "mobbed" by all the smaller birds 

 thrushes, blackbirds, titmice. When at rest it generally stands with 

 the body close to the trunk of the tree, and if suspicious of danger, 

 will hold itself in a strangely upright attitude, drawing the feathers 

 close to the body, and placed as close to the tree trunk as possible. 

 The strangely inanimate appearance thus gained, coupled with the 

 complete harmony of its plumage with its surroundings, and the fact 

 that it is a remarkably silent bird, renders it extremely difficult to 

 detect. This strangely wooden pose, however, is quickly thrown aside 

 when at bay. At such times it becomes transformed into the very 

 incarnation of fury, the body is thrown forward, the wings are opened 

 so that the secondaries are raised high above the back, while the 

 primaries are dropped, and all the other feathers of the body are set 

 on end, producing a truly terrifying attitude, which is heightened by 

 the great glaring, yellow eyes, the snapping of the jaws, and the 

 production of a peculiar swearing sound, recalling the " spitting " or 

 "swearing" of a cat when roused. In all this it reproduces the 

 attitude of the great eagle-owl, and stands in strong contrast with the 

 barn-owl, which seems to content itself with curious, waving, side to 

 side movements of the lowered head and neck. 



With the twilight the longeared-owl emerges to hunt, its prey 

 being furnished by rats, mice, voles, shrews, small birds caught as they 

 flit by, as well as beetles and other insects. As might be supposed, 

 the young fare as their parents. 



This bird neither sleeps nor breeds in hollow trees, like the barn 

 and tawny owls, neither does it build a nest, but adopts some deserted 

 squirrel's drey, or the forsaken nest of a crow, heron, wood-pigeon, or 



