128 BIRD-LIFE OF THE BORDERS. 



and, though their favourite resort is the stretch of bent- 

 grown sand-links which fringe a great part of the coast-line, 

 yet a sprinkling of them is distributed over the moorlands. 

 By day these Owls usually sit somnolent among the beds of 

 rank rushes or tussocks of " white grass." I have put them 

 up in turnip fields. But on dull days and in rough weather 

 they occasionally commence to hunt by daylight and, when 

 seen thus, have a singularly hawk-like appearance, very like 

 a rather pale-coloured female Hen-harrier. On the after- 

 noon of November 1, 1881, during a blinding storm of driving 

 snow, one of these Owls passed over us, soaring strongly in 

 wide circles, but gradually drifting to leeward. Through 

 the drift he loomed as big as a Buzzard, for which he might 

 easily have been mistaken. 



The quantities of mice which at this season are found far 

 out on the open moors are, no doubt, the chief attraction to 

 the Owls. The number of those little creatures one some- 

 times sees in the course of a day's shooting is surprising. 

 I may add, in reference to this species, that I have observed 

 what I have no doubt was a Short-eared Owl (hunting by day) 

 on September 1, and another (obtained) as late as March 29, 

 which dates make their nesting in this neighbourhood appear 

 probable. 



By the month of November the general autumnal migra- 

 tion (so far as the moorlands are concerned) appears to have 

 been completed, and bird movements are, for the time, 

 suspended. Most birds appear to have settled themselves 

 down into their permanent winter quarters. Thus, for 

 example, the following figures, showing the relative abun- 

 dance of Snipe on the moors during the different autumnal 

 months, prove that arrivals of that bird have ceased for the 

 year. The figures, it should be stated, are relative, not actual ; 

 they are extracted from records of ten seasons and reduced 

 proportionately to the number of shooting days in each month : 



Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. 

 Snipes killed . . 90 . 125 . 75 . 30 . 25 



The slightly reduced numbers in December are merely due 

 to the greater prevalence of snow during that month. Snow 

 drives the Snipe from the moors to the lowlands. Thus at 



