136 BIRDS. 



Family BUBONIDJE. 

 Asio otus (L.), Long-eared Owl. 



This species seems to have become commoner of late years, at 

 least in Hoy, as Mr. Moodie-Heddle tells us they frequently come 

 to Melsetter, where there are some trees, and that they even 

 bred there in 1882. No doubt, could plantations be grown to 

 any extent in the islands, these birds would increase. 



The late Eobert Heddle stated that a bird of this species 

 was killed at Papdale in 1849. Another was shot in Shapinsay, 

 on 8th October 1873, by the late James Sinclair, birdstuffer. 

 Mr. Barnett, Crown Chamberlain, shot one at Muddiesdale on 

 December 4th, 1879, and another a few days afterwards. He 

 gave one of these birds to Mr. J. Petrie, writer, who had a large 

 collection of Orkney birds. 



Mr. Ranken tells us he has frequently seen this species in 

 Orkney in the winter. A friend of his obtained a pair in 

 Muddiesdale plantation on December 17th, 1887. They are 

 naturally rare in Sanday, but we have a note of one killed there, 

 in October 1830, by Mr. Strang of Lopness. 



Mr. Buchanan of the National Bank, Kirkwall, showed us 

 a Long-eared Owl killed in the Muddiesdale plantation in 

 January 1888, and told us he had shot at least ten of these 

 birds there, always during snow in winter. 



Asio accipitrinus (Pall). Short-eared Owl. 

 Ore. = Cutty-face. 



Low, both in his Tmr and Fauna, mentions this Owl as being very 

 plentiful and breeding in Hoy. Messrs. Baikie and Heddle 

 also mention the species as very common in Orkney, and 

 remaining throughout the year. 



In Eousay we were told that it was much commoner formerly, 

 i.e. previous to 1883. In that year we got one nest of six eggs, the 

 only one the keeper could find in the island. This pair very pro- 

 bably bred again, as neither of the birds were killed, and Buckley 

 constantly saw a pair hunting along the edge of the Muckle 

 Water in the late afternoons of July and August when fishing 

 there, which always returned to the same hill on which the 



