THE LONG-EARED OWL 



1059 



YOUNG LONG-LAKED O* LS— FROM LIFE 



and by no means so easy to see in the 

 twilight as the Barn Owl. it is often resident 

 in a locality without people being aware 

 of the fact. 



In colour it is buff on the upper parts 

 wdth mottlings of grey and blackish brown 

 and dark brown streaks, warm buff and 

 grey beneath streaked with dark and 

 smaU trans\'erse bars ; the beak is nearly 

 black, and the eyes deep 

 orange-yellow. 



Sometimes when pass- 

 ing thi"ough a fir wood a 

 sound almost Uke the 

 barking of a distant dog 

 falls on the ears ; this pro- 

 ceeds from one of these 

 birds, and if one looks up 

 very probably it will be 

 seen perched bolt upright 

 on some high branch, 

 staring down and ever}' 

 now and then making its 

 peculiar note. The tufts of 

 long feathers on either side 

 of the head give it a very 

 cat-like appearance, so one 

 might say another of its 

 notes — a kind of mewing — 

 is nfjt inapprcjpriate. 



This bird d(jes not build 

 a nest, but takes over the 

 deserted one of a carrion 



crow or magpie ; some- 

 times the drey of a 

 squirrel is used. The 

 eggs, which are white 

 hke those of other Owls, 

 are four or five in num- 

 ber, and may be laid 

 as early as March, but 

 more frequently in 

 April and May. 



The young of this 

 species are dehghtful 

 httle creatures to look 

 at. but one should be 

 chary of handhng them. 

 The specimens shown 

 here made their claws 

 felt through thick 

 gloves when being 

 taken from the nest 

 to be photographed. 



W'hilst the most use- 

 ful of the three is the 

 Barn Owl, which feeds exclusively on ver- 

 min and insects, the Long-eared Owl is also 

 beneficial and deserves protection, for its 

 chet is largely made up of voles and field- 

 mice ; it also takes young birds, such as 

 those of the finch tribe, on some occasions, 

 but I have never known it guilty of killing 

 game chicks — a crime which is sometimes 

 laid to its charge and the Brown Owl's also. 



DAKBY A.ND JOA.N. 



