50 



KEARTONS' NATURE PICTURES 



NEST OK THE SHOUT-BAKED OWI.. 



The ground was covered with snow at 

 the time, and no fewer than seventeen 

 dead voles were lying round the sit- 

 ting female. These had been brought 

 by the male bird for his mate. Long 

 ago the Short-eared Owl was reported 

 to lay as many as ten or twelve eggs 

 in the fur countries, but the state- 

 ment was received with incredulity by 

 ornithologists. 



The nest is a slight hollow scratched 

 in the ground, and lined with a few bits 



of dead grass or moss. I have on more 

 than one occasion, however, seen the 

 white oval-shaped eggs lying upon the 

 bare earth. 



The young vary very much in size, as 

 may be seen from the illustration on 

 the previous page. They leave the nest 

 long before they are able to fly, and 

 crouch amongst heather, rushes, or 

 other vegetation affording cover. 



Our coloured plate of an adult bird 

 on her eggs was obtained on the edge 

 of a Hebridean loch. She was a very 

 shy specimen, and uttered a shrill cry 

 of anger whenever her nest was ap- 

 proached. My lens appeared to be an 

 object of special mistrust, and she 

 always sat with her beautiful eyes 

 steadily fixed vipon it. 



This species hunts in broad light of 

 day without any apparent inconvenience, 

 and when seen working a moor in search 

 of prey the bird's erratic flight suggests 

 a piece of brown paper being carried 

 hither and thither by a fickle wind. 



