ASIO ACCIPITEINUS. 1 39 



nest, a pair of Stock Doves took possession and reared their 

 young. This same tub afterwards had a hornet's nest in it. 



Facial disk complete and large, tuftless ; skin covering orifice of ear 

 (opercaluni) large. 



Above pale orange-buff, speckled with grey and spotted with black and 

 white ; underpants and facial disk white, but these parts vary, the former 

 being sometimes marked with black specks, and both are occasionally of a 

 complete buff colour. Iris black. Toes without feathers, covered with a 

 few bristles ; middle claw serrated. Length 14 inches. 



167. Asio otus (Linnaeus). The Long-eared Owl. 

 Spanish. Carabo. 



This arboreal Owl is not mentioned by Favier, though Olcese 

 obtained one near Tangier in 1884, where Mr. Meade- Waldo 

 found it the most common Owl, except the Little Owl and Scops, 

 and, as in the Canaries, frequenting rough scrub-covered ground. 



I did not meet with any near Gibraltar, but shot one in winter 

 in the Goto del Rey. They are found near Cordova and Granada 

 and breed there. 



Facial disk complete ; ear-tufts very long, equal to hind toe and claw ; 

 operculum semicircular ; iris orange. General colour orange-buff ; above 

 mottled with blackish brown, below streaked and faintly barred with brown. 

 Length 14 inches. 



168. Asio accipitrinus (Pallas). The Short-eared Owl. 



Moorish. El hama (Favier). Spanish. Carabo. 



"This species occurs less abundantly than the Cape-Owl 

 (A. capensis), being found on passage in small flights on open 

 and wet ground. Some breed near Tangier ; but the remainder 

 cross to Europe in February and March, returning in November. 

 This Owl interbreeds with the Cape-Owl, producing hybrids 

 which only differ from that species in having the front of the 

 facial disk, the throat and tarsi whitish, while the irides are half 

 yellow. The Arab chasseurs confound the two species under 

 the name of ' el hama ' ; but they are easily distinguished by the 



