Short-eared Owl. 107 



though but a bag of bones with no flesh on them, so emaciated 

 and starved it seemed. This is a remarkable parallel to a like 

 case of the Long-eared Owl mentioned above. It will hunt 

 readily by day, and this habit, together with the smallness of its 

 head, and its general appearance, have procured it the provincial 

 name of the ' Hawk ' Owl ; it is also called the ' Woodcock' Owl, 

 from its arrival and departure occurring simultaneously with that 

 bird. It preys chiefly on mice, and has been known to congregate 

 in considerable numbers, when an unusual abundance of that 

 destructive little quadruped has threatened to ravage a district. 

 In like manner it will collect in flocks and follow on the vast 

 armies of lemmings (which at times move in incredible numbers 

 in some districts of Norway, where I once fell in with them on 

 their migration), and prey upon those destructive little quad- 

 rupeds; though from their astonishing numbers, with which the 

 whole mountain side is alive the havoc the owls make in their 

 ranks must be almost inappreciable. It is a bold, pugnacious 

 bird, and, when wounded, will spring at its assailant with great 

 fierceness, leaving unmistakable evidence of the sharpness of 

 its bill and claws. Its horns consist of but four feathers in each, 

 so very little longer than the rest of the plumage on the head, 

 that after death they are difficult to discover. I believe that it 

 is when in repose, and while undisturbed, that this bird erects 

 its tufts, and when startled or in fear depresses them ; but there 

 are conflicting opinions on the point. This species occurs 

 frequently throughout the county, and is so often roused by 

 partridge shooters in turnips, and from the long grass by the 

 side of ditches, that it is needless to particularize localities of 

 its capture. In France it is Hibou brachyote, Chouette, and 

 Grand Cheveche ; in Germany, Kurzohrige Ohreule ; in Sweden, 

 Kort-orad Uf; and in Spain, Carabo. 



23. BARN OWL (Strix flammea). 



We now come to the smooth-headed or hornless owls, un- 

 adorned with the feathery tufts which we have noticed as 

 belonging to the foregoing species : first of these, and not 



