196 BRITISH BIRDS 



Long-eared Owl. 

 Asio otus. 



Beak blackish ; eyes orange -yellow ; upper parts buff, finely 

 mottled with brown and grey, and streaked with dark brown, 

 especially on the ear-tufts; facial disk buff, with a greyish black 

 margin and outer rim; under parts warm buff and grey, with 

 blackish streaks and minute transverse bars. Length, fifteen 

 inches. 



The long-eared owl may be described as a bird of beautiful 

 plumage. The hues of the upper parts various shades of yellow, 

 buff, and brown, harmoniously disposed and something, too, in 

 the indeterminate pattern, remind us of the colouring of some of 

 the very handsome cats. This cat-like colouring, long tufts of ear-like 

 feathers, and large, round, fiery, yellow eyes, give the bird a singular 

 and uncanny appearance. As a vocalist he is less interesting than 

 the two other most common British species the white owl, with 

 its sepulchral shriek, and the tawny owl, with its mellow hoot that 

 mysterious sound of the deep woods at eventide. The commonest 

 note of the present species is a mewing cry, heard when the birds 

 begin to stir from their hiding-places before going out to forage. 

 It also emits at times a short, barking cry. 



The long-eared owl appears to be more gregarious than other 

 species, except, perhaps, the short-eared owl. Mr. Abel Chapman 

 writes : * A peculiarity of the habits of these owls after the breed- 

 ing-season deserves a remark. As soon as the young were fledged 

 the whole of the owls associated together, perhaps three or four 

 broods, old and young, in a single family, and chose a thick black 

 Scotch fir for their abode. Here they all passed the day. To this 

 particular tree the whole of the owl-life oi these woods resorted 

 regularly at dawn, and in it slept away the hours of daylight, 

 hidden amongst the deep evergreen recesses. At the particular 

 tree of their choice (it varied in different years) the owls could 

 invariably be interviewed during the summer and autumn, though 

 to a casual eye it was difficult, amidst the deep shadows of the 

 foliage, to distinguish their slim forms, pressed closely against the 

 brown branches of the pine. Towards dusk their awakening was 

 notified by the querulous cat-like cry ; ten minutes later their 



