THE SHORT-EARED OWL 



[Asio accipUrinus, ) 



There are few if any birds which have The Short-eared Owls should be pro- 



a greater range than the Short-eared tected as they are of very great service 



Owl. It is nearly cosmopolitan and in to the agriculturist for they destrov 



America it is found in all suitable locali- large numbers of field mice. It has been 



ties from the Arctic Ocean to the south- estimated that at least seventy-five per 



ern extremity of South America. It is cent of their food consists of mice. Thev 



a well known bird and bears many popu- also feed upon other small mammals 



lar names, the more common of which such as gophers, shrews and small rab- 



are Swamp Owl, Ghost Owl, Prairie bits. Dr. J. C. Merrill reports that in 



Owl, Snipe Owl and Prairie Eared one specimen he found a pellet ready for 



Owl. regurgitation which contained ten nearly 



The Short-eared Owls frequent perfect skulls of a species of shrew, 

 prairies, meadows, and marshes near In Yarrell's "British Birds" there is 

 bodies of water. The marshes seem to an interesting account which shows the 

 be the most popular with them both for economic value of these Owls: "Un- 

 nesting and feeding, especially if the doubtedly field mice, and especially 

 grass is rank. Here the Owls meet an those of the short-tailed group or voles, 

 enemy in the person of the hunter of are their chief objects of prey, and when 

 ducks and snipes, birds which also nest these animals increase in an extraordi- 

 and feed in the low swampy grounds nary and unaccountable way, as they 

 surrounding our lakes. The hunters sometimes do, so as to become ex- 

 imagine that the Owls destroy the game tremely mischievous, Owls, particularly 

 birds in the early dawn and in the even- of this species, flock to devour them." 

 ing and, for this reason, almost invari- Several cases of this kind are mentioned, 

 ably shoot them. It is probable, how- and the writer adds: "In all these cases 

 ever, that the Owls feed only upon the Owls are mentioned as thronging to the 

 dead and wounded birds left by the spot and rendering the greatest service 

 hunters themselves. I once had an ex- in extirpating the pests." Similar in- 

 perience which well illustrates the feel- cidents have been reported from our 

 ing of hunters against these birds. One own and other countries. 

 April, while hunting with a companion It is true that to a very limited ex- 

 in the marshes bordering the Kankakee tent these Owls feed upon birds. Dr. 

 River, w^e found five pairs of the Short- Fisher gives the following as the result 

 eared Owls nesting within a radius of of the examination of one hundred and 

 two square miles. These nests were one stomachs. Eleven contained the re- 

 placed on the tops of the small hillocks mains of small birds; seventy-seven, 

 in the swampy ground and were simply mice; seven, other mammals; seven, in- 

 depressions in the dead grass with little sects, and fourteen were empty. A very 

 or no covering. On returning to the exceptional incident is told by Mr. Wil- 

 clubhouse, we exhibited a set of eggs Ham Brewster and quoted by Dr. 

 which we had taken. I then discovered Fisher : "A small colony of these birds 

 that some of the other hunters had dis- had established itself upon a certain ele- 

 covered nests of the same description vated part of the island (Muskegat), 

 and had destroyed the birds and the spending the day in a track of densely 

 eggs. They laughed at me, when I ex- matted grass. Scattered about in this 

 pressed indignation, saying that they retreat were the remains of at least a 

 had protected the game birds by de- hundred terns, that they had killed and 

 stroying the nests. eaten." The Owls seemingly paid but 



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