SHORT-EARED OWL.— EAGLE-OWL. 31 



all three of which it had no doubt captured on the ground. 

 I think this species is entirely terrestrial, as I have never 

 seen, or heard of, its settling in trees. It nests also on the 

 ground, but I have never known it to breed in Sussex. I 

 have once only found a nest of this species myself, and as 

 it was not in Sussex, I should not have alluded to it had it 

 not been for the marvellous ferocity of its owner. Were it 

 sitting hard I could have excused it, but, as it had only one 

 egg, I considered its assault upon me perfectly unjustifiable. 

 The nest was in a rabbit-burrow, and I saw the bird fly out. 

 I was kneeling down, when it deliberately knocked my cap 

 oflF ; I took the one egg, which is still in my collection ; the 

 bird made repeated attacks on me, and though I could easily 

 have killed it with my stick, not wishing to do so, I was by 

 ■no means sorry when I found inyself out of its way. This 

 was in Quy Fen, near Cambridge, in 1838 or thereabouts. 



In this county the Short-eared Owl is a regular autumnal 

 immigrant, never being found in the summer ; its appearance 

 about the same time as the Woodcock (seldom before the 

 first of October) has given to this bird the name of the 

 "Woodcock Owl." 



EAGLE-OWL. 



Bubo ignavus. 



The earliest notice of the occurrence of this bird in Sussex 

 appears to be that of Latham, who, writing in 1787, observes 

 (G-en. Syn. of Birds, Supplement, p. 40) that this Owl is 

 " now and then seen with us, one being shot by the game- 

 keeper of the Rev. Mr. Hare, at Hurstmonceux, in the year 

 1784 ; " and from him Montagu, so far as Sussex is con- 

 cerned, probably got his information when he says in his 



