Locality. 
Nest, &c. 
52 RAPACES. STRIX. Earep Ow is. 
x Long-eared Owl.—Strix Otus, Linn. 
PLATE 20. 
Strix Otus, Linn. Syst. 1. p. 132. 4.—Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 288. sp. 4.—Lath. 
Ind. Ornith. vy. 1. p. 53. 7.—Raii, Syn. p. 25. a. 2.— Will. p. 64. t. 12. 
Le Moyen Duc, ou Hibou, Buff: Ois. v. 1. p. 342.—Zd. Pl. Enl. 29. 
Hibou Moyen Duc, Temm. Man. d’Ornith. v. 1. p. 102. 
Mittler Ohreule, Bechst. Naturg. Deut. v. 2. p. 896.—Meyer, Tasschenb. 
Deut. v. 1. p. 93.—Frisch. Vog. 29. 
Hoorn Uil, Sepp. Nederl. Vég. p. 303. 
Long-eared Owl, Penn. Br. Zool. 1. No. 65. t. 30.—Arct. Zool. 2. No. 115. 
—Lath. Syn. v. |. p. 121.—Id. Supp. p. 42.—Lewin’s Br. Birds, 1. t. 24. 
—Mont. Ornith. Dict.—Id. Supp.— Wale. Syn. t. 23.— Will. (Ang.) p. 99. 
t. 12.—Bewick’s Br. Birds, v. 1. P. I. 46. 
Italian-eared Owl, Lath. Syn. 1. p. 122. 
The excellent mixture of colours in this bird, and the im- 
posing appearance of itslong tufts or ears, render it one of, 
the most interesting of its genus. ‘Though not so numerous 
as the Barn (S. flammea), or the Tawny Owl (S. stridula) 
it is found in most of the wooded districts of England and 
Scotland. Plantations of fir, particularly of the spruce kind, 
are its favourite haunts, as in these it finds a secure and shel- 
tered retreat during the day. It also frequently inhabits 
thick holly or ivy bushes, whose evergreen foliage ensures a 
similar retirement. It is an indigenous species, and breeds 
early in spring ; not making any nest of its own, but taking 
possession of that of a magpie or crow.—The eggs are gene- 
rally four or five in number, white, and rather larger and 
rounder than those of the Ring-Dove. When first excluded, 
the young birds are covered with a fine and closely set white 
down ; they remain in the nest for more than a month before 
they are able to fly. If disturbed and handled, they hiss 
violently, strike with their talons, and, at the same time, make 
a snapping noise with their bills. When they quit the nest, 
they take up their abode in some adjoining tree, and, for 
many subsequent days, may be heard, after sunset, uttering 
a plaintive but loud call for food; during which time the 
parent birds may be seen diligently employed in hawking for 
prey. 
