84 . A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



Heron, Crow, Rook, etc., and also, but less frequently, on ground 

 at foot of a tree or in heather in open country. Eggs. — Normally 

 4 or 5, sometimes only 3, while sets of 6 and 7 are occasionally 

 met with. Colour white, fine grained, but without high gloss 

 of Wood-Pigeon's egg. 100 eggs average 40.3 X 32.2. Max.: 

 44.7 X 30.2 and 42.3 X 34.4. Min. : 36 x 30.6 and 44 X 30 mm. 

 Breeding -season. — Usually latter half March and first half April ; 

 exceptionally early March. Incubation. — Begins with first egg ; 

 these are laid at intervals of 2 days ; period variously estimated at 

 25 to 30 days. Single brooded. Fledging -period. — 24-25 days. 



Food. — Small mammals, birds and beetles form main food. 

 Mammals include mice, rats, field and bank vole, mole, water-rat 

 and shrews. Birds (Jay, various Finches (Chaffinch, Sparrow, 

 Brambling, etc.), Yellow Bunting, Song -Thrush, Blackbird, Sky- 

 Lark, Swallow and Goldcrest recorded). Also beetles (Geotrupes, 

 Necrophorus, Pterostichus , etc.) Only one instance of a young 

 game-bird being taken. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Resident. Generally distributed in 

 wooded localities, but rather local. To O. Hebrides and Shetlands 

 uncommon migrant, but has bred Orkneys. On east coast Great 

 Britain and northern isles noted in limited numbers as migrant 

 in late autumn (second week Oct. to mid-Nov.) and occasionally 

 in May. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Europe and north Asia, also north-west 

 Africa and Azores, casual Iceland and. Faeroes, Corsica and Cyprus. 

 Replaced by allied races on some Canary Islands and in North 

 America. 



ASIO FLAMMEUS* 



237. Asio flammeus flammeus (Pontoppidan) — THE SHORT- 

 EARED OWL. 



Strix Flammea Pontoppidan, Danske Atlas, 1, p. 617, pi. xxv (1763 — 



Denmark). 



Asio brachyotus MacGillivray, Hist. Brit. B., in, p. 461. 



Asio accipitrinus (Pallas), Yarrell, 1, p. 163 ; Saunders, p. 295. 



Description (Plates 1 and 2). — Adult male and female. Winter. — 

 Whole upper-parts varying rich tawny-buff to palish buff widely 

 streaked black-brown ; feathers of lower mantle and scapulars with 

 black-brown extending from central streaks in irregular bars and 



* Pontoppidan clearly figured the Short-eared Owl and named it Strix 

 flammea in 1763. Afterwards Linnaeus, in 1766, published a very short 

 description of an Owl, which he also called Strix flammea. This latter was 

 partly based on a picture by Rudbeck, which represents the Short-eared Owl, 

 partly on descriptions of the Barn-Owl. Evidently Linnseus did not know 

 these Owls himself. — E.H. 



