THE SHORT-EARED OWL. 85 



markings (but not fine freckling as in Long -eared Owl), outer scapu- 

 lars with large part of outer webs paler and often whitish ; rump and 

 upper tail-coverts more uniform buff, feathers with dusky-brown 

 subterminal marks ; "horns " much shorter than in Long -eared Owl, 

 closer together and more in centre of fore-part of crown ; feathers 

 surrounding facial disk and forming " ruff " short and curled, 

 and only tips showing buff and white appearing thickly spotted 

 dark brown ; anterior half of facial disk buffish -white, feathers 

 tipped black, posterior half tawny to buff, feathers with black shafts, 

 immediately round eye a circle of black (facial disk complete but 

 above eye feathers do not radiate directly from orbit, the anterior 

 whitish portion overlapping the dark posterior portion) ; chin 

 buffish -white ; throat and upper-breast tawny to buff broadly 

 streaked dark brown ; rest of breast, belly and flanks paler (often 

 creamy -white) and with much narrower streaks ; centre of belly, 

 tibia, tarsus and toes and under tail-coverts uniform buff to creamy- 

 white with usually some very fine, faint brown shaft-streaks on 

 feathers of tibia and longer under tail-coverts ; axillaries and 

 under wing-coverts buff to pale buff (creamy -white on edge of wing) 

 with a few narrow, dark brown streaks, those covering outer 

 primaries with large dark brown tips forming a dark patch as in 

 Long-eared Owl ; tail : tawny -buff to buff with dark brown shafts 

 and black-brown cross-bars, on central feathers wide, and buff 

 portions with broken spots or frecklings of black-brown, especially 

 on distal half, outer feathers paler with narrower bars, outermost 

 pair often creamy -white with very narrow bars, which are often 

 absent on outer web and basal part of feathers ; primaries tawny- 

 buff becoming pale buff to creamy -white on inner portion of inner 

 webs, outer feathers with long black-brown tips and a few broad 

 black-brown bars on distal half, inner feathers with greyish tips 

 and more closely barred black-brown on outer webs and outer 

 portion of inner webs ; secondaries as inner primaries but with 

 their inner webs paler (usually creamy -white), and either unbarred 

 or with much narrower bars, innermost secondaries like scapulars ; 

 primary -coverts black-brown with a few broken bars of tawny-buff ; 

 greater coverts broadly barred black-brown and tawny -buff to 

 pale buff ; median coverts same but with large pale subterminal 

 spots on outer webs, varying in number and conspicuousness, but 

 sometimes creamy -white and very marked ; lesser coverts mostly 

 black-brown edged tawny-buff. This plumage is acquired by 

 complete moult Aug. -Nov. Summer. — A moult of body-feathers 

 takes place Jan. -Mar., and this is much more regular and appar- 

 ently more complete than in Long-eared Owl (one example was 

 also moulting two central tail-feathers but this may have been 

 accidental). Plumage as winter, and not very noticeable change 

 by abrasion, but when very worn becomes rather pale. N.B. — 

 Although there is considerable individual variation males tend to 

 be paler than females. 



