250 
OUR HOME BIRDS. 
dently mistaken the object on which it perched for 
something else. 
“ Another owl, which conies to us from the North 
in November and leaves us again in April, is the 
short-eared owl, which is said to be a particularly 
good mouser. For this reason it is called in some 
places the mouse-hawk. It does not fly, like other 
owls, in search of prey, but sits quietly on the stump 
of a tree, just like a cat, watching for mice. It 
flies frequently by day, and in dark, cloudy weather 
takes short flights. When sitting and looking sharp- 
ly around for mice it erects the two slight feathers 
that take the place of horns, which are then very 
conspicuous, but at other times would not be noticed. 
This owl is fifteen inches long, the upper part dark 
brown, each feather deeply bordered with light yel- 
lowish-brown ; the tail is longer than in other birds 
of this kind, and has alternate bands of dark brown 
and ochre-yellow. The breast and lower parts are 
yellowish, with streaks of dark brown that have the 
effect of the black tufts in ermine. Altogether, quite 
a pretty bird for an owl. 
“ Then there is the little owl, which is quite com- 
mon with us, but does not ramble much in the day- 
time. This species is only seven and a half inches 
in length, of an olive-brown color, spotted and barred 
with white. It is usually found in the neighborhood 
