Short-eared Owl 
229 
SHORT-EARED OWL 
Called also: Marsh Owl; Meadow Owl 
This owl, and its long-eared cousin, wear the 
tufts of feathers in their ears that resemble harm- 
less horns. Unlike its relatives, the short- 
eared owl does some hunting by daylight, 
especially in cloudy weather, and like the 
marsh hawk it prefers to live in grassy, marshy 
places frequented by meadow mice. On the 
other hand, the long-eared owl respects family 
traditions, and goes about only after dark. 
“ It usually spends the day in some evergreen 
woods, thick willow copse or alder swamp, 
although rarely it may be found in open places,” 
says Dr. Fisher. “ The bird is not wild and will 
allow itself to be closely approached. When 
conscious that its presence is recognised, it sits 
upright, draws the feathers close to its body, 
and erects the ear-tufts, resembling in ap- 
pearance a piece of weather-beaten bark more 
than a bird.” The long and the short of it is, 
that few people, except professional bird stu- 
dents, know very much about these or any other 
owls, for few find them by day or forsake their 
couches when they are abroad. We may take 
Dr. Johnson's advice and “ give our days and 
nights to the study of Addison,” but few of us 
give even a part of our days and less of our nights 
to the study of the birds about us. 
