Short-eared Owl. 
It is surprising that at this late day we 
should know so little of this owl as we do. 
We have examined the works of the older 
authorities and find but little information, 
Audubon throwing the most light on the 
subject. Everywhere we find indefinite 
quotations from unsatisfactory sources, 
and much too often the expressions of 
“ said to be,” “ supposed to be” and 
“thought to be,” which is, to say the 
least, very unsatisfactory. 
Richardson, in Fauna JBoreali Ameri- 
cana . , (1831), states : 
“ We observed it as far north as latitude sixty-seven de- 
grees ; and a female, killed at Fort Franklin, on the 20th of 
May, contained several pretty large eggs nearly ready for 
exclusion “according to Mr. Hutchins it lays ten or 
twelve white eggs.” 
Wilson knew nothing of the breeding 
habits of this bird, believing it to be simp- 
ly a winter visitant to the United States, 
and breeding in the far north. He says: 
“ In the United States it is also a bird of passage, coming 
to us from the north in November, and departing in April.” 
“ The bird represented in the plate was shot in New 
Jersey, a few miles below Philadelphia, in a thicket of 
pines.” “It flies frequently by day, and particularly in 
dark, cloudy weather ; takes short flights, and, when sitting 
and looking sharply around, erects the two slight feathers 
that constitute its horns, which are at such times very no- 
ticeable; but, otherwise not perceivable. No person on 
slightly examining this bird after being shot, would suspect 
it to be furnished with horns ; nor are they discovered but 
by careful search, or previous observation, on the living 
bird.” 
Nuttall in his last edition simply gives a 
rehash of Wilson, Richardson and Be- 
wick and says : 
“ We have observed it at Atovi, one of the Sandwich Is- 
lands in the Pacific, as well as in the Territory of Oregon.” 
This edition was published after Nutt- 
all’s journey across the continent to the 
Columbia river and return home via. Sand- 
wich Islands and Cape Horn back to Bos- 
ton, and yet Townsend, who was Nuttall’s 
companion, shot specimens on the Colum- 
bia river and afterwards gave them to Au- 
dubon. From the correspondence and 
material in our possession referring to this 
expedition we are inclined to the belief 
that Townsend did not allow Nuttall to 
know the extent of the ornithological 
knowledge gained by him on this trip, or 
the number of birds shot, as he fully in- 
tended to publish a work on North Ameri- 
can Birds, and did get out one number in 
1839, but surrendered to Audubon when 
he commenced his seven vol. octavo edi- 
tion. 
Audubon besides quoting- previous au- 
thors, gives us considerable original infor- 
mation from his own observations. He 
also gives an excellent portrait of the bird. 
We quote from him. Vol. I, page 141 : 
“ The only nest of this bird that I have found was placed 
on one of the high mountain ridges of the great pine for- 
est. [Pa.] It contained four eggs, nearly ready to be 
hatched. They were of a dull bluish white, covered with 
excrement, of a somewhat elongated or eliptical form, 
measuring an inch and a half in length, and an inch and an 
eighth in breadth. The nest which I met with on the 17th 
of June, was placed under a low bush and covered over by 
tall grass, through which a path had been made by the bird. 
It was formed of dry grass, raked together in a slovenly 
manner, and quite flat, but covering a large space, on one 
side of which was found many pellets, and two field mice, 
which must have been brought there in course of the pre- 
ceding night, as they were quite fresh. I should never have 
discovered the nest had not the sitting bird made a noise by 
clicking its bill as I was passing close by. The poor thing 
was so intent on her task that I almost put my hand on her 
before she moved; and then, instead of flying off, she 
hopped with great leaps until about ten rods from me, keep- 
ing up a constant clinking of her mandibles. Having sat- 
isfied myself as to the species, made an outline of two of 
the eggs, and measured them, I proceeded slowly to a short 
distance and watched her movements. Having remained 
silent and still for about ten minutes, I saw her hop toward 
the nest, and soon felt assured that she had resumed her 
task. It was my intention to revisit the spot and take note 
of the growth of the young, but letters which came to me 
from Philadelphia a few days after, induced me to return 
thither; and since then I have had no opportunity of ex- 
amining either the eggs or the young of the Short-eared 
Owl.” 
Dr. Corses adds but little that is new to 
the above. He says : 
“ I procured one specimen at Fort Randall in the winter 
of 1872-78”’ 
He further says : 
“ It is decidedly the commonest owl about Washington, 
D. C., especially in Winter.” “On one occasion I ob- 
served a gathering of twenty or thirty individuals on the 
Colorado river, below Fort Mojave ;” “The birds were 
sitting quite closely together in the rank herbage bordering 
the river ; some flopped hurriedly off as the steamboat 
came abreast of them, while others stood to their perches 
as we passed.” 
In the Bull, of the Nutt. Orn. Club, Vol. 
IV, page 223, W. E. D. Scott, writing from 
Long Beach, N. J., says : 
“Rather common; resident; breeds. Took a nest and 
seven partly incubated eggs, June 28, 1878. 
The following, which is decidedly the 
most interesting information so far placed 
on record, was furnished by Mr. H. A. 
Kline at our request, after purchasing from 
him a set of eight eggs. Mr. Kline makes 
no vague statements, but gives us interest- 
ing facts as he observed them, and in a 
straightforward manner : 
“ My first acquaintance with this bird was in the Spring 
of 1880, while on a ducking expedition in the Winnebago 
swamps of Illinois. As I was tramping through the dry 
grass along the edge of a marsh, and on the look-out for 
more edible game, a pair of these birds was flushed from 
the tall grass, I succeeded in winging one with the right 
barrel, and after sending 1% oz. of No. 5 shot after the 
other in vain, I proceeded to examine my prize, which 
proved to be a male in fine plumage. I afterward learned 
of several being killed in the same locality. I found these 
birds very common in Johnson and Gage counties, Nebras- 
ka. On one occasion while out shooting prairie chickens 
in the winter of ’81-82 I noticed one of these birds rise 
from the grass about fifty yards in front of me. A load of 
shot soon brought it to the ground, when at the report of 
the gun four others raised from the grass, all of which 
were within fifty yards of me, but they were all very shy 
and kept well out of range. They seemed very loth to 
leave the place, as I found them in the same locality every ! 
day for a fortnight. They were very wild, but I succeeded 
in taking two more good specimens. The site where these 
birds were killed was along an old ravine, which was cov- \ 
ered with a heavy growth of prairie grass. I could notice j 
no variation in the markings of any of these birds. I did 
not disturb the birds at that place after securing the three, j 
as I thought they would breed there, and I often noticed j 
four or five of them flying about after sundown in search j 
of mice, etc. They appeared to be common anywhere on 
the prairies, although I always met with best success along 
the ravines. On the 17th of May I took my dog (a pointer) 
and went to the same place where I got my specimens, to 
look for their nest, which I found without much trouble. 
The dog was ranging a short distance in front of me when 
he was suddenly attacked by one of the Owls. It was soon 
joined by the other (the male) and together they succeeded 
in driving him from the field. They would swoop from the 
right and left and strike him on the back with their wings. 
Not being used to such treatment by any members of the 
feathered tribe he beat a hasty retreat, followed by both 
birds. After chasing him some distance they returned to 
me and manifested great displeasure by swooping very 
close to me and snapping their bills as many Owls do when 
angry. I soon came upon the nest, which was placed upon 
the ground, and contained eight white eggs. They were of 
an oblong oval shape, and the shell closely resembled that 
of the Long-eared Owl. 'Though the eggs are not near as 
round as the Long-eared Owl’s, being much less through the 
lesser axis. The nest consisted of a mass of dry prairie 
grass placed on the ground, and was hollowed out two 
inches deep. The interior was lined with fine grass, and 
the whole displayed a good bit of skill in nest making for 
an owl. The eggs of this nest are now in the possession of 
Jos. M. Wade, Boston, Mass. The same week I found two 
more nests, both of which were destroyed by fire before 
the set of eggs was completed. One of these nests was on 
a high knoll, and the other in a ravine. A gentleman who 
had been watching these birds for several years told me he 
found a nest in 1880 which contained six young birds and 
one egg. The young varied much in size and must have 
been hatched at different times. The eggs of the first set I 
found showed the same variation in the size of the embryos. 
I don’t think these birds ever prey upon anything but small 
animals, and I have never found them in the vicinity of 
timber. I have tried trapping them by placing a steel trap 
on the top of a pole, but never succeeded in catching a 
bird.” 
The following received from G-. A. Mc- 
Calliim, Dunville, Out., is also a valuable 
addition to the life history of this bird : 
A flock of Short-eared owls, that is if six may be called a 
flock, have taken up their residence in the outskirts of our 
town this winter (1882-3), and as many as four have been 
seen together flitting about the fields as if in play, dipping 
down to the ground, then soaring up again, chasing one 
another, etc. Is this conduct not odd ? I have secured two 
of them, and hope to hag the rest, although they are very 
wary. A friend of mine while shooting in the marsh last 
fall had just shot a snipe when one of this genus darted at 
the falling bird and had secured it, when the other barrel 
Something abont Owls, 
0, 0. Ormsbee, Montpelier, Vt. 
Of the Short-eared Owl, distributed over 
jthe entire country, one hundred and one 
stomachs were examined. Eleven contained 
j small birds, one contained part of a Rabbit 
jand seventy-seven contained Mice. 
O.Ss O. Vol. 18, Oct. 1893 p.138 
