. The sportsman's British bird book . , THE ROWLAND LOXG-EAKED OWL. 4o6 OWLS carefully and swiftly along the edges of the woods (mobbed at first bysuch small birds as may be still awake) in search of pre\-, which in-cludes field-mice, rats, small birds (which are captured while roosting),and, it is said, squirrels. Although, as already stated, the usual hauntsof the species are fir-woods, in winter small parties of long-eared owlsma\- be seen on the gorse of the South Downs, probably emigrantsfrom north-eastern Europe. The deserted nest of a crow, sparrow-hawk, or other large birdserves as the
. The sportsman's British bird book . , THE ROWLAND LOXG-EAKED OWL. 4o6 OWLS carefully and swiftly along the edges of the woods (mobbed at first bysuch small birds as may be still awake) in search of pre\-, which in-cludes field-mice, rats, small birds (which are captured while roosting),and, it is said, squirrels. Although, as already stated, the usual hauntsof the species are fir-woods, in winter small parties of long-eared owlsma\- be seen on the gorse of the South Downs, probably emigrantsfrom north-eastern Europe. The deserted nest of a crow, sparrow-hawk, or other large birdserves as the long-eared owls nursery ; and in this, after a few repairs. OWI. AT HAV. and alterations have been made, arc laid, as a rule in the latter part ofMarch or during the first few days of April, a clutch of from four tosix eggs, although occasionally as few as three or as many as daj-s elapse between the la}-ing of the different eggs, and asincubation (which is shared by both sexes) takes place forthwith, botheggs and young are in due time found in the nest together. For theincubation of each egg a period of about twenty-four days is eggs are not unlike those of a ring-dov^e, but larger, rounder andless glossy, with a coarser grain to the shell. The ordinary note ofthis owl has been compared to a dogs bark ; but in addition to this,squeaks and a feeble attempt at hooting are characteristic of thespecies.^ The account of the habits of tliis species is abbreviated from an article in the /•»•/(/of 1905. SHORT-EARED OWL 407 Short-eared Owl ^°^ ^^ preceding species the short-eared owl (the(Asio aeeipitrinus)
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Keywords: ., bookauthorlydekkerrichard184919, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900
