not reach beyond the roots of the nails, where two or three scales are exposed. The middle
nail is the longest, the first nearly equals it; both are grooved beneath, and the former has a
sharp inner edge. The hind and outer nails are rounded beneath : none of them are much
curved.
D im en s io n s
Of the male.
Length from the ti.p of the bti ll to the endIn ches. Lines. Lengt-h- of the bill from the an\ glre o-f the mouthInches. Lines. of the tail . . . . . 17 0 in a straight line . 1 3 ,, of the tail 6 6 -' ^ of the tarsus . ’ . 1 7 „ of the longest quill feather . . 11 0 „ of the middle toe - . 1 ,, of the bill on the ridge 1 3 „ of the middle nail . 0 9.
The female, which was killed in company with the above, was scarcely of larger
dimensions, and differed only slightly in the parts tinged with yellowish-brown,
having a more intense colour. The facial circle was rather browner. Another
female, killed six weeks earlier in the season, was precisely similar.
The setaceous feathers at the base of the bill are represented as very few in this cut of the head of the Long eared Owf,
in order to exhibit the cere and nostrils, and a correct outline of the bill.
[19.] 2. Strix brachyota. (Latham.) Short-eared Owl.
Genu s. Strix. L in n . Sub-genui. Asio. A n t iq ..
Strix brachyotos. F o r s t e r . Phil. Trans., lxii., p, 384, No. 2. __ „
- Short-eared Owl. L a t h . Syn., i., p. 124, sp. 9. Push. Arct. Zool., u , p. 229, sp. 116.
Wilson, iv., p. 64, pi. 33, f. 3. Male.
Strix brachyotos. T em m , i., p. 93. Se l b y . Brit. Orn., 8vo., p. 54. B o na p. Syn.,
p. 37, No. 29.
Tho-thos-cau-sew. Cr e e I n d ia n s . (Hutchins.)
This Owl is common to both continents, and is very generally diffused in the
temperate and colder regions. It is a summer visitor to the fur-countries, arriving
as soon as the snow disappears, and departing again in September. We observed
it as far north as latitude 67°; and a female, killed at Fort Franklin on the 20th
of May, contained several pretty large eggs nearly ready for exclusion. It is found
in the winter as far south as Pennsylvania; in summer is by no means rare in the
fur-countries, and, as it hunts frequently for its prey in the daytime, is often seen.
Its principal haunts are dense thickets of young pine-trees, or dark and entangled
willow clumps, where it sits on a low branch, watching assiduously for mice. When
disturbed, it flies low for a short distance, and then hides itself in the heart of a
bush, from whence it is not easily driven. Its nest, formed of withered grass and
moss', is placed on a dry spot of ground; and, according to Mr. Hutchins, it lays
ten or twelve small, round, white eggs. This is a very unusual number for a bird
of prey to lay; but a fact, mentioned by Bewick, that twenty-eight individuals of
this species have been counted together in a turnip-field, seems to be equally extraordinary.
Perhaps it migrates partially in Europe as well as in America, and
assembles in flocks previous to leaving its breeding-places. R.
If we are to consider, with M. Savigny, the S. flammea as the type of this
family, we observe in the present species a much closer approximation to that form
than to the typical Horned Owls. This is exhibited in the prolongation and slight
curvature of the bill, in the size and direction of the nasal aperture, and in the
more lengthened tarsi, but much more in the full facial disk, and the very great
size of the operculated ears. The toes are but thinly feathered; and these feathers,
assuming more the appearance of hairs, do not cover the base of the claws. The
wings are ample, and extend to the end of the tail. The first quill is nearly as
long as the third, and this alone is deeply emarginate on its inner web close to
L 2