or Jay ; the only Northamptonshire nest of Long-eared
Owl that I have examined appeared to me to consist of
the cup of the old nest of a Magpie with a broad fringe
or border of fir-twigs, apparently added by the Owls
themselves. In the north of Ireland and in Norfolk the
many nests occupied by this species that I have found
appeared to me to be those of Wood-Pigeons, but I think
that in almost every instance the Owls had added to the
original structure. I have several times come upon a
family of this species sitting close to each other in a row
on the same bough of an old Scotch fir, and apparently
as regardless of my presence at the foot of the tree as I
was delighted at the opportunity of making their acquaintance
under natural conditions. The attitudes and
expressions of a group of these birds when not alarmed
are inexpressibly comical.
A considerable number of Long-eared Owls cross the
North Sea to our eastern coasts annually in November
and December; I was assured by my friend the late
Mr. G. E. Hunt that on one occasion in a large wood
not far from the coast of Suffolk, when he was sent
forward to deal with rocketting pheasants, some sixty
or seventy at least of these Owls crossed the little valley
in which he stood. This Owl does not, so far as I am
aware, frequent buildings or hollow trees, but is fond of
dense masses of ivy, and was often found in the almost
impenetrable thickets of blackthorn which are, or perhaps
I should say were, so characteristic of the forest-district
of Northamptonshire. The cry of the Long-eared Owl
at pairing-time is a prolonged and most disagreeable
scream, at other seasons the only note that I have heard
uttered by this species may best be described as a short
yelp. In the island of Corfu we found this Owl tolerably
common, and generally frequenting the thickest covert
of arbutus, myrtle, and other evergreen shrubs; I once
disturbed one from a thick orange-tree. In captivity
these birds become extremely tame and are most interesting
pets, but do not thrive so well as several other
species of the family, although I have succeeded occasionally
in keeping one of them alive for three or four
years. The Long-eared Owl is generally distributed in
suitable localities throughout Europe.