if  ale  and  Female — Conspicuous  blackish  ear  tufts  bordered  by
white  and  buff;  upper  parts  dusky  brown,  finely  mottled
with  ash  and  dull  orange;  facial  disk  pale  reddish  brown
with  darker  inner  circle  and  yellow  eyes;  under  parts  mixed
white  and  buff,  the  breast  with  long  brown  stripes,  the  sides
and  underneath  irregularly  barred  with  dusky;  dark  broken
bands  on  wings  and  tail;  legs  and  feet  completely  feathered;
bill  and  claws  blackish.
Range — Temperate  North  America;  nesting  throughout  its  range.
Season — Permanent  resident.
A  strictly  nocturnal  prowler,  unlike  its  short-eared  relative
that  hunts  much  by  day,  the  long-eared  owl  keeps  concealed
through  the  hours  of  sunshine  in  the  woods,  the  alder  swamps,
or  high,  dry,  shady  undergrowth,  giving  no  hint  by  sign  or
sound  of  its  hiding  place.  Come  upon  one  suddenly,  and  by
pressing  its  feathers  close  to  its  body,  erecting  its  ear  tufts,  and
sitting  erect,  it  doubtless  hopes  to  be  overlooked  as  a  part  of  the
weather-beaten  tree  on  which  it  is  perching,  since  its  thick,
downy,  mottled  plumage  might  readily  be  mistaken  for  rough
bark;  but  as  it  blinks  its  staring  eyes  knowingly,  it  looks  amus-
ingly like  a  mischievous,  round-faced  joker,  half  bird,  half
human.  It  is  not  easily  frightened  away,  and  is  ever  peaceably
disposed.  To  look  formidable  when  liberties  are  taken  with  it,
it  may  ruffle  up  its  feathers  until  its  circumference  is  doubled ;  but
nothing  happens,  unless  it  be  a  noiseless  gliding  off  among  the
trees  to  another  perch.
