AVES— OWL. 471 



once more supplies them with a better plan of the country But it too often 

 happens, that, with all their precaution to conceal themselves, they are spied 

 out by the other birds of the place, and are sure to receive no mercy. The 

 blackbird, the thrush, the jay, the bunting, and the redbreast, all come in 

 file, and employ their little arts of insult and abuse. The smallest, the 

 feeblest, and the most contemptible of this unfortunate bird's enemies, are 

 then the foremost to injure and torment him. They increase their cries and 

 turbulence round him, flap him with their wings, and are ready to show their 

 courage to be great, as they are sensible that their danger is but small. 

 The unfortunate owl, not knowing where to attack, or whither to fly,' 

 patiently sits and suffers all their insults. Astonished and dizzy, he only 

 replies to their mockeries by awkward and ridiculous gestures, by turning 

 his head, and rolling his eyes with an air of stupidity. It is enough that an 

 owl appears by day to set the whole grove into a kind of an uproar. Either 

 the aversion all the small birds have to this animal, or the consciousness of 

 their own security, makes them pursue him without ceasing, while they 

 encourage each other by their mutual cries to lend assistance in their lauda- 

 ble undertaking. 



It sometimes happens, however, that the little birds pursue their insults 

 with the same imprudent zeal with which the owl himself had pursued his 

 depredations. They hunt him the whole day until evening returns ; which 

 restoring him his faculties of sight once more, he makes the foremost of his 

 pursuers pay dear for their former sport ; nor is man always an unconcerned 

 spectator here. The bird catchers have got an art of counterfeiting the cry 

 of an owl exactly ; and, having before limed the branches of a hedge, they 

 sit unseen, and give the call. At this, all the little birds flock to the place 

 where they expect to find their well known enemy ; but, instead of finding 

 their stupid antagonist, they are stuck fast to the hedge themselves. This 

 sport must be put in practice an hour before nightfall, in order to be success- 

 ful; for if it is put off till later, those birds which but a few minutes sooner 

 came to provoke their enemy, will then fly from him with as much terror as 

 they just before showed insolence. 



It is not unpleasant to see one stupid bird made in some sort a decoy to 

 deceive another. The great horned owl is sometimes made use of for this 

 purpose, to lure the kite, when the falconer desires to catch him for the 

 purpose of training the falcon. Upon this occasion, they clap the tail of a 

 fox to the great owl, to render his figure extraordinary; in which trim he 

 sails slowly along, flying low, which is his usual manner. The kite, either 

 curious to observe this odd- kind of animal, or perhaps inquisitive to see 

 whether it may not be proper for food, flies after, and comes nearer and 

 nearer. In this manner he continues to hover, and sometimes to descend, 

 till the falconer, setting a strong winged hawk against him, seizes him fir : 

 the purpose of training his young ones at home. 



