STE1GID.E. 59 



bircls^ lizards, and tlie larger insects. Some of the 

 species have been observed to catch fish, which they 

 strike at and seize with their foot : during the night 

 they emit a loud prolonged hoot, and when alarmed 

 hiss at their assailant and make a loud snapping 

 noise with their beak. Their nest is built amid 

 ruins, in rocks, in the hollows or upon the fork of a 

 tall tree — it is composed of sticks piled in consider- 

 able quantities, lined with dry leaves and a few 

 feathers. The members of one genus {Ketupa) be- 

 longing to the continent and archipelago of India, 

 fly well by day, are constantly found on the banks 

 of rivers, and live principally upon fish and crabs. 



The t}^iical species, — 



The Great Eared Owl, or Eagle-Owl {Bubd^ maximus), 

 is an inhabitant of Eiu'ope, where it is tolerably com- 

 mon, but it is only a rare and occasional visitor to the 

 British islands. When full grown, it meas\ires from 

 twenty-four to twenty-eight inches ii] length. The head 

 is ornamented with two large tufts of feathers, which 

 stand up abov^e the eyes like horns. It can endure light 

 better than some of its allies, but the season of its 

 activity is principally during the night. 



" Along the mountainous shores of the Ohio, and 

 amidst the deep forests of Indiana," says Wilson, " this 

 ghostly watchman has frequently warned me of the 

 approach of morning, and amused me with his singular 

 exclamations, sometimes sweeping down and around my 

 fire, uttering a loud and sudden ' Wa\igh ho ! Waugli 

 ho ! ' sufficient to have alarmed a whole garrison. He 

 has other nocturnal solos no less melodious, one of which 

 very strikingly resembles the half-suppressed screams of 

 ft person suffocating or half-throttled, which cannot fail 

 to be exceedingly entertaining to a lonely benighted 

 traveller in the midst of an Indian wilderness." 



When hard pressed, this Owl is said to throw itself 

 upon its back and defend itself vigorously with its claws : 

 it has even been described as contending successfully with 

 the Eagle. 



At all events, it may be considered as one of the 



* Bubo, a long-eared owl. 



