AMERICAN BAKN OWL. 228 



in Ciuiiulii. Ill M;iy, iSSi', ;i s|K'ciiiu'n was killed li\ vmiiii; Mi'. 

 Keid, i;;vr(leiier, Ytirk Street, Hamilton, and in the tall of the same 

 year another was found in an ennitv outhouse near the canal leadin<f 

 to Dundas. On calling- the attention of Dr. Garnier, of Lucknow, to 

 these facts, he mentioned having; seen one several years before, near 

 where he lives, and from Mr. C. J. liampton comes a report of his 

 having seen two individuals near Sault 8te. Marie. Compared witli 

 the British Barn Owl, the American species is a little larger, but by 

 many they are regarded as identical. The British bird is noted for 

 its partiality to ruinous church tow(!rs and othei' lonely places. 

 Strange to say, Mr. Reid's sjiecimen was killed in the cemetery, 

 while one of those seen by Mr. Bampton was jtei'ched on the cross on 

 tlie sj)ire of the Catholic cluiicli. 



The Barn. Owl has a sharp, in([uisiti\e visage, and is said to l)e an 

 expert mouser. In Ontario it can only l)e regarded as an accidental 

 \isitoi- from the south. 



No recent instance of the occurrence of this species in Ontario has 

 come to my knowledge. We are farther to the north than its usual 

 habitat. In the south, it is quite common across the continent, from 

 the Atlantic to the Pacific coast, its centre of abundance being, appar- 

 ently, in southern California. Its food consists almost entirely of 

 rats, mice, gophers, and other destructive little mammals, which leads 

 one to expect that it would be placed in Class a, as entirely bene- 

 ficial, liut foi- some reason, not apparent, it is included in Class h, 

 among those whose good work is greater than the reverse. This 

 rank entitles our friend to exemption from the persecution which is 

 accorded to all our birds of prey, a practice we hope to see entirely 

 changed in the near future. This is the bird we find so often alluded 

 to in the superstitions of the old land poets and historians, ancient 

 and modern, all associating his name with evil. 



Shakespeare fretiuently refers to the Owl as a bird of evil repute. 

 For instance, in speaking f)f the omens which preceded the death of 

 Caesar, Casca says : 



"And yesterday, the lurd of iiiglit did .sit 

 Even at noonday upon the iiiarket-phxce, 

 Hooting and shrieking."' 



In Burns' account of that memorable michiiglit ride, when Thomas 

 Oraham, of the farm of Shanter, was privileged to get a glimpse of 

 the proceedings of a social science meeting of the moving spirits of 

 the»tirae, the farmer's progress homeward is thus described : 

 " Kirk Allowa was (h-awin" nigh, 

 Whaur gliaists and hoolets nichtly ciy." 



