THE LITTLE OWL 41 



position is changed, and years of teaching will 

 be thrown to the winds, as it will be hard indeed 

 to persuade the average thick-headed keeper that 

 he was not right all along, and that every owl of 

 every sort ought to be shot at sight and nailed 

 to the pole. So much for benevolent intentions 

 of increasing the variety of a country's fauna. 

 Nearly always it is best not to interfere with 

 Nature's order, and the rabbit pest in Australia, 

 and the sparrows in America, are already known 

 to most as illustrations of this fact. 



The Little Owl makes a quaint pet, and 

 thrives well in confinement ; its antics and poses 

 are really droll, and the big eyes look at you with 

 a seeming deep intelligence. This is the owl, by 

 the way, that, by the ancient Greeks, was made 

 sacred to Pallas Athene and used as a symbol of 

 wisdom ; furthermore, it was engraved on many of 

 their coins. 



In Egypt it is everywhere — in town and 

 country, in ruined temples, dismal tombs, and 

 gardens bright with flowers and sunshine. I have 

 seen it sitting on the upright poles of shadoofs, 

 and on the tops of high stalks of growing maize, 

 and once I saw it, in broad daylight, on the back of 

 a recumbent buffalo. 



6 



