MOTTLED OWL; SCKEECH-OWL. 



SCOPS ASIO. 



THE little screech-owl is perhaps the best musical 

 representative of the owls. Indeed, in point of 

 individuality of style, this artist stands alone, and must 

 be ranked as a singer. To be sure, he has nothing of the 

 spontaneous joy of the robin, of the frolic flow of the 

 bobolink, nothing of the clear, clean vigor of the oriole ; 

 but he surpasses them all in tender, dulcet sentiment. 

 Never attempting a boisterous strain, his utterances are 

 pensive and subdued, often like a faint cry of despair. 

 Chary of his powers, the screech-owl cuts his programme 

 tormentingly short ; and it is only after many trials that 

 one is able to collect the disjointed strains that make his 

 medley entire. Just at dark, some pleasant evening, you 

 will hear his low, faint tremors. At first they may be 

 heard perhaps every other minute, then the interim grad- 

 ually lengthens, until by nine o'clock his pauses become 

 intolerably long. The tremors or trills are given with a 

 swell, the crescendo being longer than the diminuendo. 



Ores 



do. Dim 



u - endo. 



Ah 



