558 REPTILES AND BIRDS. 
were searching for him very naturally omitted to explore the bushes in 
which he was concealed, thinking that it was impossible that a covert 
should at the same time shelter both an owl and a man. ‘Thus, 
thanks to the intervention of the bird, Gengis Khan was saved from 
his pursuers. In memory of this event the Chinese were in the habit 
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Fig. 258.—The Hawk or Canada Owl. 
of wearing on their heads an owl’s feather. Certain tribes of the 
Calmucs have an idol representing an owl. 
The Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula, Fig. 258), well known in North 
America, -especially in Canada, appears casually in the north of 
Europe, and is common in Siberia. Its plumage is of a greyish- 
brown colour. It feeds on hares, rabbits, rats, mice, reptiles, and 
birds ; it is about fifteen inches high. Audubon often had an op- 
portunity of studying its peculiarities. 
