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HAWK OWL. 
CANADA OWL. 
Strix funerea, TEMMINCK. 
Sturnia funerea, GOULD. 
Noctua funerea, JENYNS. 
Strir—Some species of Owl. Funerea—Funereal. 
Tue soft plumage of Owls, and the formation of the 
feathers of their wings is, in the opinion of some writers, 
to enable them to steal noiselessly on their prey. ‘This, 
however, I think is at best but a fanciful speculation; as far, 
at least, 1 mean, as regards any peculiar advantage being 
afforded to the Owl, ‘par excellence,’ on this account. No 
birds of prey make such a noise with their wings as by it to 
give their prey timely notice of their approach—the Owl, 
therefore, is not especially privileged in this respect. Q. E. D. 
The Hawk Owl is a connecting link between the Owls and 
the Hawks, possessing many points of similarity to each; the 
long tail and small head of the latter, as well as the habit 
of flying by day; and resembling the former in the ruff and 
the feet; one might almost think it a hybrid between the two. 
This bed is an inhabitant of Germany, France, Denmark, 
Norway, Sweden, Lapland, Russia, and other parts of the 
north of Europe: in some years it appears far more abundantly 
than in others. It is plentiful im all the gh latitudes of 
North America. <A single specimen of this Owl was long 
‘left alone in its glory’ as a British species. One was taken 
at sea in an exhausted state off the Cornish coast, in March, 
1830. It lived afterwards for a few weeks in the care of 
Dr. Birkett, of Waterford, to whom it was given, the vessel 
having been bound to that port. A second, however, has 
been now recorded by E. T. Higgins, Esq., in the ‘Zoologist,’ 
