THE MOPING OWL 



in their music, and can readily conceive that 

 the moping owl may sing to his mate as 

 passionately as Philomel. 



Not only is there the popular lack of dis- 

 tinction between one owl and another 

 already referred to, but scientific ornitholo- 

 gists have displayed similar want of finality 

 in classifying these birds. There are (as in 

 seals) eared and earless owls, though the 

 so-called " ears " in the birds are not actually 

 ears at all, but tufts of feathers that give 

 rather the impression of horns. There are 

 bare-legged owls and owls with feather 

 stockings. There are owls that fly by day 

 and owls that fly by night, though this is a 

 less satisfactory distinction than that be- 

 tween the diurnal butterflies and nocturnal 

 moths. Any reliable classification of owls 

 must, in short, rest on certain structural 

 bony differences of interest only to the student 

 of anatomy. Nearly all these birds are able 

 to turn the outer toe completely round, and 

 most of them, also, have very keen hearing, 

 which must be an invaluable aid when 

 hunting small animals in the dark. 

 Did the ancients actually regard the owl 

 115 



