296 EAGLE OWL. 



he will utter a loud hoot or " hoo," snapping at 

 the same time loudly with the bill. " This bird 

 shews a great antipathy to dogs, and will perceive 

 one at a considerable distance ; nor is it possible to 

 distract his attention so long as the animal remains 

 in sight. When first perceived, the feathers are 

 raised, and the wings lowered as when feeding, 

 and the head moved round, following the object 

 while in sight ; if food be thrown, it will be struck 

 with the foot and held, but no farther attention is 

 at this time paid to it." * 



From the characters we have given at the 

 commencement of this description, it will have 

 been seen that this bird is fully entitled to different 

 generic rank from the " eared birds" we have been 

 last describing; but the colours of the plumage, 

 consisting of black and ochraceous, or buff orange, 

 and their irregular distribution, correspond nearly 

 with the birds composing the genus Otus. This 

 is a bird of great power and strength, and during 

 the night, or when roused during the day, exhibits 

 a fierce and active appearance. The disk and 

 ruff are small and incomplete, grayish black, tinted 

 with ochraceous, and margined round the occipital 

 edges with black. The egrets, which are fully 

 two inches long, are deep black, slightly edged 

 with ochraceous yellow on the inner sides. The 



* Wilson's N. A. Ornith. Edit, by Sir W. Jardine, ii. p. 257. 



