The Tawny Owl. 75 



This bird's cry, or rather hoot, resembles the 

 syllables " whoo-whoo-whooo-oo," the first two being 

 very short, while the next is prolonged and finishes 

 up with a short " oo." It is a very mellow sound ; 

 and, except occasionally, it is not heard to screech. 

 One of its scientific synonyms is Ulula aluco, being 

 derived from the Latin ululare, to cry like a wolf, 

 and this word partially imitates both the cry of the 

 wolf and of this Owl ; Strix aluco is perhaps the 

 more correct name. 



The Tawny Owl is also called the Brown Owl and 

 Wood Owl, the two first titles being descriptive of 

 its tawny brown plumage, the last of its haunts. 

 A thickly-wooded district in England or Wales is 

 almost sure to have its Brown Owls. It is also fairly 

 common in the South of Scotland, but in Ireland it 

 has not yet been found. 



To those who do not care to roam through the 

 woods at night, this bird is, no doubt, little known, 

 for it is not often seen in the daytime. All day it 

 hides in the recesses of the forest, perhaps in the 

 hole of a tree ; or sometimes it may be detected 

 seated on a branch nearly touching an old squirrel's 

 nest, and it then requires a sharp eye to distinguish 

 it from the nest itself. Strong light affects the sight 

 of the Wood Owl exceedingly, rendering it almost 

 blind, and it seems as much at a loss when abroad 



