674 



OWLGLASS 



OXALIDE.E 



but also o far north aa Caithnem and the Inner 

 Hebrides. Its cry fiuofioo, or tu-\r/nt. In -irhiio at 

 night makes it easily recognised. Although a 

 latdaMrrfau| to be preserved, it is rapidly dc 

 dining in numliers. It range* fniin tin- southern 

 part* of Scandinavia through teni|>eratc Kmnpf, in 

 some parts of which, howexcr. it i- \er\ lcx-.il. to 

 Asia Slinor. Palestine, and llarWry. The Snowy 

 Day-owl, the llnrfinnj of the S- or 



Surnia nyrttn or \yetea *eandiara), is a circiim- 

 polar liinl. breeding chietly within llie Arctic 

 Circle, and common in parts of (Jreenland and 

 Iceland. Its home is on the fjelds of Lapland, 

 the tundra* of Kussia and Siberia, and the prairies 

 of Arctic America, where it feeds on lemmings 

 and other -m:ill rodents, sometimes on ptarmigan 



Fig. 2. Heads of a, Short-eared Owl ; 6, Long-eared 

 Owl ; and c, Snowy OwL 



and willow-grouse, and even on the Arctic 

 hare and on fish. In Shetland, where it has 

 been known to breed, forced from its home by 

 exceptional cold, and in other parts of the British 

 Islands it is found generally in solitary, stony, 

 anil elevated places, preying ehirlly on sandpipers. 

 It is a diurnal bird of large size and vigorous rapid 

 flight, with strong limbs, toes completely feathered, 

 and large talons. Its white plumage, generally 

 marked with dusky brown spots, distinguishes it 

 from every other owl. The Long-eared and Short- 

 eared Owls of Europe, Asia, and America (Asia 

 Ottit and A. arn'i>itrin\u), which are also common 

 British onecies, have the ear peculiarly developed, 

 the opening on one side looking upwards, and on 

 the OtMr down ward*. The Long-eared owl, which 

 frequents wooded localities, is aliout the size of the 

 Barn-owl, and generally carries its horns erect; 

 while the Short-eared, known 

 also ns the Woodcock owl, 

 from the coincidence of its time 

 of appearance, prefers moor* 

 and open country, and carries 

 its horns de-pressed. The speci- 

 alisation of ear structure is 

 carried to its greatest known 

 limit in Tenginalm'x owl 

 (.\l/rfii!n ffimiiltt/iiii), a lale 

 visitor to Britain from the 

 northern regions ; in it tin- 

 bones of the head are .1. velopi-d dillcrcnlly on each 

 ide. The Eagle owl (<|.v., ltii/m iiiiij-iintis), the 

 Little Owl (Atli'iir iit,rti>ii), the Hawk-Owl (.Siiriiid 

 Jinirrnt), and the very small Sco|s owl (,sVi///.v ,/,'} 

 are the onlv other species recorded as found in 

 Britain, and these are all very rare. Of foreign 

 s[M-ei<->< Ix-longing to this family one of tin- most 

 noteworthy is the Ilurrowing Owl (Siic<iti/lii or 

 Alhrnf euiiiriiliirin) of America. On the pinnies 

 of North America it sharps the burrows of the 

 prairie dog ami other mammals, while on the pam- 

 pas of South America it lives in the holes of the 

 "ha, armadillos, and large lizards, or makes 

 r. hole for itself, which is often invaded bv rattle- 

 snake*. Another interesting species is Pet's Fish- 

 owl (Scotvpeliapeli). 



See EULENSPIEOEL. 



I :< 

 Foot of Snowy OwL 



Ownership. See POSSESSION. 



Owosso, or OWASSO. a city of Michigan, on 

 the Shiawassee River, "8 miles by rail NW. of 

 IVtroit. The river supplies abundant water- 

 power, and there are flour and planing mills, anil 

 furniture and sash and blind factories, besides 

 foundries ami railway-shops. Top. (1900)8096. 



Ox. See CATTLE and BOVID.E. 



Oxnlir Acid, H,C.,O 4 + 2H,O, occurs in colour 

 less, transparent, oblique, rhombic prisms, which 

 have an intensely sour taste, and are soluble in 

 nine parts of cold water, and much mote tn-ely in 

 iHiiling water. When heated to 212 ( 100 C.)' the 

 crystals lose their two equivalents (or 28 '5 per cent. ) 

 of water, and the residue, consisting of the anhy- 

 drous acid, HX 2 (> 4 , becomes opaque. When the 

 crystallised acid is rapidly heated to about 300 

 (149 C.), or when it is warmed with strong sul- 

 phuric acid, it is decomposed into carbonic acid 

 and Mrboaie oxide gases, nnd into water. Oxidis- 

 ing a^hte, such as binoxide of manganese, per- 

 oxide fflM|d,iiilric acid, \c., convert oxalic into 

 carl>onic acW^^^^uthis property is based a good 

 method of deterrB^^hiUie^iiiiiiiiercial value of the 

 black oxide of nil^l HBUneof the most power- 

 ful of the organic ac^^^Vxpds carbonic acid and 

 many other acids froinTi*Tir salts. The acid itself, 

 which, like it* soluble salts, is poisonous, is very 

 widely ditl'used throughout the vegetable kingdom, 

 sometimes in the free state, but more frequently 

 as a salt of lime, as in rhubarb and many lichens. 

 In the animal kingdom it never occurs except in 

 minute quantity, and in combination with lime. 

 It is produced by the action of either caustic 

 potash or nitric ncid upon most organic compounds 

 of natural occurrence. Its most common mode of 

 preparation is by the oxidation of starch or sugar 

 liy nitric acid. The organic compound and the 

 nitric acid are heated in a Husk till all efferves- 

 cence has ceased, after which the solution is eva- 

 porated, and the oxalic acid separates in crxstals 

 on cooling. The most important salts are the 

 oxalate of ammonia, (NH 4 ) 2 CjO 4 + HO, used as a 

 test for lime, ami the binoxalate of potash or salt 

 of sorrel, KHC.,O 4 + H..O, also known as essential 

 salt of lemons, and winch is popularly used for 

 removing ink stains or for cleaning brass. 



The best test for this acid is tlie production of 

 a white precipitate (of oxalate of lime), on the 

 addition of any soluble suit of calcium. The pre- 

 cipitate is insoluble in water, in solution of |Hitash. 

 and in acetic ncid, but dissolves in the mineral 

 acids. A solution of nitrate of silver also t;i\r> 

 a white precipitate of oxalate of silver, which 

 explodes when heated. 



In consequence of its employment in cotton 

 punting, bleaching straw, iVc., o'xalic acid is more 

 acces^ibl,. to tin- general public than many other 

 poisons: and on this account instances of suicide 

 from the swallowing of this acid are by no means 

 uncommon. Cases of accidental poisoning, more 

 over, sometimes occur from its lieing sold by mis- 

 take for K|Munn salts. Large doses destroy life 

 very rapidly. With the view of converting the free 

 acid in the stomach into an insoluble and inert 

 salt, chalk, whiting, or lime-water, with full 

 draughts of milk, should be administered with the 

 least possible delay. Salt of sorrel is almost aa 

 poisonous as the pure acid. 



Oxnlidrn', or OXALIDACE.E, a natural order 



of exogenous plants, allied to (ieraniacea- ; includ- 

 ing herbaceous plants, shrubs, and trees; with 

 generally com]iound alternate leaves; calyx of 

 five equal pcisisteiit sepals; corolla of five equal 

 unguiculate petals, spirally twisted in bud ; ten 

 stamens; the ovary five celled, with five styles; the 

 fruit a capsule of five cells opening by five valves, or 

 more rarely a berry with five one- or many-seeded 



