OVVHYHEE OX. 



379 



the Epistle to the Hebrews (in 4 vols., folio); a Dis- 

 course on the Holy Spirit; a complete Collection of 

 Sermons, and several Tracts (folio); an Inquiry into 

 the original Nature, Institution, &c. of Evangelical 

 Churches (4to); an Account ot the Nature of the 

 Protestant Religion, &c. 



O W H Y H EE. See Sandwich Islands. 



OWL (strix); a nocturnal bird of prey, whose 

 appearance and harsh voice are well known. They 

 are distinguished by having a large head, very large 

 eyes, directed forwards, encircled by a ring of fine 

 feathers covering the base of the beak and the open- 

 ing of the ear. Their external toe can be turned 

 behind at pleasure. If any analogy is allowable be- 

 tween different tribes of animals, the owls might be 

 said to resemble moths, and to differ from the diurnal 

 birds of prey as these do from butterflies. They are 

 wholly nocturnal (except a few species,) seeking for 

 their prey during the evening or night ; and, from 

 the enormous size of the pupils of their eyes, they 

 are enabled to see well in the dark ; while, in the 

 day, their sense of sight is imperfect; hence, during 

 this time, they keep concealed in some secure retreat. 

 Their hearing is very acute, and their plumage soft 

 and loose, enabling them to fly without noise, and 

 thus to come on their prey in an unexpected manner. 

 They feed on small birds, mice, bats, and moths, 

 swallowing them entire, and casting up the indiges- 

 tible parts in the form of small balls. They breed in 

 fissures of rocks, or in holes of trees, the female 

 laying from two to six eggs. They are found in 

 every part of the globe. The genus strix of Linnaeus 

 has been variously subdivided by modern naturalists. 

 Cuvier admits the following sub-genera : otus, ulula, 

 strix syrnium, bubo surnia, nyctea, nudipes, scops. 



In North America there are ten or twelve species 

 of these birds, some peculiar to the country, and 

 others common to the two continents. These have 

 been arranged by Bonaparte (see Annals Lyceum 

 Nat. Hist.) in the following manner : sub-genus sur- 

 nia; S.funerea, or hawk-owl (nyctea, scops syrnium, 

 bubo, Cuv.); blackish-brown, thickly spotted with 

 white, beneath varied with white and brown ; tail 

 with narrow white bands, and reaching three inches 

 beyond the wings ; feet densely covered with long 

 feathers ; bill yellow. This species is very rare : it 

 inhabits the north of both continents. S. nyctea 

 (snow-owl); white, more or less spotted, and barred 

 with dusky; tail rounded, reaching but little beyond 

 the wings ; feet densely covered with long feathers ; 

 bill black; inhabits the north of both continents; not 

 very uncommon. 5. cunicularia (burrowing owl); 

 cinnamon gray, spotted with whitish; beneath white, 

 spotted with cinnamon brown; tail even, reaching but 

 little beyond the wings ; feet covered with short, 

 scattered bristles. This is peculiar to America, is 

 found near the Rocky mountains, and as far south as 

 Paraguay. S. asio (mottled or red owl) ; dark brown; 

 young tawny red, mottled with black, pale brown, 

 and ash-colour ; wings spotted with white; beneath 

 white, mottled with black and brown ; tail even, 

 reaching to the tip of the wings; feet densely covered 

 with short feathers ; inhabits America ; common. 

 Sub-genus ulula (otns, ulula, bubo, syrnium, Cuv.) S. 

 otus (long-eared owl) ; mottled, primaries banded 

 with ferruginous ; tufts long; wings reaching beyond 

 the tail ; found in both continents ; common. S. 

 brachyotos (short-eared owl); whitish ferruginous, spot- 

 ted with dark-brown ; tufts short; wings reaching to 

 the tip of the tail; found in both continents ; common. 

 S. nebulosa (barred owl) ; pale brown, witli trans- 

 verse, whitish spots ; beneath whitish ; neck and 

 breast with transverse bars ; belly and vent with 

 longitudinal streaks of brown ; tail reaching beyond 

 the wings ; bill yellow ; found in both continents ; 



common. S. acadica (little owl) ; dark-brown, 

 spotted with white ; beneath whitish, spotted with 

 reddish-brown ; tail short, reaching about to the tip 

 of the wings ; very small ; inhabits both continents ; 

 more common in America. Sub-genus bubo, S. Vir- 

 giniana (great horned owl) ; mottled ; primaries and 

 tail-feathers banded with black and dusky ; auricular 

 conch restricted ; wings not reaching to the tip of 

 the tail ; very large ; found in most parts of America. 

 S. cinerea (cinereous owl) ; dark-brown, mottled 

 with whitish ; face white, with black, concentric 

 circles ; tail reaching beyond the wings ; both fasci- 

 ated ; the bands mottled ; bill yellowish white ; iris 

 yellow ; inhabits arctic America, the largest spe- 

 cies in that country. Sub-genus strix, S. fiammea 

 (barn owl) ; yellowish tawny, with small spots of 

 white ; beneath whitish, with blackish points ; wings 

 reaching two inches beyond the tail ; bill whitish ; 

 found in both continents. There are several other 

 species said to exist in America ; thus Mr Say indi- 

 cates S. bubo and phaltsnoides, &c. 



The barn owl, also called common screech or white 

 owl, is a bird of elegant plumage, in length between 

 thirteen and fourteen inches ; stretch of wing three 

 feet. It is very common in Europe, North and South 

 America, in the deserts of Tartary, in Persia, Hin- 

 doostan, and even in Australasia, and is met with at 

 the cape of Good Hope. In Europe, it chiefly fre- 

 quents inhabited districts, and deposits from two to 

 six eggs in a hole of a wall, under the eaves of build- 

 ings, in decayed trees, &c., without any formal nest. 

 It usually haunts churches, towers, barns, makings, 

 farm-houses, &c. In a state of nature, it generally 

 leaves its haunts about twilight, skimming along the 

 ground, exploring the neighbouring woods for prey, 

 and returning before sunrise, making a sort of blow- 

 ing noise, like the snoring of a man with his mouth 

 open. When it flies or alights, it doles out certain lu- 

 gubrious notes, which, added to the solemnity of the 

 scene, especially when near churchyards, often inspire 

 awe and apprehension in the minds of the ignorant. 



OWLENSPIEGEL. See Eulenspiegel. 



OX ; the general designation for the different 

 species and varieties of the genus bos. This is dis- 

 tinguished by having smooth horns, directed side- 

 ways, and then curving upwards or forwards in a 

 semi-lunar form. The common ox (B. taurus) has a 

 flat forehead, which is longer than it is broad, and 

 round horns placed at the two extremities of a pro- 

 jecting line which separates the front from the occi- 

 put : the horns, however, differ so much in their 

 form and direction in the numerous varieties which 

 domestication has produced in this species, that no 

 specific character can be based upon them. The 

 colours of these animals are extremely variable, 

 being reddish, white, gray, brown, black, &c. As 

 with most of the other animals which have been in a 

 state of domestication from the earliest ages, it is dif- 

 ficult to determine from what species they were ori- 

 ginally derived : it has been generally supposed that 

 it was the bos urus, but Cuvier has shown that this 

 idea is erroneous. To few animals is man more in- 

 debted for important services than to the common 

 ox, and none afford him so many articles of food. 

 Throughout a great part of the world, its flesh is the 

 principal article of animal food, while from the milk 

 of the female, of itself an almost indispensable part 

 of our diet, are manufactured cheese, butter, cream, 

 &c. The skins furnish the greatest part of the 

 leather used in the arts. In fact, there is scarcely 

 any part of this valuable animal that is not useful to 

 mnnkind. The horns are converted into combs, 

 knife- handles, &c.; glue is made from the refuse of the 

 skin, hoofs, &c. ; the bones form a cheap substitute 

 for ivory ; the blood is employed in the manufacture 



