-papular $3Cctuinarg af &m'matelr Mature. 477 



plete, and who during the day, with their 

 eves half shut, present a great appearance 

 of gravity) have a large external ear, and 

 large and complete discs around the eyes. 

 2. The Horned Owls, in which the external 

 ear is smaller, but the discs around the eyes 

 still large ; and in which the head is fur- 

 nished with two feathery tufts, resembling 

 horns. 3. The Hawk OwJs, in which the 

 external ear is very small, the facial discs 

 are wanting, and the feathery tufts absent. 



The BAFX OWL. (Strix flammea.) The 

 Common White, Barn, or Screech Owl is so 

 well-known an inhabitant of this country, 

 that every village is acquainted with its 

 history. It is also spread through the tem- 

 perate and warmer regions of Europe, but 



is not found in the higher latitudes. It is a 

 most beautiful species, though, from the fre- 

 quency of its appearance, but little attended 

 to. The Barn Owl is about fourteen inches 

 in length. The head and upper parts of 

 the body are of a fine pale orange-colour, 

 slightly marked by small scattered chestnut- 

 coloured spots : the feathers of the upper 

 parts of the back and the wing-coverts are 

 gray towards their tips, finely sprinkled with 

 blackish transverse specks ; while down the 

 shaft of each runs a short series of alternate 

 black and white oblong spots : the face is 

 white, but the ruif elegantly edged by a 

 rufous verge intermixed with white : the 

 quill- feathers barred with pale brown, and 

 j the tail slightly crossed by brownish freckles. 

 The whole under parts are white, sometimes 

 marked by a few small dusky spots. Occa- 

 sionally in this species the under parts are 

 yellowish. The legs are feathered or plumed 

 to the toes, which are covered with fine hair. 

 It conceals itself by day in deep recesses 

 among ivy-clad ruins, in antique church 

 towers, in the hollow of old trees, in barns, 

 hay-lofts, and other out-houses. Towards 

 twilight it quits its perch, and takes a re- 

 gular circuit round the fields, skimming 

 along the ground in quest of field mice, rats, 

 moles, shrews, and large insects. During 

 the time the young are in the nest, the male 

 and female alternately sally out and beat 

 the fields with the regularity of a spaniel. 

 As soon as they have seized their prey they 

 return with it in their claws ; but as it is 

 necessary to shift it into their bill, they al- 

 ways alight for that purpose on the roof, 

 before they attempt to enter their nest. 



Mr. Waterton (to whose intelligent re- 

 marks we are so much indebted, and who 

 never fails to put the services of the fea- 

 thered tribes in their proper light) tells his 



readers that " if this useful bird caught its 

 food by day, instead of hunting for it by 

 night, mankind would have ocular demon- 

 stration of its utility in thinning the country 

 of mice ; and it would be protected, and 

 encouraged, everywhere. It would be with 

 us what the Ibis was with the Egyptians. 

 When it has young, it will bring a mouse to 

 the nest every twelve or fifteen minutes. 

 But, in order to have a proper idea of the 

 enormous quantity of mice which this bird 

 destroys, we must examine the pellets which 

 it ejects from its stomach in the place of its 

 retreat. Every pellet contains from four to 

 seven skeletons of mice. In sixteen months 

 from the time that the apartment of the 

 owl on the old gateway was cleaned out, 

 there has been a deposit of above a bushel of 

 pellets. . . . When farmers complain that 

 the Barn Owl destroys the eggs of their 

 pigeons, they lay the saddle on the wrong 

 horse. They ought to put it on the rat. 

 Formerly I could get very few young pigeons 

 till the rats were excluded effectually from 

 the dovecot. Since that took place, it has 

 produced a great abundance every year, 

 though the Barn Owls frequent it, and are 

 encouraged all around it. The Barn Owl 

 merely resorts to it for repose and conceal- 

 ment. If it were really an enemy^ to the 

 dovecot, we should see the pigeons in com- 

 motion as soon as it begins its evening flight; 

 but the pigeons heed it not : whereas, if the 

 sparrow-hawk or hobby should make its 

 appearance, the whole community would be 

 up at once ; proof sufficient that the Barn 

 Owl is not looked upon as a bad, or even a 

 suspicious, character by the inhabitants of 

 the dovecot." 



Many other species, more or less resembling 

 the Barn Owl, are found in different parts of 

 the temperate regions of the globe. 



The TAWNY OWL. (Syrnium aluco.) This 

 bird is about the size of the Barn Owl. Its 

 bill is white ; its eyes dark blue : the ra- 

 diated feathers round the eyes are white, 

 finely streaked with brown ; the head, neck, 

 back, wing-coverts and scapulars are tawny 

 brown, finely dotted with dark brown and 

 black : on the wing- coverts and scapulars 

 are several large white spots, regularly 

 placed, so as to form three rows ; the quill- 

 feathers are marked with alternate bars of 

 light and dark brown ; the breast and belly 

 are pale yellow, with narrow dark streaks 

 pointing downwards, and crossed with simi- 

 lar ones : the legs are -feathered down to the 

 toes ; the claws large, much hooked, and 

 white. This is the Owl that hoots by night, 

 and sharply gives out the repeated cry of 

 tee-whit, particularly in cold frosty nights. 

 When these birds are slightly disturbed amid 

 their slumbers in the vast and solitary woods, 

 they will utter an inward tremulous hooting 

 of too-who, the subdued and gloomy shivering 

 of which is peculiarly horrific. 



There are some lovers of nature, it seems, 

 who are of a different opinion ; or Mr. 

 Hewitson would not thus express himself : 

 " This is the Owl from which issues forth 

 that loud melancholy sound at night, which, 

 however much it may be associated with 



