THE OWL KIND. 



489 



Horned Owl is often seen to prowl along ilic 

 hedges by day, like the sparrow-hawk; and 

 sometimes with good success. 



All birds of the owl kind may be divided 

 into two sorts ; those that have horns, and 

 those without. These horns are nothing 

 more than two or three feathers that stand 

 upon each side of the head over the ear, and 

 give thi- animal a kind of horned appearance. 

 Of the horned kind is, the Great Horned Owl, 

 which at first view appears as large as an ea- 

 gle. When he comes to be observed more 

 closely, however, he will be found much less. 

 His legs, body, wings, and tail, are shorter; 

 his head much larger and thicker: his horns 

 are C.M.'I posed of feathers that rise above two 

 inches and a half high, and which he can 

 erect or depress at pleasure: his eyes are 

 large and transparent, encircled with an 

 orange-coloured iris: his ears are large and 

 deep, and it would appear that no animal 

 was possessed with a more exquisite sense of 

 hearing: his plumage is of a reddish brown, 

 marked on the back with black and yellow 

 spots, and yellow only upon the belly. 



Next to this is the Common Horned Owl, 

 of a much smaller size than the former, and 

 with horns much shorter. As the great owl 

 was five feet from the tip of one wing to the 

 other, this is but three. The horns are but 

 about an inch long, and consist of six feathers, 

 variegated with black and yellow. 



There is still a smaller kind of the horned 

 owl, which is not much larger than a black- 

 bird ; and whose horns are remarkably short, 

 being composed but of one feather, and that 

 riot above half an inch high. 



To these succeeds the tribe without horns. 

 The HOWLET, which is the largest of this kind, 

 with dusky plumes and black eyes; the 

 SCREECH OWL, of a smaller size, with blue eyes, 

 and plumage of an iron gray; the WHITE OWL, 

 about as large as the former, with yellow eyes 

 arid whitish plumage; the OREAT KROWN OWL, 

 less than the former, with brown plumage and 

 a brown beak: and, lastly, the LITTLE BROWN 

 OWL, with yellowish coloured eyes, and an 

 orange-coloured bill. To this catalogue 

 might be added others of foreign denomina- 

 tions, which diflHT but little from our own, 

 it we except the HAKFANG, or GREAT HUDSON'S 

 BAY OWL of Edwards, which is the largest of 



all the nocturnal tribe, and as white as the 

 snows of the country of which he is a native. 



All this tribe of animals, however they may 

 differ in their size and plumage, agree in their 

 general characteristics of preying by night, 

 and having their eyes formed for nocturnal 

 vision. Their bodies are strong and muscu- 

 lar; their feet and claws made for tearing 

 their prey; and their stomachs for digesting 

 it. It must be remarked, however, that the 

 digestion of all birds that live upon mice, li- 

 zards, or such like food, is not very perfect; 

 for though they swallow them whole, yet 

 they are always seen some time after to dis- 

 gorge the skin and bones, rolled up in a pel- 

 let, as being indigestible. 



In proportion as each of these animals 

 bears the day -light best, he sets forward ear- 

 lier in the evening in pursuit of his prey. 

 The great horned owl is the foremost in leav- 

 ing his retreat; and ventures into the woods 

 and thickets very soon in the evening. The 

 horned, and the brown owl, are later in their 

 excursions : but the barn-owl seems to see 

 best in profound darkness, and seldom leaves 

 his hiding-place till midnight. 



As they are incapable of supporting the 

 light of the day, or at least of then seeing 

 and readily avoiding their danger, they keep 

 all this time concealed in some obscure re- 

 treat, suited to their gloomy appetites, and 

 there continue in solitude and silence. The 

 cavern of a rock, the darkest part of a hollow 

 tree, the battlements of a ruined and unfre- 

 quented castle, some obscure hole in a fo.rm- 

 er's out-house, are the places where they are 

 usually found : if they be seen out of these 

 retreats in the day-time, they may be con- 

 sidered as having lost their way; as having 

 by some accident been thrown into the midst 

 of their enemies, and surrounded with dan- 

 ger. 



Having spent the day in their retreat, at 

 the approach of evening they sally forth, and 

 skim rapidly up and down along the hedges. 

 The barn-owl, indeed, who lives chiefly upon 

 mice, is contented to be more stationary: he 

 takes his residence upon some shock of corn, 

 or the point of some old house ; and there 

 watches in the dark, with the utmost perspi- 

 cacity and perseverance. 



Nor are these birds by any means silent; 



