CHAPTER X. 



TllE OWL FAMILY 



(Asiomdce). 



The Scops Owl The Passerine Owl The Prairie, 

 Burrowing, or Coquimbo Owl. 



S a rule, these " midnight prowlers," these 

 "feathered cats," are not looked upon in 

 the light of domestic pets; but as they 

 are not quite ignored by the venerable 

 Bechstein in his ever-admirable " History of Chamber 

 Birds," I have decided to give them a short chapter 

 to themselves in the present work, for they are great 

 favourites with some people, and, when rightly 

 understood and properly treated, make really quite 

 charming pets. The larger species, such as THE 

 EAGLE OWL, Bubo maximus, and its allies, THE 

 LONG-EARED OWL, Asia otus, THE SHORT-EARED 

 OWL, A. br achy otis, and their congeners, are out- 

 side the scope of this volume ; but THE SCOPS 

 OWL, Scops giu, THE PASSERINE OWL, Glaucidium 

 passerinum, and THE PRAIRIE OWL, otherwise called 

 the BURROWING OWL, Speotyto cunicularia, merit at 

 least a passing notice ; for the two first, though 



