~" 



THE OWL. 



Barn Owls. 



Thk Owls, some few excepted, are nocturnal in **^J»Z ^r^SS 

 to prowl for food ; they winnow the air with silent H^J^lflSlSdi celerity" The organic 

 their eyes quick to discern their creeping prey, on which JXSSL^triuTSJ destined mode of life, 

 endowments of these nightly marauders are in ^J^fSrtS? S of day; the iris is irri- 

 The eyes are large and staring, hut hey are incapable of beanng the rtron Ugn ^ ^^ 



tahlejind the pupil almost completely coated vtteMs £££*&%>.*.***** curtain; 



out when twilight sets in, the eyes display a very different 

 appearance, the lids are wide open, the curtain folded hack, the 

 pupil is dilated, and they gleam with lustrous effulgence 



The Barn Owl is spread throughout the temperate and 

 warmer ro Sons of Europe. It conceals itself during the day 

 Tdeep recesses among" ivy-clad ruins, in an iq- church 

 towers, in the hollow of old tree?, in barn lofts 



prey : 



which 



Great, or Eagle Owls. 



places of seclusion. At night it sallies forth for 

 consists of mice, rats, moles, and shrews. 



The Great, or Eagle Owl, is a native of the forests of Hun- 

 gary! Russia Germany, and Switzerland, and is said to ocair 

 eastward as far as Kamtchatka. It is upwards of two feet 

 in length. It makes its nest in the fissures of rocks and de- 

 serted buildings. It preys on partridges and other birds. 



