

144 RED OWL. 



Those who have seen this bird only in the day, can form but 

 an imperfect idea of its activity, and even sprightliness, in its 

 proper season of exercise. Throughout the day, it was all still- 

 ness and gravity; its eyelids half shut, its neck contracted, and 

 its head shrunk seemingly into its body; but scarcely was the 

 sun set, and twilight began to approach, when its eyes became 

 full and sparkling, like two living globes of fire; it crouched 

 on its perch, reconnoitred every object around with looks of 

 eager fierceness; alighted and fed; stood on the meat with 

 clenched talons, while it tore it in morsels with its bill; flew 

 round the room with the silence of thought, and perching, 

 moaned out its melancholy notes, with many lively gesticula- 

 tions, not at all accordant with the pitiful tone of its ditty, 

 which reminded one of the shivering moanings of a half-frozen 

 puppy. 



This species is found generally over the United States, and 

 is not migratory. 



The Red Owl is eight inches and a half long, and twenty-one 

 inches in extent; general colour of the plumage above, a bright 

 nut brown or tawny red; the shafts black; exterior edges of the 

 outer row of scapulars white; bastard wing, the five first prima- 

 ries, and three or four of the first greater coverts, also spotted 

 with white; whole wing quills spotted with dusky on their ex- 

 terior webs; tail rounded, transversely barred with dusky and 

 pale brown; chin, breast, and sides, bright reddish brown, streak- 

 ed laterally with black, intermixed with white; belly and vent 

 white, spotted with bright brown; legs covered to the claws 

 with pale brown hairy down; extremities of the toes and claws 

 pale bluish, ending in black; bill a pale bluish horn colour; eyes 

 vivid yellow; inner angles of the eyes, eye-brows, and space 

 surrounding the bill, whitish; rest of the face nut brown; head 

 horned or eared, each consisting of nine or ten feathers, of a 

 tawny red, shafted with black. 



