THE OWL KIND. 115 



The nights when the moon shines are the times 

 of their most successful plunder ; for when it is 

 wholly dark, they are less qualified for seeing and 

 pursuing their prey : except, therefore, by moon- 

 light, they contract the hours of their chase ; and 

 if they come out at the approach of dusk in the 

 evening, they return before it is totally dark, and 

 then rise by twilight the next morning, to pursue 

 their game, and to return, in like manner, before 

 the broad day-light begins to dazzle them with 

 its splendour. 



Yet the faculty of seeing in the night, or of 

 being entirely dazzled by day, is not alike in 

 every species of these nocturnal birds : some see 

 by night better than others ; and some are so lit- 

 tle dazzled by day-light, that they perceive their 

 enemies and avoid them. The common White or 

 Barn Owl, for instance, sees with such exquisite 

 acuteness in the dark, that though the barn has 

 been shut at night, and the light thus totally ex- 

 cluded, yet it perceives the smallest mouse that 

 peeps from its hole : on the contrary, the Brown 

 Horn Owl is often seen to prowl along the 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 with- 

 out. These horns are nothing more than two or 

 three feathers that stand up on each side of the 

 head over the ear, and give this animal a kind of 

 horned appearance. Of the horned kind is the 

 Great Horned Owl, which at first view appears as 

 large as an eagle. When he comes to be observed 



