28 THE TAWNY OWL. 



While the eagle and falcon seek their food, 

 and pursue their chase of the smaller animals, in 

 the broad light of day, the owl, who is also a bird 

 of prey, does not come forth in search of his, till 

 the approach of night : he is therefore called a 

 nocturnal bird of prey. In the day he shelters 

 himself in a hollow tree, a barn, a ruinous 

 tower, or any other quiet hiding-place he can 

 find ; for his eyes are so formed, that he cannot 

 bear the full light of day. Unlike the eagle, who 

 gazes on the noontide sun, the owl can only see 

 to search its prey in the dim twilight, or when 

 the landscape is lighted up by the soft radiance 

 of the moonbeams. Even then his sight is far 

 from being piercing, like the eagle's. But to 

 supply this deficiency, he is so formed, that instead 

 of descending on loud winnowing wings on his 

 prey, which might give them time to escape from 

 him in the dimmer distance, he moves on noise- 

 less pinions. His wings are so peculiarly light 

 and downy, that they make scarcely any sound 

 in passing through the air. He glides silently 

 round the house, or skims along the meadows, 

 pouncing on his prey, and rapidly devouring the 

 little birds, mice, &c. which he encounters in his 

 circuit. 



There is a large white owl, the snowy owl, 

 found in many of the northern parts of Europe, 



