THE SNOWY OWL. 29 



and sometimes, though rarely, seen in England 

 and Scotland. This bird the Tartars hold in 

 great reverence, in consequence of an adventure 

 which they say befell their great leader Jenghis 

 Khan. That prince, with a small army, was sur- 

 prised and put to flight by his enemies. He 

 concealed himself from his pursuers in a wood. 

 They followed him into his retreat, and would, 

 in all probability, have discovered him, had not 

 an owl settled on the bush under which he was 

 hidden. It was supposed impossible that so shy 

 a bird would perch close to a place where a 

 human being was concealed. No search was 

 made under the spot where the owl settled, 

 and thus the prince escaped from the hands of 

 his enemies. From that day his countrymen 

 held the bird sacred, and every one wore a plume 

 of the feathers of the white owl on his head. To 

 this day, the Kalmucs continue the custom on 

 all great festivals ; and some tribes have an idol 

 in the form of an owl, to which they fasten the 

 legs of the real bird. 



SONG OF THE OWL. 



In hollow trees, or ivy bowers, 



I love to pass the sultry hours, 



But when the flowers are bathed in dew, 



I come forth and cry, too-whit, too-whoo. 



