OWL. 93 



flesh, and is so useful in clearing away offensive substances, 

 as to be protected by law in the southern cities. They are 

 foul birds, and exceeding voracious, and sometimes gorge 

 food in such a manner as to be unable to fly. They breed 

 in solitary swamps, making their nests on decayed trunks 

 of trees and excavated stumps. If a person takes one of 

 their young ones in his hands, he immediately vomits 

 forth such abominable matter, as soon to drive the intruder 

 away. The old birds, when caught, drive off their enemy 

 in a similar way. 



The black Vulture is also common in the tropical regions 

 of America. 



THE OWL. 



The Owl is distinguished, among birds of the rapacious 

 kind, by peculiar and striking characters ; its outward ap- 

 pearance is not more singular than its habits and dis- 

 position : unable to bear the brighter light of the sun, the 

 Owl retires to some lonely retreat, where it passes the day 

 in silence and obscurity ; but at the approach of evening, 

 when all nature is desirous of repose, and the smaller 

 animals, which are its principal food, are seeking their 

 nestling places, the Owl comes forth from its lurking holes 

 in quest of its prey. Its eyes are admirably adapted for 

 this purpose, being so formed as to distinguish objects 

 with greater facility in the dusk than in broad day-light. 

 Its flight is low and silent during its nocturnal excursions, 

 and when it rests it is then only known by its frightful and 

 reiterated cries, with which it interrupts the silence of 

 the night. During the day, the Owl is seldom seen; 

 but, forced from nis retreat, his flight is broken and 

 interrupted, and he is sometimes attended by numbers of 

 small birds of various kinds, who seeing his embarrassment, 

 pursue him with incessant cries, and torment him with 

 their movements : the Jay, the Thrush, the Blackbird, the 

 Redbreast, the Titmouse, all assemble to hurry and per- 

 plex him. During all this, the Owl remains perched upon 

 the branch of a tree, and answers them only with awkward 

 and insignificant gestures, turning his head, eyes, and 

 body, with all the appearance of mockery and affectation. 

 All the species of Owls, however, are not alike dazzled and 

 confused with the light of the sun ; some of them being 

 able to fly, and see distinctly in open day. 



