SCREECH OWL. 



as a sliding tremolo, a trickling down, like water over 

 pohblps : 



From S.P.C/ie/7f>y's record. 



/Ih-oo, J?/i-ot>, 



Perhaps the descent of the whinny of a horse comes near- 

 est to it of any succession of natural sounds." 



But whatever may be our estimate of the song, the 

 r'act remains it is bound up in mystery and carries with 

 it a dubious kind of birdlike despair. This Owl must 

 have accompanied Dante through that dreadful doorway 

 over which was written the fatal words : 



"Abandon hope all ye who enter here." 



Shades of Hades ! How, O how did he ever get back 

 again to sing his woeful song by the light of the moon, 

 in our valleys of peace, and how are we ever to reconcile 

 with reason the statement that this is a wail of woe and 

 fc love song into the bargain ! That is indeed the mys- 

 tery of it. 



m 



m 



Sarah! 



Woe..../ Woe....' 



Great Horned 

 Owl 



Bubo 



i'ir(/inianus 

 L. 22 inches 

 All the year 



The Great Horned Owl is the only large- 

 sized Owl with conspicuous ear-tufts, 

 hence his significant name. He is, accord- 

 ing to all records, "the tiger among birds," 

 destructive to small birds, quail, and even 

 poultry, not to speak of reptiles, insects, small rodents, 

 and even rabbits. In color this Owl is a mottled brown 

 with varied tones of ochre and sepia, accented with 

 black ; ear-tufts black with touches of ochre ; face 

 around the large, topaz eyes, yellow ochre ; throat with 

 a wide white patch ; under parts buff-ochre narrowly 

 barred with black. Female similar, but larger. Nest, 

 in trees, probably that of a Crow, or Hawk, and not 



