90 NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Honours paid to the owl by the Mongol and Kaltmic Tartars. 



The utmost honours are paid to this bird by 

 the Mongol and Kalmuc Tartars; as they attri- 

 bute to it the preservation of Jenghis Khan, the 

 founder of their empire. That prince, with a 

 small army, happened to be surprised and put to 

 flight by his enemies. Compelled to seek con- 

 cealment in a coppice, an owl settled on the bush 

 under which he was hidden. This circumstance 

 induced his pursuers not to search there, since 

 they supposed it impossible that that bird would 

 perch where any man was concealed. Jenghis 

 Khan escaped; and thenceforth -his countrymen 

 held the owl sacred, and every one wore a plume 

 of its feathers on his head. To this day, the 

 Kalmucs continue the custom on all their great 

 festivals; and some tribes among them have an 

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

 the real legs of this bird. 



THE GREAT HORNED OWL. 



THIS species is equal in size to some of the 

 eagles. The body is of a tawny red colour ; ele- 

 gantly marked with lines and spots of black, 

 brown, ash,, and rust colour. The wings are 

 long; and the tail is short, and marked with 

 transverse dusky streaks. The legs are thick, of 

 a dull red, and feathered to the claws, which ar 

 large, hooked, and dusky. 



