Owls 



Bird of the silent wing and expansive eye, grimalkin 

 in feathers, feline, mousing, haunting ruins and towers, 

 and mocking the midnight stillness with thy uncanny cry! 

 BURROUGHS. Birds and Poets. 10 



I rejoice that there are owls. Let them do the idiotic 

 and maniacal hooting for men. It is a sound admirably 

 suited to swamps and twilight woods. 



THOREAU. Walden. 16 



The Owl and the Echo 



A FABLE 



An owl puffed up with pride and vanity was repeating his 

 doleful cries at midnight from the hollow of an old oak. 

 "How is it," he said, ''that silence prevails hi this wood, 

 unless it be to allow my melodious voice to be heard with 

 effect? Surely the groves are charmed with my voice, and 

 when I sing all nature listens." 



An echo repeated the words, "All nature listens." "The 

 nightingale has usurped my rights," continued the owl. 

 " His note is sweet, it is true, but mine is much more melo- 

 dious." 



"Much more melodious, " repeated the echo. Excited by 

 approval, the owl, at the rising of the sun, instead of going 

 to sleep as usual, continued to join his hooting with the 

 matin songs of the other birds. But they were disgusted 

 by the sounds and with one consent attacked the owl and 

 drove him from their society, harassing him wherever he 

 appeared, so that to escape from them he was glad to avoid 

 the light and return to obscurity. 



Vain people fancy that their imaginary perfections are the 

 cause of admiration hi others and mistake their self-flattery 

 for the voice of fame. SELECTED. 



105 



