THE SPOTTED OWLET 



PLINY describes the owl as the "very monster 

 of the night." The Indian spotted owlet 

 (Athene bramd) goes one better than Pliny's 

 bird, for, in addition to being the very mon- 

 ster of the night, it is the terror of the early and the 

 closing hours of the day. This amusing little creature 

 is the characteristic night bird of India. Just as the 

 Indian day would be unthinkable without the crows, so 

 would the night not seem itself were there no spotted 

 owlets to disturb our slumbers. 



When I first came to the "gorgeous East" I was 

 sent, presumably by way of introduction to the rigours 

 of the climate of this delightful country, to a station on 

 the borders of the Punjab desert. Life in a desert is 

 not without its advantages. For example, mosquitoes 

 are conspicuous by their absence. There are some 

 climates at which even the anopheles draws the line. 

 During the winter months I had not much to complain 

 of, save that the surrounding country was brown instead 

 of green. The place was merely Aden without the sea 

 and the rocks. By the middle of March the bungalow 

 was an oven, hence beds were placed outside. In our 

 compound was a great banyan tree, which was the con- 

 cert hall of some spotted owlets. 



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