9t HISTORY OF 



cruel and rapacious ; but who add to their savage disposition, 

 the further reproach of treachery, and carry on all their de- 

 predations by night. 



All birds of the owl kind may be considered as nocturnal rob- 

 bers, who, unfitted for taking their prey while it is light, surprise 

 it at those hours of rest, when the tribes of nature are in the 

 least expectation of an enemy. Thus there seems no link in 

 Nature's chain broken : nowhere a dead inactive repose : but 

 every place, every season, every hour of the day and night, is 

 bustling with life, and furnishing instances of industry, self- 

 defence, and invasion. * 



* In a systematic arrangement, the owls, from their resemblance in form, 

 and alliance in character to the Falcon genus, naturally follow them in the 

 order of Rapacious Birds. The greater part of this genus {Strix) are 

 nocturnal, or rather crepuscular birds of prey, sallying forth from their con- 

 cealed retreats towards the close of day, when other birds are retiring to 

 roost J but when the animals, which form their principal food, are quit, 

 ting their holes, to feed in expected security during the silence and darkness 

 of the approaching night. Some of the species are, however, capable ot 

 bearing tlie light of day j these pursue their prey in the same manner as the 

 falcons, and in these also a nearer approach to that genus is observable, in 

 the smaller size of the head, the dimensions of the eye, and the comparative 

 length of the wings and tail. 



The eye and ear of the o\vl are both admirably adapted to its mode of life , 

 in the former, the pupil being capable of great dilatation, and formed, by its 

 particular prominence, for collecting the horizontal and dim rays of twilight ; 

 and being also furnished with a strong nictitating membrane, that serves, 

 upon occasion, to defend it from the glare of day, at the same time that it 

 allo«'s the bird to see with sufficient distinctness for avoiding any sudden 

 danger or surprise. 



The external orifices of the ears are very I.irge and complex, generally 

 furnished with a valve, and situated immediately behind the eyes. In con. 

 sequence of this formation and disposition, they are alive to the slightest 

 noise, and not even the rustling of a mouse can escape their notice. The 

 flight of the owl, when disturbed during the day, is abrupt and unsteady, 

 but, at night, it skims along in search of its prey with great facility ; the 

 delicate and downy texture of its plumage, producing the peculiar buoyancy 

 which must have been generally remarked iu the flight of these birds. 



The genus is usually divided into two sections ; horned or eared owls, 

 such as have a tuft of elongated feathers on each side of the forehead, and 

 smooth-headed owls, or those destitute of the lengthened feathers. This 

 second section has been subdivided by some authors into a third, called ac 

 cipitrine ; but as the gradation from one to another is almost imperceptible, 

 and the characters upon which they have attempted to establish this sub. 

 division are far from being distinct, it is quite sufficient for the general pur- 

 poses of science to adhere to the two-fold division. 



The British Fauna enumerates four species in each section, of which two 



