CLASS II. AVES: ORDER 1. RAPTORES. 71 



approach of twilight it is all life and activity, being a noted and dexterous mouse-catcher. It is 

 found as far north as Nova Scotia, and even Hudson's Bay *, is frequent in Russia, and is more or 

 less common throughout Northern and Middle Europe. In this country it builds its nest gener- 

 ally in pines, half way up the tree, and lays two eggs, which, like those of the rest of its genus, 

 are white. The melancholy and gloomy umbrage of those solitary evergreens forms its favorite 

 haunts, where it sits dozing and slumbering all day, lulled by the roar of the neighboring ocean. 

 It is seven inches and a half long, and eighteen inches in spread of wing ; the upper parts are a 

 plain brown-olive ; the lower parts streaked with yellow and reddish-bay. 



The Earth Owl — the Urucu.ru of Azara — A. cunicularia, is brown above and white beneath ; 

 the feet are garnished with tubercles ; the length is nine inches ; it inhabits the hot as well as 



I the temperate parts of South America down to latitude 42° south. It resembles the Burrowing 

 Owl of the United States, and appears to have been confounded with it. It takes possession of 

 the vacant burrows of armadillos, vischacas, and foxes, sometimes even driving out the lawful 

 proprietors by entering the premises, and by its intolerable odor forcing them to quit. These 



; birds live in pairs, and when disturbed utter a prolonged cry of tchii^ tchii, tchii. They live on 



I mice, Guinea pigs, reptiles, and insects. 



j The Sociable BuRROwiNa Owl, A. socialls — A. hypngcea of C. Bonaparte — is nine or ten 

 inches long, and has a moderate-sized head; the entire upper parts are a light yellowish-brown, 

 every feather more or less spotted with white ; under parts white, with transverse bands of red- 

 dish-brown. This curious species lives in large communities in various localities east and west of 

 the Rocky Mountains, in the United States, particularly in Oregon, California, and on the Platte 

 River, in Nebraska, Arkansas, Texas, and New Mexico. The most remarkable feature in its his- 

 tory is its association with the prairie marmots, of which we have given an account at page 362. 



Among the other species of this abundant genus are the Bramaii Owl, A. Brama, found in 

 India; the Chestnut-colored Owl, A. castanoptera, oi Java,; the Naked-footed Athene, ^4. 

 nudipes, of the island of Porto Rico ; the Collared Owl, A. tor qua ta, and the Caboure Owl, 

 A, pumila, both of South America. There are several Australian species. 



Genus BUBO : Bubo. — This includes the largest and most remarkable species of owls, as well 

 in Europe as America, and which stand at the head of several genera of what are called Horned 

 Owls, the latter name derived from the ear-tufts, which are prominent, and have a resemblance 

 to the ears of a cat. The genera! form of the present genus is robust, head large, eyes large, 

 wings long and wide, tail moderate, claws strong and curved. 



The Eagle-Owl or Great-eared Owl — the Hihou Grand Due of the French — B. maximus, 

 is a transatlantic species, being common in Lapland, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, and rare in 

 England, France, and Italy. It is also met with in Northern Asia, and as far south as Smyrna. 

 The head is ornamented with two tufts of feathers, black in the center and red at the edges ; the 

 body above is of a yellowish-red, varied with gray and black ; below it is of a light red, Avith 

 brown spots ; the length of the body is two feet. It lives on hares, rabbits, moles, mice, rats, 

 partridges, and reptiles. Its loud hoot, huchou, houhoti, bouhou, pouhou, in the silence of night, 

 is very startling. It makes its nest in the crevices of rocks and remote ruinous buildings, where 

 it lays two eggs of pure white. Like all the owls, this species is an object of antipathy to other 

 species of birds, many of which harass it by their bills and their clamor, if it is so imprudent as to 

 wander forth in the daytime. 



As an illustration of the attachment of these owls to their young, the following anecdote is re- 

 lated by a Swedish gentleman, who resided several years on a farm near a steep mountain, in the 

 summit of which two eagle-owls had built their nest: "One day, in the month of July, a young 

 bird, having quitted the nest, was caught by the servants. The bird was, considering the season of 

 the year, well feathered ; but the down appeared here and there between these feathers, which 

 had not yet attained their full growth. After it was caught it was shut up in a large hen-coop, 

 when, to his surprise, on the following morning, a fine young partridge was found lying dead be- 

 fore the door of the coop. It was immediately concluded that this provision had been brought 

 there by the old owls, which had no doubt been making search during the night for their lost 

 young one. And such was indeed the fact, for night after night, for fourteen days, was this same 



