78 YERTEBRATA. 



domestication, and becomes very aiiuising. Watorton, the celebrated naturalist and traveler, had 

 a lar"-e colony of these owls at his country-scat, Walton Hall, in England. They became very 

 numerous, an<l wore by no means shy, so that tlu-ir natural history was very easily studied. 

 Amonj; the curious facts furnished by him in respect to this species are the following: 



" W lu-n one of these birds has young, it will bring a mouse to its nest about every twelve or 

 fifteen minutes. But in order to have a proper idea of the enormous quantity of mice which it 

 •lestrovs, we must examine the pellets which it ejects from its stomach in the place of its retreat. 

 Everv pellet contains from four to seven skeletons of mice. In sixteen months from the time 

 when the apartment of the owl in the old gateway was cleaned out there has been a deposit of 

 above a bushel of pellets." From this it appears that the barn-owl is an uncommonly good liver ; 

 it may be added, that although the farmers have generally been an enemy of this owl, it is no 

 doubu one of their greatest benefactors. 



This bird, as it appears, is not confined to Europe, but extends to Asia; it inhabits Tartary, 

 where, according to Pennant, "the Moguls and natives almost pay it divine honors, because they 

 attribute to it the preservation of the founder of their empire, Genghis Khan. That prince, 

 with his small army, happened to be surprised and put to flight by his enemies, and forced to 

 conceal himself in a little coppice ; an owl settled on the bush under which he was hid, and 

 induced his pursuers not to search there, as they thought it impossible that any man could be 

 concealed in a place where that bird would perch. Thenceforth they held it to be sacred, 

 and everv one wore a plume of the feathers of this species on his head. To this day the Kalmucs 

 continue the custom on all great festivals, and some tribes have an idol in the form of an owl, 

 to which they fasten the real legs of one." 



The American Barn-Owl, aS^. Americana, was long considered as identical with the preceding, 

 but though it resembles it, it is larger, measuring sixteen inches. It is found throughout the 

 United States — very sparingly in New England and the Middle States, but being more abundant 

 in the South and West ; it is also found in Mexico and Canada. It is less accustomed to dwell 

 in the vicinity of towns and villages than the barn-owl of Europe, and instead of making its retreat 

 in churches and ruins, it lives chiefly in old trees. In other respects it is exceedingly like the 

 European bird we have just described. 



The PiGMT Owl, S. infuHcata, is the smallest North American species known, being but six 

 and a half inches long : found in Oregon and California. 



The BooBOOK or Buck-Buck, S. bookbook of Latham, is an Australian species, which may be 

 heard nearly every night during winter, uttering a cry corresponding with that word. Although 

 this note is known to every one, the bird itself is known but to few, and it has cost naturalists 

 considerable time and trouble before they could satisfy themselves respecting its identity. The 

 cry of the bird is somewhat similar to that of the European cuckoo, and the colonists have hence 

 given it that name. The lower order of the settlers in New South "Wales are led away by the 

 idea that every thing is the reverse in that country of what it is in England, and the cuckoo, as 

 they call this bird, singing by night, is one of the instances which they point out. 



The Cape Owl, S. Capensis, is found in the regions near the Cape of Good Hope. It has been 

 sometimes confounded with the barn-owl, which is abundant there, and is called Doodvogel, but 

 it is a distinct species. 



