Natural Hijlory of the Ancients. 75 



kingdom became ruined and deferted. One 

 night, while on a journey accompanied by a 

 Mobed, or Magian prieft, he pafTed through fome 

 depopulated villages, and heard an owl fcreech, 

 and its mate anfwer him. " What do the owls 

 fay?" afked the King. The Mobed anfwered, 

 " The male owl is making a propofal of marriage 

 to the female, and the lady replies : * I mail be 

 moft delighted, if you will give me the dowry 

 I require.' * And what is that ?' fays the male 

 owl. * Twenty villages,' fays me, * ruined in the 

 reign of our moft gracious Sovereign Bahram.' " 

 "And what did the male owl reply?" afked 

 Bahram. " Oh, your Majefty!" anfwered the prieft. 

 " He faid, * That is very eafy ; if his Majefty 

 only lives long enough, I'll give you a thoufand.' " 

 The leflbn, fays hiftory, was not loft upon the 

 King. 



In French folk-lore the owl has acquired an 

 evil name becaufe, when the wren had brought 

 down fire from heaven, while the other birds in 

 their gratitude contributed a feather apiece to 

 replace its fcorched plumage, the owl refufed, 

 alleging that me would require all her feathers 

 during the approaching winter. On this account 

 it has been condemned to eternal feclufion during 

 the warm day, and to perpetual fuffering from 

 cold during the night. This explains why " the 

 owl, for all its feathers, was a' cold " on St. 

 Agnes's Eve, and why the other birds pefter it if 

 it appears in funfhine. An omelette made of 

 owl's eggs is faid to be a cure for drunkennefs. 



