98 THE BOOBOOK OWL. 



very unwelcome intruder upon tlie marmot, and, as has been shown by the Hon. G. F. 

 Berkeley's experiments, is liable to be attacked and destroyed by the legal owner of the 

 burrow. If all had their rights, it would seem that the Owl is nearly as much an intruder 

 as the snake, and that it only takes possession of the burrow excavated by the prairie dog 

 in order to save itself the trouble of making a subterranean abode for itself. Indeed, there 

 are some parts of the country where the Owl is perforce obliged to be its own workman, 

 and in default of convenient "dog" burrows, is fain to employ its claw^s and biU in 

 excavating a home for itself. 



The tunnel which is made by the Owl is not nearly so deep or so neatly constructed 

 as that which is dug by the marmot, being only eighteen inches or two feet in depth, and 

 very rough in the interior. At the bottom of this burrow is placed a tolerably-sized heap 

 of dried gxass, moss, leaves, and other soft substances, upon which are deposited its white- 

 shelled eggs. 



Some persons have supposed that the Coquimbo Owl is attracted to the habitation of 

 the prauie dog by the charms of the young and tender marmots, which would furnish a 

 delicate and easily obtained meal whenever the bird might happen to be hungry. As, 

 however, the stomach of the Burrowing Owl has only been found to contain the wing-cases 

 and other indigestible parts of beetles and various large insects, the bird may be pronounced 

 guiltless on this charge. Those specimens, however, that inhabit the plains of Buenos Ayres 

 are proved, on the authority of IMr. Darwin, to feed on mice, small reptiles, and even on 

 the little crabs of the sea-shore. 



The Coquimbo Owl is by no means a nocturnal bird, facing the glare of the midday 

 sun without inconvenience, and standing at all times in the day or evening on the little 

 heaps of earth w^hicli are thrown up at the entrance of the burrows. It is a lively little 

 bird, moving about among the burrows with considerable vivacity, rising on the wing if 

 suddenly disturbed, and making a short undulating aerial journey before it again settles 

 upon the ground. When it has alighted from one of these little flights, it turns round aud 

 earnestly regards the pursuer. Sometimes it will dive into one of the burrows, heedless of 

 prior occupants, and thus it is that marmot, owl, and snake come to be found in the same 

 burrow. 



Lizards and other reptiles have also been found in the burrows of the prairie dog. 

 While sitting on the little earth mounds, or moving among the burrows, the Coquimbo 

 Owl presents a very curious likeness to the prairie dog itself, and at a little distance might 

 easily be taken for the little marmot as it sits erect at the mouth of its domicile. 



The colour of the Burrowing Owl is a rather rich brown upon the upper parts of the 

 body, diversified with a number of small gTey-wliite spots, and altogether darker upon the 

 upper surface of the wings. The under parts are greyish-white. The length of the bird 

 is not quite eleven inches. The cry of this curious bird is unlike that of any other Owl, 

 and bears a very great resemblance to the short, sharp bark of the prairie dog. 



The genus Athene is a very large one, and contains many curious and interesting 

 birds which cannot be described at length except in a monograph of the Owl tribe. Among 

 these may be mentioned two remarkable birds, the Boobook Owl (AtJiine Boo-hooh) and 

 the Winking Owl {Athene connivens), both natives of Australia. 



The former of these birds is popularly called the Australian Cuckoo by the colonists on 

 account of its cry, which bears no small resemblance to the well-known song of " Spring's 

 harbinger." As the bird, after the manner of Owls, utters its cry by night, it is often 

 noted as an instance of the perversity of the Australian climate, which reverses the 

 usual operations of nature, and forces the cuckoo to take the place of the nightingale, and 

 pour forth its song at night. This species is diurnal in its habits, and remarkably swift 

 and agile on the wing, being able to chase successfully the quick-winged insects that are 

 so numerous in Australia. When roused, it is said by Mr. Gould to resemble the wood- 

 cock in the manner of its flight, and to further carry out the likeness in its habit of rising 

 out of gun-shot, and diving rapidly into the nearest covert, where it lies safely housed 

 until its enemies have withdrawn from the neighbourhood. The quaint title of Boobook 

 is the name by which it is known among the natives. 



