56 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [N.S., XIX, 
‘¢ Pardeh-dar mi-kunad bar kasr-i Kaisar ankabut 
Bum naobat mizanad bar gunbad-i Afrasiab.”’ 
e., the spider is covering the palace of Cesars with his webs 
and the owl is beating the naobat! on the castle dome of 
Afrasiab. 
It is said, that Sultan Mahmud also uttered these words of 
Firdousi when he first saw the palace of Constantinople. 
lis unpopularity displayed by the language used for owls. 
The shbsalighet : the bird is illustrated by the epithets 
applied to it even by ts. For example, Shakespeare speaks 
of it as ‘‘ Thou ominous palid fearful owl of death’’ (1 Henry 
VI, IV 2); ‘‘Boding screach owls’’? (2 Hen. VI, IV 2); 
“ Nothing but Songs of Death.” Diane is conferred upon 
the bird by other poets like Spencer, Shelly, etc., also.* 
There is a Gujarati proverb which says 4&3 d Aid SAX 
a3 ° ie, “The death of an owl (occurs) at a grave-yard.”’ 
This proverb indicates that the bird always seeks a deserted 
place like a grave-yard and that its presence is associated with 
ay, 
we have the English aa s used as a vert in the surge 
of ‘“‘ prying about, contin. carrying on a contraband or 
unlawful trade. 
ere a species of owls, known as Eagle-owls. It is 
believed in Tibet, that when they scream, people are certain 
that there must be robbers in the neighbourhood. ' 
The alleged reason for the bird’s characteristic of loneliness. 
The story of King Solomon. 
Now, as to the question, why the bird has the natural 
characteristic of remaining lonely and of living in sequestered 
places, the following story of King Solomon seems to tee the 

To strike the drum, ete., at the ap sroali a watches (naubat) was 
the oes ena of the es of te: King 
2 a B.A.8., Vol. V, No. 
Vide Baas Ade Pose satan to the Plays of Shakespeare 
(1886), P. 310. 
Vide ‘* Distinguished Animals,” by H. Perry Robinson (1910), 
pp. 215-16. 
> Vide the Sac HIAL of Mr. J. N. Petit, edited by Mr. J. P. 
Mistri (1903), Vol I, p 2 
edin’s Prone Hi malayas, Vol. 11, p. 327. There is a ervinnes 
about another bird that its shrieks informed people that there was a 
in the neighbourhood. 

