EIRDS OF PREY. 85 



is so thickly clothed with stiff bristle-like feathers as to be entirely concealed. The large eyes, 

 which look directly forward, are without the bony ridge projecting from the brow, usually «o 

 characteristic of the Falconidae, and are encompassed by a circle of slender, radiating, hair-like 

 feathers, forming a facial disc. The ear is highly developed, and often furnished with a kind of 

 lid ; the wings are long, broad, and wedge-shaped ; the tail broad and of various lengths ; the short 

 tarsi and toes are covered with feathery plumes or hairs ; the outer toe is reversible, as in the Parrot, 

 and the claws are long and sharp. The plumage of the body is composed of long, broad feathers, 

 and is so extremely soft and downy as to render the flight of an Owl almost noiseless; the 

 coloration is in most species sombre, and scarcely distinguishable from the bark of the trees on 

 which they perch; in some few, on the contrary, it is comparatively bright and varied. All the 

 members of this division possess extraordinary power [of seeing in the dark, and hear with such 

 acuteness that they can readily detect and obtain their prey in situations where sight seems 

 impossible. As regards intelligence they are certainly behind the rest of the order ; and, though 

 generally peaceful in their disposition, will, if excited, fall upon and devour such of their companions 

 as are aged or sick, not sparing even their own offspring. Their flight is usually slow, and 

 their movements upon the ground extremely clumsy, but when in the trees they hop about and 

 spring from branch to branch with great agility, sometimes amusing themselves by ducking their 

 heads and throwing their bodies into a great variety of ludicrous attitudes. Every quarter of 

 the globe is inhabited by these predatory birds, some species being as much at home on the 

 icebergs of the Polar regions as others are beneath a tropical sun ; they are sometimes found upon 

 mountains, at an altitude of 15,000 feet above the level of the sea, and, though woodland regions 

 are their favourite resorts, frequent both populous districts and desert plains. Although generally 

 classed collectively as " Night Birds," some few species obtain their food during the day, and 

 confront the sunlight with the utmost ease ; still, they are for the most part nocturnal, concealing 

 themselves in holes and cavities until the hour of twilight has arrived, and, if forced into the full 

 glare of day, sit blinking and staring in a state of helpless bewilderment most amusing to behold. 

 All reject carrion, and only devour such food as they have themselves killed, subsisting principally 

 upon small quadrupeds, birds, and insects ; a few will even eat fish. Many species are capable of 

 living without water for months at a time, though they drink it readily, and often bathe freely. Most 

 of the members of this sub-order lay from two to seven round white eggs, which are deposited in 

 holes of trees, rocks, or buildings. The young remain for a considerable time under the care of 

 their parents, by whom they are protected with great affection and courage. 



The DAY OWLS (Sumice) are recognisable by their small head, slender body, long fail and 

 wings, and compact plumage. All their senses are well developed, and in intelligence they far 

 exceed any of their nocturnal relatives. 



THE SPARROW-HAWK OWL. 



The Sparrow-hawk Owl (Surma Ulula, Surnia funcrca, or Surma nisoria), often called 

 the Falcon Owl, on account of some slight resemblance to that family, is one of the best known 

 members of this group, and is distinguished from its congeners by its broad flat head, and small 

 face, which is without the circle of feathers around the region of the eye, possessed by most of the 

 species ; its wings are slender and pointed, its tail long and conical. The beak is short, powerful, 

 higher than it is broad, and curves downwards from its base ; the hook in which the upper mandible 

 terminates, overlaps the lower one ; the margins of both are slightly incised, and the latter has 

 a deep notch at its tip. The tarsi are completely covered with feathers, and the toes armed with 



