90 cassell's book of birds. 



same size as and closely allied to the Stone Owls, but differing from these latter in their superior 

 length of leg, and in some other trifling respects. The members of this group are recognisable by 

 their moderate size, round head, large eyes, and elongated beak, rather arched at its roof, and 

 terminating in a hook ; the lower mandible is blunt at its tip, and slightly incised upon the 

 margins. The wings, in which the fourth quill is longer than the rest, are long, powerful, and 

 rounded at the extremity ; the tail is short and straight, the tarsi high, slender, and only sparsely 

 feathered in front, the sides and sole being covered with smooth skin ; the toes are defended by 

 rough horny plates interspersed with bristles ; the talons are very slightly curved. The plumage, 

 which is composed of small, soft, silky feathers, lies very compact ; the feathers on the cheek-stripes 

 are stiff and bristlelike, and the rest of those upon the face small and delicate. 



THE BRAZILIAN OR RABBIT OWL. 

 The Brazilian or Rabbit Owl (Pholeoptynx cunicularid) — called by the natives the Caruje — 

 is about eight inches long, and twenty-two broad ; the wing measures six and the tail three inches. 

 The upper part of the body is reddish brown, marked with oval and round white spots ; the 

 chin and eyebrows are white, the lower part of the neck reddish yellow, spotted with greyish 

 brown, the breast greyish brown marked with yellow ; the lower part of the belly is yellowish white ; 

 the eye is yellow, the beak pale greenish grey, as are the legs. This bird inhabits the Brazils, 

 and is replaced in North America by 



THE PRAIRIE OWL. 

 The Prairie Owl (Pholeoptynx hypogcza), a species so closely resembling it both in ap- 

 pearance and habits, that one description will suffice for them both. The Burrowing Owls are 

 found in great numbers throughout the extensive plains of the American continent, perching 

 upon hillocks, or scrambling in and out of the holes in which they live ; they constantly frequent 

 such excavations as have been made by anteaters, armadilloes, or prairie dogs, and instances have 

 occurred in which they have been seen quietly creeping in and out of a hole tenanted, not only 

 by the last-mentioned quadruped, but by a rattlesnake. Like the Stone Owl, they are capable 

 of enduring the full light of the sun, and display considerable agility in evading pursuit; the 

 colour of their plumage aids them considerably, as it closely resembles that of the ground on which 

 they sit. They walk with ease and rapidity, and fly in an undulating course, but only remain 

 for a short time upon the wing; they never frequent trees, but pass their lives almost entirely 

 upon the earth. Whilst seated they indulge in all the- strange attitudes, bowings, and tossings 

 of the head with which their congeners amuse themselves, and greet the approach of a stranger 

 with a fixed stare, their eyes shining like stars. AVhoever attempts to capture one of them generally 

 finds that his labour has been spent in vain, as they easily elude pursuit, and if hard pressed 

 take refuge in one of the many holes that abound in their favourite haunts. They are remarkably 

 social, even during the breeding season, and several pairs frequently lay their eggs in such burrows 

 as are near together. The Brazilian species deposits its three white eggs upon the bare ground of 

 the cavity selected, whilst the North American Prairie Owl on the contrary, according to Townshend, 

 lays four whitish eggs, and lines its hole with fine grass ; both subsist principally upon mice, snakes, 

 lizards, and grasshoppers, and will occasionally eat crabs or such other inhabitants of the water as 

 find their way to dry land. The North American Indians declare that these Owls retire into their 

 holes about the end of August, in company with the prairie dogs, and there sleep away the winter 

 months, but we should be inclined to imagine that their undeniable disappearance during the cold 

 season is occasioned by their having gone for a time further south. 



