EAGLE OWL. 115 
small, oval, without an operculum. Wings rather short, concave ; the third and 
fourth quill-feathers generally the longest. Legs and toes covered with feathers ; 
claws long, curved, and sharp. 
Tue characters and appearance of Owls are so singular 
and so peculiar, that once having seen them they are not 
readily forgotten. They have but little external beauty of 
form. The head is large, the expression grotesque, the 
body bulky in appearance, the plumage soft and downy. 
Unlike the Falcons, which hunt for their food by day, the 
Owls seek their prey during the twilight of morning and 
evening, and probably during the greater part of the night, 
if the state of the moon or the atmosphere affords sufficient 
light for the purpose. From this habit of flying at night, 
the singular appearance of the bird produced by the ar- 
rangement of the feathers of the face, formimg a broad 
circular disk, a peculiar hollow tone of voice, unlike that of 
any other bird, and the additional circumstance of most of 
the species selecting ivy-covered ruins of sacred edifices as 
places of resort from the solitude and protection the cha- 
racter of such femains afford, Owls have been considered 
by the superstitious as birds of darkness and ill-omen, and 
by some even as messengers of death. Thus Shakspeare 
says— 
“Out on ye, Owls! nothing but songs of Death.” 
Richard the Third. 
The eyes of Owls are large, and appear to be particu- 
larly susceptible of impression from light. If exposed to 
the glare of day, most of the species seem to be powerfully 
affected by it, and the eyes are either closed entirely or 
defended by an internal eyelid, which is brought down with 
ease and rapidity. The power of hearing in Owls is pro- 
bably more acute than in many other birds; the auditory 
opening in some species is very large, and covered by an 
operculum, which is elevated or closed at pleasure. Their 
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