47 8 THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD 



Pholc by C. M. Mav 



[ Smy rna 



EAGLE-OWL 



One of the largest oivh 



when hunting in twilight hours. The owls are almost 

 the only birds in which the outer toe is re\'ersible, or 

 capable of being turned either forwards or backwards. 

 Furthermore, the members of this group are remarkable 

 for the fact that the eyes look directly forward, instead 

 of outwards, as in other birds, and that the feathers of 

 the face are arranged round each eye in the form of 

 a disk, and thus impart the familiar owl-like visage, 

 seen elsewhere only among certain of the Hawk Tribe 

 known as " Harriers." 



Four species of owl are to be found sparsely dis- 

 tributed over Great Britain. We may regard as the 

 typical owl the species known as the T.wvxv or Wooii- 

 OWI.. It is the largest of the resident owls in England, 

 and would be much more abundant but that it is sub- 

 jected to a rigorous and foolish persecution, born of 

 long-standing prejudice and ignorance; it stands accused 

 of the heinous offence of eating game, a charge which 

 has never yet been fully proved. The benefits it confers 

 are great, but, unfortunately, unrecognised, for its chief 

 food consists of rats and mice. This is the bird which 

 gives utterance to that weird " hoo-hoo— hoo-hoo-hoo," 



case of the Greeks, who made the owl the 

 s\-mbol of \\isdom, and chose as an emblem, 

 singularly enough, the species known as the 

 Little Owl, a bird which is notorious for its 

 ludicr(jus behaviour, so much so that it has 

 earned for itself the reputation of being the 

 veritable buffoon of birds. Its grotesque and 

 ridiculous antics are utilised by Continental bird- 

 catchers, who use it as a lure to attract small 

 birds, tethering it for this purpose near nets, 

 snares, or twigs smeared with bird-lime. 



Amongst other birds, strangely enough, the 

 owl appears to be as much disliked as the fiercer 

 and more dangerous members of the Hawk Tribe, 

 and in consequence, should one x'enture abroad 

 during the day or be discovered in its retreat, the 

 alarm is gi\en, and e\ery small bird within call 

 is summoned to take part in a general mobbing. 



Although proverbiall}- unpalatable, the Little 

 Owl is said to be eaten in Italy, as are other species 

 in the x'arious countries in which they are found. 



Var\'ing considerabl)' in size, the owls, 

 ne\ ertheless, present a very general uniformity in 

 ap])carance. All are remarkable for the peculiar 

 softness of their plumage, which imparts to the 

 wings the almost unique power of absolutely 

 silent flight, the sound being deadened or muffled, 

 so that the prey can be approached suddenly, and 

 seized before escape is possible. This is very 

 necessary 



Ph.to h If. y. Daiid: F.Z t., Rnmt'i Pa'l: 



VIRGINIAN EAGLE-OWL 



A cdmtnon North American species, feeding largely 

 on small mammals 



