CHAPTER LIV 



NOCTUENAL BIBDS OF PREY 



' f |iHE brown owl, the horned owl, the barn-owl and 

 X other species of this family, are known under 

 the name of nocturnal birds of prey. They are 

 called birds of prey because they live on the small 

 animals that they catch, such as rats and mice, both 

 those that infest our houses and those that live in 

 the fields. Owls are, among birds, what cats are 

 among quadrupeds, — the inveterate foes of all those 

 small rodents of which the mouse is our most fa- 

 miliar example. 



"The French language has recognized this analogy 

 in its term chat-huant x (hooting cat) applied to a 

 certain kind of owl. This bird is, in some sort, a 

 cat in its manner of living, a cat that flies and that 

 utters a long-drawn cry like a plaintive howl. It 

 is nocturnal; in other words, it keeps itself hidden 

 by day in some obscure retreat, whence it comes 

 forth only at nightfall, to hunt in the twilight and 

 under the rays of the moon. 



"Owls have eyes of remarkable size, round, and 

 both in a frontal position instead of being placed 

 one on each side of the head. A broad rim of fine 

 feathers encircles each eye. The reason for their 



i The corresponding English term is "screech-owl." — Translator. 



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