CATCHING A TARTAR. 



F all the inhabitants of the air, none move on such noiseless wings as the 



night-loving, hoarse-voiced Owl. Its downy plumage makes no resistance to 



the atmosphere ; but yielding, like the wave, to every breath that blows, 



enables the bird to glide like a sprite over the star-light landscape. The Owl's 



approach is unheralded, and its victims are snatched up, or lifted from the earth 



without a moment's warning, and borne away in triumph. 



Nearly every portion of the earth can claim the Owl as an inhabitant. 

 Amid, the gloomy recesses of the Polar regions, beyond the farthest point that the 

 foot of civilized man has ever trod, robed in a dress of white that rivals in purity 

 the snow around, the great Snowy Owl dwells, a king even amid the monarchs of 

 the air. Feathered to the bill and claws, no freezing blast has any effect on him ; 

 and amid the twilight of an Arctic winter, his vision is as clear and far-reaching 

 as is the Eagle's beneath the rays of a Tropical sun. Fearless, and confident in 

 his own powers, he roams over the bleak fields of his northern home, or follows 

 the Bears in their search for the Walrus and Seal, and shares their banquet with 

 them. 



Beside the familiar birds of this family, there are also Ground or Burrow- 

 ing Owls, which live in holes in the earth, arid do not shun the light of day. In 

 these strange subterranean dwellings the bird lives in company with the marmot 

 (commonly known as the Prairie dog), and the rattle-snake. It is doubtful if 



