MOTTLED OWL; SCREECH-OWL. 
SCOPS ASIO. 
HE little screech-owl is perhaps the best musical 
representative of the owls. Indeed, in point of 
individuality of style, this artist stands alone, and must 
be ranked as a singer. To be sure, he has nothing of the 
spontaneous joy of the robin, of the frolic flow of the 
bobolink, nothing of the clear, clean vigor of the oriole; 
but he surpasses them all in tender, dulcet sentiment. 
Never attempting a boisterous strain, his utterances are 
pensive and subdued, often like a faint cry of despair. 
Chary of his powers, the screech-ow] cuts his programme 
tormentingly short; and it is only after many trials that 
one is able to collect the disjointed strains that make his 
medley entire. Just at dark, some pleasant evening, you 
will hear his low, faint tremors. At first they may be 
heard perhaps every other minute, then the interim grad- 
ually lengthens, until by nine o’clock his pauses become 
intolerably long. The tremors or trills are given with a 
swell, the crescendo being longer than the diminuendo. 
