384 RED OWL. 
The bird represented in Fig. 174 I kept for several weeks in the 
room beside me. It was caught ina barn, where it had taken up its 
Jodging, probably for the greater convenience of mousing; and, being 
unhurt, I had an opportunity of remarking its manners. At first, it 
struck itself so forcibly against the window as frequently to deprive it, 
seemingly, of all sensation for several minutes: this was done so re- 
peatedly that I began to fear that either the glass or the Owl’s skull 
must give way. Ina few days, however, it either began to compre- 
hend something of the matter, or to take disgust at the glass, for it 
never repeated its attempts; and soon became quite tame and familiar. 
Those who have seen this bird only in the day can form but an imper- 
fect idea of its activity, and even sprightliness, in its proper season of 
exercise. Throughout the day, it was all stillness and gravity, — its 
eyelids half shut, its neck contracted, and its head shrunk, seemingly, 
into its body ; but scarcely was the sun set, and twilight began to ap- 
proach, when its eyes became full and sparkling, like two living 
globes of fire; it crouched on its perch, reconnoitred every object 
around with looks of eager fierceness ; alighted and fed; stood on the 
meat with clenched talons, while it tore it in morsels with its bill; 
flew round the room with the silence of thought, and perching, 
moaned out its melancholy notes, with many lively gesticulations, not 
at all accordant with the pitiful tone of its ditty, which reminded one 
of the shivering moanings of a half-frozen puppy. 
This species is found generally over the United States, and is not 
migratory. : 4 
The Red Owl is eight inches and a half long, and twenty-one inch- 
es in extent; general color of the plumage above, a bright nut brown, 
or tawny red; the shafts, black; exterior edges of the outer row of 
scapulars, white; bastard wing, the five first primaries, and three or 
four of the first greater coverts, also spotted with white; whole wing- 
quills, spotted with dusky on their exterior webs; tail, rounded, trans- 
versely barred with dusky and pale brown; chin, breast, and sides, 
bright reddish brown, streaked laterally with black, intermixed with 
white; belly and vent, white, spotted with bright brown; legs, covered 
1o the claws with pale brown hairy down; extremities of the toes and 
claws, pale bluish, ending in black; bill, a pale bluish horn color; 
eyes, vivid yellow; inner angles of the eyes, eyebrows, and space 
surrounding the bill, whitish; rest of the face, nut brown; head, horn- 
ed or eared, each horn consisting of nine or ten feathers of a tawny 
red, shafted with black. 
