438 GREAT HORNED OWL. 
Arctic Regions, where it is often found white; and occurs as low as 
Astrakan. It has also been seen white in the United States ; but this 
has doubtless been owing to disease or natural defect, and not to 
climate. It preys on young rabbits, squirrels, rats, mice, partridges, and 
small birds of various kinds. It has been often known to prowl about 
the farm-house, and carry off Chickens from roost. A very large one, 
wing-broken while on a foraging excursion of this kind, was kept 
about the house for several days, and at length disappeared, no one 
knew how. Almost every day after this, Hens and Chickens also dis- 
appeared, one by one, in an unaccountable manner, till, in eight or ten 
days, very few were left remaining. The fox, the minx, and weasel, 
were alternately the reputed authors of this mischief, until one morn- 
ing, the old lady herself, rising before day to bake, in passing towards 
the oven, surprised her late prisoner, the Owl, regaling himself on the 
body of a newly-killed Hen! The thief instantly made for his hole 
under the house, from whence the enraged matron soon dislodged him 
with the brush handle, and without mercy despatched him. In this 
snug retreat were found the greater part of the feathers, and many 
large fragments, of her whole family of Chickens. ; 
There is something in the character of the Owl so recluse, solitary, 
and mysterious, something so discordant in the tones of its voice, 
heard only amid the silence and gloom of night, and in the most lonely 
and sequestered situations, as to have strongly impressed the minds of 
mankind in general with sensations of awe and abhorrence of the 
whole tribe. The poets have induiged freely in this general prejudice ; 
and in their descriptions and delineations of midnight storms, and 
gloomy scenes of nature, the Owl is generally introduced to heighten 
the horror of the picture. Ignorance and superstition, in all ages, and 
in all countries, listen to the voice of the Owl, and even contemplate 
its physiognomy with feelings of disgust, and a kind of fearful awe. 
The priests, or conjurers, among some of our Indian nations, have 
taken advantage of the reverential horror for this bird, and have 
adopted the Great Horned Owl, the subject of the present account, as 
the symbol or emblem of their office. “ Among the Creeks,” says Mr. 
Bartram, in his Travels, p. 504, “the junior priests, or students, con- 
stantly wear a white mantle, and have a Great Owl skin cased and 
stuffed very ingeniously, so well executed as almost to appear like the 
living bird, having large, sparkling, glass beads, or buttons, fixed in the 
head for eyes. This insignia of wisdom and divination they wear 
sometimes as a crest on the top of the head; at other times the image 
sits on the arm, or is borne on the hand. These bachelors are also 
distinguished from the other people by their taciturnity, grave and 
solemn countenance, dignified step, and singing to themselves songs 
or hymns in a low, sweet voice, as they stroll about the town.” 
Nothing 1s a more effectual cure for superstition than a knowledge 
of the general laws and productions of nature ; nor more forcibly leads 
our reflections, to the first, great, self-existent Causes of all, to whom 
our reverential awe is then humbly devoted, and not to any of his 
dependent creatures. With all the gloomy habits and ungracious 
tones of tre Owl, there is nothing in this bird supernatural or mys- 
terious, or more than that of a simple bird of prey, formed for feeding 
