OWLS 207 



in some cases, even brilliant colouring, are clumsy, 

 useless, ungraceful creatures, whose mission in life 

 is to lie in wait for you when you are looking 

 for guinea-fowl and partridges, for the express 

 purpose of flushing with all the fuss and bustle 

 of an immature pheasant, simply for the absurd 

 object of needlessly bringing your gun to your 

 shoulder. 



Owls are a great feature. I imagine there must 

 be fully six different varieties. To begin with, sup- 

 pose yourself picking your cautious way through a 

 piece of dark forest, the heavy shadows of the 

 dense foliage gathered into a dim twilight. You 

 suddenly look upward to the fork of some moss- 

 grown tree, and a thriU runs down your spine at 

 the sight of a large, apparently semi-human face 

 glaring down upon you with an expression of angry 

 indignation. This is the Eagle-Owl {JBubo lactus), 

 probably the largest of aU. If you approach him 

 stiU closer, he will spread his great wings and sail 

 away, noiselessly flitting before you like some eerie 

 forest phantom until he gets well out of sight, when 

 his horrible cry, which has been compared to the 

 last wail of a man in mortal agony, will come 

 echoing through the woods to give you one parting 

 farewell shudder. Another variety, somewhat 

 smaUer in size, is the Spotted Eagle-Owl, whilst, 

 in addition, the hooting Barn Owl, in aU respects 

 similar to the British bird, is found, together with 

 Pel's Fishing Owl, and a barred variety {Glaucidum 

 capeTise). 



It is a great pity that South Central Africa 

 should be so neglected by the parrots. It is true 



