“ie 
202 MOTTLED OWL. 
in His wisdom, assigned to this class of birds a more unsocial, and 
less noble, thouga, perhaps, not less useful, disposition, by assimila- 
ting them, not only in form of countenance, but in voice, manners, and 
appetite, to some particular beasts of prey; secluding them from the 
enjoyment of the gay sunshine of day, and giving them little more 
than the few solitary hours of morning and evemng twilight, to pro- 
cure their food and pursue their amours ; while all the tuneful tribes, 
a few excepted, are wrapt in silence and repose. That their true 
character, however, should not be concealed from those weaker ani- 
mals on whom they feed, (for Heaven abhors deceit and hypocrisy,) 
He has stamped their countenance with strong traits of their murder- 
er, the cat; and birds in this respect are, perhaps, better physiogno- 
mists than men. 
The Owl now before us is chiefly a native of the northern regions, 
arriving here, with several others, about the commencement of cold 
weather ; frequenting the uplands and mountainous districts, in pref- 
erence to the lower parts of the country ; and feeding on mice, small 
birds, beetles, and crickets. It is rather a scarce species in Pennsyl- 
vania; flies usually in the early part of night and morning; and is 
sometimes observed sitting on the fences during day, when it is easily 
caught, its vision at that time being very imperfect. , 
The bird represented in Fig. 89 was taken in this situation, and 
presented to me by a friend. I kept it in the room beside me for 
some time, during which its usual position was such as I have given 
it. Its eyelids were either half shut, or slowly and alternately open- 
ing and shutting, as if suffering from the glare of day; but no sooner 
was the sun set than its whole appearance became lively and animated ; 
its full and globular eyes shone like those of a cat; and it often 
lowered its head, in the manner of a cock when preparing to fight, 
moving it from side to side, and also vertically, asif reconnoitring you 
with great sharpness. In flying through the room, it shifted from 
place to place with the silence of a spirit, (if I may be allowed the 
expression,) the plumage of its wings being so extremely fine and soft 
as to occasion little or no friction with the air,—a wise provision of 
Nature, bestowed on the whole genus, to enable them, without giving 
alarm, to seize their prey in the night. For an hour or two in the 
evening, and about break of day, it flew about with great activity. 
When angry, it snapped its bill repeatedly with violence, and so loud 
as to be heard in the adjoining room, swelling out its eyes to their 
full dimensions, and lowering its head as before described. It swal- 
lowed its food hastily, in large mouthfuls; and never was observed to 
drink. Of the eggs and nest of this species, I am unable to speak. 
The Mottled Owl is ten inches long, and twenty-two in extent; the 
upper part of the head, the back, ears, and lesser wing-coverts, are 
dark brown, streaked and variegated with black, pale brown, and ash; 
wings, lighter, the greater coverts and primaries spotted with white ; 
tail, short, even, and mottled with black, pale brown, and whitish, on a 
dark brown ground ; its lower side, gray; horns, (as they are usually 
called,) very prominent, each composed of ten feathers, increasing in 
length from the front backwards, and lightest on the inside; face, 
whitish, marked with small touches of dusky, and bounded on each 
side with a circlet of black ; breast and belly, white, beautifully varie- 
