264 THE BROWN OWL. 
of this curious bird is unlike that of any other Owl, and bears a very great 
resemblance to the short, sharp bark of the prairie dog. 
We now arrive at a large group of Owls which are remarkable for 
two tufts of feathers which rise from the head, and occupy nearly the 
same relative position as the ears of quadrupeds. These “ears,” as 
they are called, have, however nothing to do with the organs of 
hearing, but are simply tufts of feathers, which can be raised or depressed 
at the will of the bird, and give a most singular expression to the 
countenance. 
THE VIRGINIAN-EARED OWL is found spread over the greater portion of 
North America, and in former days did great damage among the poultry of 
the agriculturists, being a bold as well as a voracious hird. Now, however, 
the ever-ready rifle of the farmer has thinned its numbers greatly, and has 
inspired the survivors with 
such awe that they mostly 
i) keep clear of cultivated lands, 
my, and confine themselves to 
seeking after their legitimate,j 
prey. eo aj 
It is a terrible destroyer of 
Z game, snatching up grouse, 
partridges, hares, ducks, 
sparrows, squirrels, and many 
other furred and feathered 
2 creatures, and not unfre- 
quently striving after larger 
quarry. The wild turkey is 
a favourite article of diet 
with this Owl; but on ac- 
count of the extreme wari- 
ness of the turkey nature, 
the depredator finds an un- 
seen approach to be no easy 
matter. The usual mode in 
‘ which the Owl catches the 
turkey is, to find out a spot 
where its intended prey is 
quietly sleeping at night, and 
aE ‘ / then to swoop down sud- 
BROWN OWL.—(Surnium Aluco.) denly upon the slumbering 
bird before it awakes. Some- 
times, however, the Owl is baffled in a very curious manner. When the 
turkey happens to be roused by the rush of the winged foe, it’ instinc- 
tively ducks its head and spreads its tail flatly over its back. The Owl, 
impinging upon the slippery plane of stiff tail-feathers, finds no hold for its 
claws, and glides off the back of its intended victim, which immediately dives 
into the brushwood before the Owl can recover from the surprise of its unex- 
pected failure. 
The flight of this bird is remarkably powerful, easy, and graceful, as may 
be gathered from the enormous expanse of wing in comparison with the 
weight and dimensions of the body. Its voice is of a hollow and weird-like 
character, and when heard by night from some spot on which the Owl has 
silently settled, is apt to cause many a manly cheek to pale. As Wilson well 
observes, the loud and sudden cry of “ Waugh O! Waugh O!” is sufficient 
to alarm a whole garrison of soldiers, Probably on accoynt of the peculiar 
