THE SPOTTED OWLET 
LINY describes the owl as the “very monster 
of the night.” The Indian spotted owlet 
(Athene brama) goes one better than Pliny’s 
bird, for, in addition to being the very mon- 
ster of the night, it is the terror of the early and the 
closing hours of the day. This amusing little creature 
is the characteristic night bird of India. Just as the 
Indian day would be unthinkable without the crows, so 
would the night not seem itself were there no spotted 
owlets to disturb our slumbers. 
When I first came to the “gorgeous East” I was 
sent, presumably by way of introduction to the rigours 
of the climate of this delightful country, to a station on 
the borders of the Punjab desert. Life in a desert is 
not without its advantages, For example, mosquitoes 
are conspicuous by their absence. There are some 
climates at which even the anopheles draws the line. 
During the winter months I had not much to complain 
of, save that the surrounding country was brown instead 
of green. The place was merely Aden without the sea 
and the rocks. By the middle of March the bungalow 
was an oven, hence beds were placed outside. In our 
compound was a great banyan tree, which was the con- 
cert hall of some spotted owlets. 
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