YELLOW OWL. 125 



white ; and another of which the ground colour was perfectly 

 white, and the pencillings on the upper plumage very indis- 

 tinctly denned in the palest possible colouring. 



The Yellow Owl is known in all ihe temperate regions 

 of the globe ; it hardly extends northward in Europe so far 

 as the southern parts of Sweden, but is well known in the 

 south of Asia, Africa, and America, and very numerous in 

 Tartar)". In consequence of its residing generally near the 

 habitations of man, it is every where a bird of familiar appear- 

 ance ; it does not frequent mountains or forests, but inhabits 

 the vicinity of villages and farms, and is even met with in 

 large towns, where it hides in towers, church steeples, holes 

 in walls, crevices, &c. : barns and pigeon houses are much 

 frequented by them ; old ruins it is most fond of, where 

 it sits all day in a sleeping attitude. Sometimes it also hides 

 in a hole in a tree, or in the shelter afforded by an evergreen. 



In very cold weather a numher have sometimes been found 

 sitting close together for the purpose of keeping each other 

 warm ; and it appears as if the male and female constantly 

 associate together throughout the year. 



The appearance of this owl, in consequence of its three- 

 cornered or heart-shaped face, is very singular, and bears 

 much resemblance to a monkey. When asleep the face is 

 much lengthened, and the dark brown spots descending from 

 the eyes give it a very ludicrous expression. During the 

 day the eyes are only opened in the form of a narrow slit ; 

 at night they are wide open and peering about ; the face is 

 then also more rounded. In confinement this bird is very 

 easily tamed when taken young, or brought up from the nest. 



The flight of these birds is soft and without the least 

 noise, slow, wavering, and often near the ground. As soon 

 as it begins to be dark they commence their search for food, 

 and carry on the chase, if moon-light, until the morning ; 

 during this time they frequent fields and meadows and copse- 

 wood in search of mice, rats, moles, small birds, and coleop- 

 terous insects. These birds are said to collect and hoard up 



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