


A COMICAL OWL. 491 
onthe table to take his supper. Afterwards came the fun; 
and this consisted of actions, if not so dangerous, queerer 
_ than that ascribed to the one which continued to look at the 
man going round the tree till it twisted its neck off. He 
= was curious to examine everything he saw in motion. If a 
Were attracted to the light, and, of course, fell, unable 
to fly, but with power to struggle. And his vision was so 
rer, at first cautiously, as if taking roundings. Mean- 
_ While he would stretch his neck upwards to its utmost extent 
and look directly down; then -first to one side, now to the 
other, and twist his head round so that the eyes would be 
alinost downwards and the beak upwards; all the time, side- 
e way, then the other, till, at last, reassured, he would 
ke thy little leap, and pounce down upon—nothing. 
Sijuito” had other odd ways. His tail was not so large 
nor so brilliant as the peacock’s. Perhaps he thought it was, 
which was just as well for him. At all events, he did his 
to display what he had, as well as the more splendid 
e spread it out to its utmost extent, cocked it up as 
it would go, and twisted it to the left and to the 







- topped at all his stopping-places, he would have found that 
E 4 greater number of attitudes, and all natural ones, 
a vould be practicable with hardly any other, unless it 
à parrot ; inverted positions being reckoned among the 
