OWLS. 
27 
very fond of honey and wax. Dr. Kaup tells me, he has 
twice seen our British species (the P. ajoivoms) in Germany, 
with its crop filled with little black berries and leaves. 
The Indian species {Pernis cristatd) has been taken by 
Mr. Jerdon"^ with a large quantity of pure honey in its sto- 
mach; and its crop, when examined, is found to contain 
ants and wax. Mr. Jerdon mentions that he found in a 
specimen he dissected, a soft green mass, which looked like 
vegetable matter, but which was most likely the half-digested 
remains of green caterpillars. 
The Nocturnal hirds of jprey form one large family, 
the Owls (Strigid^), distinguished by their large head 
(Plate I. fig. 3), apparently increased in size by the long fea- 
thers which clothe it ; their eyes also are very large, and di- 
rected forwards; the circle of fringed feathers which surround 
them, added to the size of the eyes, give the birds a pecu- 
liarly sagacious look, which has passed into a proverb. The 
large eyes collect at night every vestige of light, but, during 
the day, the pupils distend so much, that the excess of light 
dazzles and quite blinds them. The skull contains large ca- 
vities, communicating with the ears, which are supposed to 
assist their pow- ers of hearing, every sense requiring its full- 
* Madras Journal, vol. x. p. 73. 
