66 The Birds of the Assyrian Monuments and Records. 
owl. The first name may well be referred to the Heb. 
" to be bitter or sad," and denote a species of owl which is 
peculiarly characterised by its mournful wailings ; this is the 
little owl {Athene glaux), whose low-wailing note Di\ Tristram 
speaks of as sure to be heard at sunset, while the little comical 
fellow himself is " seen bowing and keeping time to his own 
music "; but the common Scops owl (S. giu), and the little owl, 
possessed of horns, which the other has not, is, I think, also 
included in the Assyrian names. Though these little owls 
are not often met with, there is not a garden of any size in 
Persia which does not contain a couple, at least, making night 
" hideous with their melancholy cry." The words its-tsur 
tu-ba-ci I interpret as the ' ' bird of the dust or ground," from 
the Hebrew word plN " dust." Now the first-named species 
of owl, the little Athene glaux, abounds in the great desert 
plains of the Persian highlands, and is often gregarious, five 
<or six being often seen together ; being more diurnal in cha- 
racter than most owls, it was very likely to have often been 
observed by the Assyrians ; moreover, it lives in holes during 
the day, and sometimes breeds in holes in the ground, so that 
the owl of the dust is literally exact as a description of this 
species. I may also mention that Buxtorf, in his Lexicon, 
under the word abak (p^N), gives the word abkuth (TflpJN), 

which is explained by "luctatio in pulvere "; so that, in any 
commence preparations for breeding. At this season may be heard their hollow, 
muffled cry of ' Poohoo, poohoo,' which is distinguishable at a great distance 
through the woods: and it is not to be wondered that the timid are frightened at 
it. In the silent dark recesses of the mountain forest, a variety of noises, well 
calculated to make one's flesh creep, fall upon the ear : the shrill, mocking 
laugh, a sound as of snarling hounds ; the whoop of the hunter, the snorting of 
horses : these are all calculated to impress the uneducated and superstitious with 
the truth of the legend of the wild huntsman. Even to the ear of the better 
informed these hideous cries, the loud screech of the female, or the ' poohoo ' 
of the male, intermingled with the snapping of the beak and curious wailings, 
sound somewhat weird ; and the boldest of mortals can scarcely repress a cold 
shudder, when a company of these forest spirits favour him with one of their 
demoniacal nod urnal concerts." (Brehm's " Bird Life," p. 567, &«.) 
(8.) The mar-ra-tuv an( * ^ ts - tsur tu-ba-ci 
>-££Y ^TET ) is doubtless another species of 
