The Great Horned Owl. 
^ I HIS Bird is of the greater Kind of OwlSy, approaching near in Magnitude to the 
greateft Honi, or Eagle Owl : The Bignefs of the Head in this feen^is not at all 
inferior to that of a Cat j the Wing, when clofed, meafures from the Top to the Ends 
of the Qmlls full fifteen Inches. 
The Bill is black ; the upper Mandible hooked, and over hanging the nether, as in 
Eagles and Hawks^ having no Angle as in them, but plain on its Edges ; it is cover’d 
with a Skin, in which are placed the Noflrils,. and that Skin hid with a Briflly-kind of 
grey Feathers that grow round the Bafis of the Bill; the Eyes are large, having Circles 
round them pretty broad, of a bright fhining Gold-colour ; the Spaces round the Eyes, 
v/hich one may call the Face, is of a light Brown, confufedly mixed with Orange-colour, 
gradually becoming dufky where it borders on the Eyes ; over the Eyes it hath white 
Stroaks ; the Feathers that compofe the Horns begin juft above the Bill, where they are 
intermixed with a little White, but as they extend onwards beyond the Head they be- 
come of a red Brown, clouded with Dufky, and tipped with Black : The Top of the 
Head, Neck, Back, Wings, and upper Side of the Tail, are of a dark brown Colour, 
fpotted, and intermixed with fume confufed tranfverfe fmali Lines, of Afh-colour, and 
reddifh ; the greater Wing Feathers and the Tail are barred a-crofs with dusky Bars of 
half an Inch Breadth, fome a little more, fome lefs ; the Feathers between the Back and 
Wings are Orange-colour tipp’d with White ; a little below the Bill the Throat is 
White ; the fore Part of the Neck and Breaft are bright Brown, inclining to Orange, 
which gradually grows fainter on the Sides ; this brown Part is fpotted with pretty large 
dark Spots, and intermixed between the Spots with the fame dufky Colour ; the Middle 
of the Breaft, Belly, Thighs, and under Side of the Tail are White, or faint Afh-colour, 
barred tranfverfely with dufky Lines pretty regularly ; the Infide of the Wings co^ 
loured and variegated in the_fame Manner; the Legs and Toes almoft to the Ends are 
covered with light Aflr-coloured Feathers; the Ends of the Toes and Claws of a dark 
Plorn-colour. 
I faw this Bird alive in the Park of the Right Honourable the Earl of Burlington^ at - 
his Houfe at Cbifwick^ near hondon^ where I made this Defign. It was brought from 
Virginia, 
1 have by me a Bird which I believe to be of tire fame Species with this ; I received 
it preferved dry ftom Hudfat' s-Bay, in North- America, It differs from the above de- 
ferib’d, in that it hath not Orange-colour’d and white Feathers between the Back and 
Wings, and in having the Infide of the Wings, Belly, Thighs, Legs, and under Side 
of the Tail mixed with a dull Orange-colour, but little Light or White being intermixed 
with the black tranfverfe Bars, as in the above deferibed ; The Magnitude in both the fame. 
I have given this Bird a Place here, becaufe its Defeription varies fomething from the 
European Birds of this Kind I find deferib’d by Authors. See Willoughby^ Page 99, 
^ab, 12, There is now kept alive, at the Mourning'-B^d^J TaVQvn hy Alder/gate^ Lon^ 
dpUy an Owl which I take to be of this very Species.. 
