THE HAWK OWL. 
75 
The very remarkable bird which is now known as the Jardines Harrier is one of the 
myriad strange creatures which are produced by Australia, that land of wonders. 
According to Could, it is generally found in plains, and specially frequents the wide and 
luxuriant grass flats that intervene between the mountain ranges. Like all the birds of the 
same genus, it is never seen to soar, but sweeps over the surface of the ground at a low eleva- 
tion, seeking after the mice, reptiles, small birds, and other creatures on which it feeds. It is 
very fond of small snakes and frogs, and in order to obtain them may be seen hovering over 
the marshes, or beating the wet ground after the fashion of the hen harrier. It is seldom known 
to perch on trees, preferring to take its stand on some large stone or elevated hillock from 
which it may survey the surrounding land. The nest of this bird is supposed to be built on 
the ground, overshadowed by some brush or tuft of grass, like that of other harriers, and 
placed upon the top of one of the numerous “scrub” hills. 
The coloring of this bird is quite unique, and would attract attention even if it were not 
an anomaly among birds of this genus. The head, cheeks, and ear-coverts are dark streaked 
chestnut, the streaky appearance being given by a deep black line down the centre of each 
feather. A gray collar or band passes round the neck and the back of the head, the primaries 
are buff towards their base, and black for the latter two-thirds of their length. The tail is 
barred alternately with dark brown and gray, the extremity being brown. The back and scap- 
ularies are dark-gray sprinkled with a number of little white dots, and the entire under 
surface is a bright ruddy chestnut, covered profusely with nearly circular white spots of 
considerable size. The legs are yellow, and the bill dark slaty-blue, becoming black at the 
extremity. 
OWLS. 
There are few groups of birds which are so decidedly marked as the Owls, and so easy 
of recognition. The round, puffy head, the little hooked beak just appearing from the downy 
plumage with which it is surrounded, the large, soft, blinking eyes, and the curious disk of 
feathers which radiate from the eye and form a funnel-shaped depression, are such character- 
istic distinctions, that an Owl, even of the least Owl-like aspect, can at once be detected and 
referred to its proper place in the animal kingdom. There is a singular resemblance between 
the face of an Owl and that of a cat, which is the more notable as both these creatures have 
much the same kind of habits, live on the same prey, and are evidently representatives of the 
same idea in their different classes. The Owl, in fact, is a winged cat, just as the cat is a 
furred Owl. 
These birds are, almost without an exception, nocturnal in their habits, and are fitted for 
their peculiar life by a most wonderfully adapted form and structure. The eyes are made so 
as to take in every ray of light, and are so sensitive to its influence, that they are unable to 
endure the glare of daylight, being formed expressly for the dim light of evening or earliest 
dawn. An ordinary owl of almost any species, when brought into the full light of day, 
becomes quite bewildered with the unwonted glare, and sits blinking uncomfortably, in a 
pitiable manner, seemingly as distressed as a human being on whose undefended eyes the 
meridian sun is shining. The nictitating membrane, or inner eyelid, with which the Owl, in 
common with many other birds and animals, is furnished, stands it in good stead under such 
circumstances, and by repeatedly drawing its thin membranous substance over the aching 
eyeball, the Owl obtains some relief from the pain which it is suffering. 
The eyes of Owls are very curiously formed, as are their ears and plumage, and their 
structure will be briefly described in the course of the next few pages. 
The transition from the falcons to the Owls is evidently through the harriers, as may 
be seen by comparing the engraving of any harrier with that of the Canada Owl, or 
Hawk Owl, as it is often termed. In the harriers we find the commencement of the peculiar 
