THE WHITE OWL. 
91 
with which it was clad. This Owl always welcomed the approach of its friend, and when it 
perched upon its back, seemed as pleased as a horse when his favorite cat comes to bear him 
company. No other bird was so honored, and a pair of goldfinches that were kept in a cage 
were constantly persecuted by the Owl, which could never understand that they were not to 
be killed, and was in the habit of pushing his feet through the bars, in vain attempts to secure 
the inmates. 
It was a confirmed murderer of bats, and small birds as well as mice, and was accustomed 
to push its prey into a hole in an old wall that had been occasioned by the fall of a brick. In 
this odd larder were constantly found a strange variety of slaughtered game. Six to eight 
small birds were often counted when the hole was explored in the early morning, and once the 
Owl had poked fourteen bats into the aperture. On several occasions, the bird had contrived 
to pack a moderately sized eel into its storehouse, having always killed the eel by a bite across 
the back of the neck. The Owl was always attracted by bright and glittering objects, and 
once was seen to pounce upon a knitting-needle that lay glistening in the moonshine, and to 
carry it away to its usual receptacle. 
This bird was remarkably fond of half-cooked chicken, and was wonderfully delighted if 
its meal were seasoned with a very slight sprinkling of sugar and salt, a fact which is rather 
remarkable, because, as a general rule, the predaceous birds do not care for sugar. 
The hunting hour of this Owl varied much according to the time of year, and was about 
six p. m. in April and May, and eight in June and July. It was a spiteful bird, and very 
much given to attacking strange men and beasts. His last escapade was of such a serious 
nature, that he was summarily handed over to the executioner. He dashed at a pony which 
was coming towards the house, and fastening on its nose with its claws, battered the poor 
beast with his wings to such an extent that it became quite frantic, and by a powerful toss of 
the head flung its assailant violently on the ground and broke one of his legs. Nothing 
daunted by this mishap, the Owl returned to the attack, and, grasping the pony’s nose with 
the sound foot, struck his curved beak into its face and recommenced his buffeting. He was 
at last torn away by main force, and paid the penalty of his mischief with his life. 
This species is generally considered to be the typical example of the Owl tribe, as it 
exhibits in great perfection the different characteristics of the Owls, namely, the thick coat of 
downy plumage, the peculiar disc round the eye, the large eye-balls, and the heavily feathered 
legs and toes. The feathers are so thickly set upon this bird, that it appears to be of much 
greater dimensions than is really the case. When standing on its feet, or while flying over 
the fields like a huge bunch of thistle-down blown violently by the night breeze, the Barn 
Owl appears to be rather a large bird; but when the creature is lying on the bird-stuffer’s 
table, after its skin and feathers have been removed, the transformation is really astonishing. 
The great round head shrinks into the shape and size of that of a small hawk, the body is 
hardly larger than that of a pigeon, and but for the evident power of the firm muscles and 
their glistening tendinous sheaths, the bird would appear absolutely insignificant. 
Although so small, it is a terrible bird to fight, and when it flings itself defiantly on its 
back, ire glancing from its eyes, and its sharp claws drawn up to its breast ready to strike as 
soon as its antagonist shall come within their range, it is really a formidable foe, and will test 
the nerves of a man to some extent before he can secure the fierce little bird, as I can assert 
from experience, having had my hands somewhat torn in such an encounter. So fiercely does 
this bird strike, that I knew an instance where a dog was blinded by the stroke of a Barn 
Owl’ s claws. The Owl was a tame one, and the dog — a stranger — went up to inspect the bird. 
As the dog approached the Owl, the bird rolled quietly over on its back, and when the dog 
put his head to the prostrate bird, it struck so sharply with its claws that it destroyed both 
the eyes of the poor animal, which had to be killed on account of the injury. While its young 
are helpless, the White Owl watches over their safety with great vigilance, and if any living 
thing, such as a man or a dog, should approach too closely to the domicile, the Owl will dash 
fiercely at them, regardless of the consequence to itself. 
The nest of this species is placed either in a hollow tree, or in a crevice of some old build- 
ing, where it deposits its white, rough-surfaced eggs upon a soft layer of dried “castings.” 
