THE BARRED OWL. 
•281 
^ Uttered loudly, and in so strange and ludicrous a 
T^ner, that I should not he surprised were you, kind 
Jeader, when you and I meet, to compare these sounds 
!° the affected bursts of laughter which you may have 
^ard from some of the fashionable members of our 
species. ... , 
“ Ilow often, when snugly settled under the houghs 
'' Uly temporary encampment, and preparing to roast 
* Unison steak or the body of a squirrel, on a wooden 
“it, have I been saluted with the exulting hursts ot 
, 'is uio-htlv disturber of the peace, that, had it not 
“ ei ‘n for him, would have prevailed around me, as well 
my lonely retreat! How often have 1 seen this 
Journal marauder alight within a few yards of me, 
posing his whole body to the glare of my tire, and 
Te me in such a curious manner, that, had it been 
Vnable to do so, I would gladly have invited him to 
jMk i n and join me in my repast, that 1 might have 
ployed the pleasure of forming a better acquaintance 
I'kh hi,,,! The liveliness of his motions, joined to 
, <*ir oddness, have often made me think that Ins society 
>uld | K} fif least as agreeable as tbat ot many ot the 
^froons we meet with in the world. J^ut., as such 
^Pportunities of forming; acquaintance have not existed, 
p hi «h I D , 
of our woods. , . , 
; Such persons as conclude, when looking upon owls 
} tl,e glare of day, that they are, as they then appear, 
5 tl- emely dull, arc greatly mistaken. Were they to 
l ,te, lU-e Buffon, that woodpeckers are miserable 
they would he talking as incorrectly ; and, to 
“e who mi<rht, have lived long in the woods, they 
°'ihl scem t o have lived only in their libraries. 
b“ The barred owl is found in all those parts of the 
, “'ted States which I have visited, and is a constant 
ardent In Louisiana it seems to be more abundant 
S in any other State. It is almost impossible to 
>el ehrht or ten miles in any of the retired woods 
'V, without seeing several of them, even in broad 
content, kind reader? with the imperfect information 
can give you of the habits of this Sancho 
