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OWLS. 
pany with animals remarkable for their social dis- 
position. 
Lucien Buonaparte, the brother of Napoleon, 
who for many years lived in North America, and 
became a celebrated naturalist, thus speaks of 
it : — “ Instead of sailing heavily forth in the ob- 
scurity of the evening or morning twilight, and 
then retreating to its abode, this bird enjoys the 
broadest glare of the noon-day sun, and flying rapidly 
along, searches for food or pleasure, during the 
cheerful light of the day ; and then returns to its 
underground dwelling, which consists of the burrows 
of the Marmot, or prairie dog, an animal abounding 
on the vast plains of the western part of the United 
States. These burrows are called by the natives, 
Marmot villages, and are so numerous and extensive, 
that they will sometimes spread over the face of the 
country for miles together. If disturbed, the Owls, 
which are usually seated near the burrows, either fly 
off a little way, and settle again, or descend into the 
holes, from whence it is no easy matter to dislodge 
them.” 
Another traveller, Captain Sir Francis Head, when 
travelling over some immense plains in South America, 
called the Pampas, fell in with them in company with 
the Biscachos, an animal much resembling the above- 
mentioned prairie dogs, of very singular appearance, 
nearly as large as badgers, but their heads not un- 
like a rabbit's, except that they have large bushy 
whiskers. In the evening they sit outside these 
holes, looking very serious, as if moralizing, thought- 
ful, and grave. These holes were guarded in the 
day-time, by two of the above-mentioned little Owls, 
