I 
THE ‘BARRED OWL. 281 
is uttered loudly, and in so strange and ludicrous a 
manner, that I should not be surprised were you, kind 
reader, when you and I meet, to compare these sounds 
to the affected bursts of laughter which you may have 
heard from some of the fashionable members of our 
own species. # 
“ How often, when snugly settled under the boughs 
of my temporary encampment, and preparing to roast 
a venison steak or the body of a squirrel, on a wooden 
spit, have I been saluted with the exulting hursts of 
this nightly disturber of the peace, that, had it not 
been for him, would have prevailed around me, as well 
as in my lonely retreat ! How often have I seen this 
nocturnal marauder alight within a few yards of me, 
exposing his whole body to the glare of my fire, and 
eye me in such a curious manner, that, had it been 
reasonable to do so, I would gladly have invited him to 
walk in and join me in my repast, that I might have 
enjoyed the pleasure of forming a better acquaintance 
with him ! The liveliness of his motions, joined to 
their oddness, have often made me think that his society 
would be at least as agreeable as that of many of the 
buffoons we meet with in the world. But, as such 
opportunities of forming acquaintance have not existed, 
be content, kind reader, with the imperfect information 
which I can give you of the habits of this Sancho 
Panfa of our woods. 
“ Such persons as conclude, when looking upon owls 
in the glare of day, that they are, as they then appear, 
extremely dull, are greatly mistaken. Were they to 
state, like Buffon, that woodpeckers are miserable 
beings, they would be talking as incorrectly ; and, to 
one who might have lived long in the woods, they 
would seem to have lived only in their libraries. 
“ The barred owl is found in all those parts of the 
United States which I have visited, and is a constant 
resident. In Louisiana it seems to be more abundant 
than in any other State. It is almost impossible to 
travel eight or ten miles in any of the retired woods 
there, without seeing several of them, even in broad 
