The Great Horned Owl 
T his Bird is of the greater Kind of Ow/f, approaching near in Magnitude to the 
greatefi: Horn^ or Eagle Owl: The Bignefs of the Head in this feems not at all 
inferior to that of a Cat y the Wing, when clofed, meafures from the Top to the Ends 
of the Quills full fifteen Inches. 
The Bill is black ; the upper Mandible hooked, and over hanging the nether, as in 
Eagles and Hawks, having no Angle as in them, but plain on its Edges; it is cover’d 
with a Skin, in which are placed the Noftrils, and that Skin hid with a Brillly-kind of 
grey Feathers that grow round the Bafis of the Bill; the Eyes are large, having Circles 
round them pretty broad, of a bright fhining Gold-colour ; the Spaces round the Eyes, 
which one may call the Face, is of a light Brown, confufcdly mixed with Orange-colour, 
gradually becoming dulky where it borders on the Eyes j over the Eyes it hath white 
Stroaks j the Feathers that compofe the Horns begin juft above the Bill, where they are 
intermixed with a little White, but as they extend onwards beyond the Head they be¬ 
come of a red Brown, clouded with Dulky, and tipped with Black : The Top of the 
Head, Neck, Back, Wings, and upper Side of the Tail, are of a dark brown Colour, 
fpotted, and intermixed with feme confufed tranfverfe fmall Lines of Alh-colour, and 
reddifh ; the greater Wing Feathers and the Tail are barred a-crofs with dusky Bars of 
half an Inch Breadth, fome a little more, fome lefs j the Feathers between the Back and 
Wings are Orange-colour tipp’d with White j a little below the Bill the Throat is 
White 5 the fore Part of the Neck and Breaft are bright Brown, inclining to Orange, 
’which gradually grows fainter on the Sides j this brown Part is fpotted with pretty large 
dark Spots, and intermixed between the Spots with the fame dufky Colour ; the Middle 
of the Breaft, Belly, Thighs, and under Side of the Tail are White, or faint Afh-colour, 
barred tranfverfely with dujfky Lines pretty regularly 5, the Infide of the Wings co¬ 
loured and variegated in the fame Manner j the Legs and Toes almoft to the Ends are 
covered with light Afh-coloured Feathers3 the Ends of the Toes and Claws of a dark 
Horn-colour. 
I faw this Bird alive in the Park of the Right Honourable the Earl of Burlington, at 
his Houfe at Chifwick, near London,, where I made this Defign. It was brought from 
Virginia. 
I have by me a Bird which I believe to be of the fame Species with this j I received 
it preferved dry from Hudfon's~Bay, in North-America. It differs from the above de- 
ferib’d, in that it hath not Orange-colour’d and white Feathers between the Back and 
Wings, and in having the Infide of the Wings, Belly, Thighs, Legs,, and under Side 
of the Tail mixed with a dull Orange-colour, but little Light or White being intermixed 
with the black tranfverfe Bars, as in the above deferibed: The Magnitude in both the fame. 
I have given this Bird a Place here,, becaufe its Defeription varies fomething from the 
European Birds of this Kind I find deferib’d by Authors. See Willoughby, Page 99.. 
Tab. 12. There is now kept alive, Mourning-Bujh hy Alderfgate, Lon¬ 
don,. an Owl which I take to be of this very Species., , ^ 
The 
