42 
THE GREAT HORNED OWL. 
listen to the voiee of the Owl, and even contemplate its 
physiognomy with feelings of disgust, and a kind of fearful 
awe. The priests, or conjurers, among some of our Indian 
nations, have taken advantage of the reverential horror for 
this bird, and have adopted the Great Horned Oivl y the 
subject of the present account, as the symbol or emblem of 
their office.«fc 
u Among the Creeks,” says Mr. Bartram, in his Travels , 
p. 504, “ the junior priests, or students, constantly wear a 
white mantle, and have a Great Owl skin cased and stuffed 
very ingeniously, so well executed as almost to appear like 
the living bird, having large, sparkling glass beads or 
buttons, fixed in the head for eyes. This insignia of wis- 
dom and divination they wear sometimes as a crest on the 
top of the head ; at other times the image sits on the arm, 
or is borne on the hand. These bachelors are also distin- 
guished from the other people by their taciturnity, grave 
and solemn countenance, dignified step, and singing to 
themselves songs or hymns in a low, sweet voice, as they 
stroll about the town.” 
Nothing is a more effectual cure for superstition than a 
knowledge of the general laws and productions of nature ; 
nor more forcibly leads our reflections to the first, great, 
self-existent Cause of all, to whom our reverential awe is 
then humbly devoted, and not to any of his dependent 
creatures. With all the gloomy habits and ungracious 
tones of the Owl, there is nothing in this bird supernatural 
