destroyed by the superstitious peasantry, or the hostility of gamekeepers. The following short extract from Gilbert White will prove the strength of the owl's affection for a fixed and old abode: "While I am talking of owls, it may not be improper to mention what I was told by a gentleman of the county of Wilts. As they were grubbing a vast hollow pollard ash, that had been the mansion of owls for centuries, he discovered at the bottom a mass of matter that at first he could not account for. After some examination, he found that it was a congeries of the bones of mice, that had been heaping together for ages, being cast up in pellets out of the crops of many generations of inhabitants. For owls cast up the bones, fur, and feathers of what they devour, after the manner of hawks. He believes, he told me, that there were bushels of this kind of substance."

We must here terminate our notice of this well-known bird, and proceed to give some account of another of the English Strigida.

THE TAWNY OWL, OR BROWN OWL (Strix stridula).

This British species is the true hooting-owl; the white, which we have just described, being the true screech-owl. The brown owl is not so common as the white, from which it differs much in its habits; nor is it so partial to the neighbourhood of men, seeking a home in deep woods and solitary places, where it finds the seclusion which it loves. When woods are cut down, and a tract of country laid open to the works of man, the hooting-owl retires to more secluded spots. Gamekeepers are also its fierce foes, and destroy it without mercy, deeming it destructive to game, for which the brown owl evinces a predilection. Notwithstanding their love of solitude, they may be induced to settle near human dwellings, where certain trees are temptingly prepared for their reception. They love hollows in ash-trees, and some naturalists have drawn numbers of these owls around them by piercing holes in certain of these trees. The sound of this bird's voice has a strong resemblance to human tones. Waterton thus describes its peculiar hoot; and, though he may fail to give a clear idea of the sound, we here transcribe his words: "Were you to pronounce the letter O in a loud and very clear tone of voice, and then, after a short pause, repeat the same letter in a drawling, tremulous accent, you would have a tolerably just notion of the hooting of the owl." Such a sound, issuing from the depth of gloomy woods, or the vicinity of burial-places, may naturally suggest superstitious notions to the timid or the rustic mind.

Perhaps it is needless to inform the reader that the term stri

dula is applied to this bird on account of those hootings which it sends through the depths of the woods. Some may, however, deem this epithet a little ambiguous, as it applies equally well, if not better, to the screech-owl, for stridula denotes a harsh scream rather than a melancholy hoot.

Both the preceding owls are earless or hornless, but there is one variety sometimes found in this island which possesses these appendages. This is

THE SHORT-HORNED OWL (Strix brachyotus).

It is not common in the southern part of England. The white and brown owls are without horns, but this species has these appendages, which, however, are not always perceived by those who obtain a sight of the bird, as they are only raised when it is alarmed or excited. Tourists may often meet with this owl on the Scottish moors, or the heaths of northern England, and mark its short flights, without perceiving the least appearance of horns; but if the bird is alarmed, the feathers are instantly raised, the eyes glance rapidly round, and the whole appearance is that of a most pugnacious and determined little warrior. It is called in some parts of England the woodcock owl, from its arriving at the same time with that bird.

From the peculiar shape of the head, the term mousehawk is sometimes applied to this owl, especially in the regions round Hudson's Bay, where it is found in large numbers. It is a singular and most interesting sight to meet with a flock of these owls quietly resting in some sheltered field, whence, upon the least alarm, they take flight, each with his horn raised, as if in defiance of the foe. Very few species of the owl family are met with in large parties, whereas these are sometimes seen in groups of twenty or thirty. The short-eared owl is found in all countries between America and Siberia, but breeds in the northern latitudes, especially in Norway and the Orkneys.

The name Strix brachyotus is tolerably descriptive of this bird; for brachyotus signifies "short-eared," and none can therefore quarrel with the appellation of this rare little owl. To obtain a view of it is, of course, the lot of few; but all who have seen it admire the elegant appearance and spirited air of this small member of the Strigida family.

The descriptions which follow relate chiefly to foreign species; some being remarkable for their great size, and others for their peculiar powers of uttering wild and startling outcries. This latter propensity is well illustrated by the owl which is next to be described.

This owl approaches some of the eagles in size, measuring twenty inches in length. It is rarely found in England, but abounds in some of the deep forests and dismal swamps of America, where its wild cry often startles the hunter, or terrifies the Indian benighted in the sombre woods. It often frequents burialgrounds, and Wilson, the far-famed ornithologist, describes the fright into which a party of superstitious Scottish highlanders were thrown by the wailing cry of this owl. The men had remained for the night near an Indian burial-ground, in a lonely region, and had demolished some of the wood-work near the tombs to make a fire. After supper they were preparing to lie down to rest, when, from the silence of the graves, came such prolonged melancholy wailings, that sleep was effectually banished from the whole party for that night. The highlanders, being ignorant of the habits of this owl, ascribed the doleful cries to the ghosts of departed Indians. The sounds sometimes resemble the words, "Waugh O! waugh O!" at others, have a startling similarity to the half-stifled screams of a suffocating person. Audobon, in his magnificent work on the birds of America, thus describes these nocturnal outcries: "Sometimes he utters a shriek so horrid, that the woods echo its dismal sounds; now it seems as if you heard the barking of a cur dog; again, the notes are so rough and mingled together, that they might be mistaken for the last gurgling of a dying person."

There are seasons when the great-horned owl appears in a more pleasing character. Often, when the canoe is sweeping across some silent lake, and the paddles flash in the bright moonlight, is the form of this owl seen skimming with majestic motion the tranquil waters, and delighting the observer with its magnificent

eagle-like circles. With what quietness are those evolutions performed! Were the eyes closed, this majestic bird would pass over the boatmen without discovering his presence by a sound from those velvet wings.

It may here be remarked, that the wings of owls, and especially those which fly chiefly in the night, are so constructed, that scarcely any sound can proceed from their motion. The wing feathers terminate in fine hair-like points, hence their passage through the air is almost noiseless; so much so, that the shadow of the bird on the ground has sometimes been the first indication of his presence. Such silence in flying was necessary for birds destined to pursue their prey in the still hours of the night, when the slightest sound would be sufficient to give notice of their approach, and warn the victim of the coming danger. The Indian priests are said by Wilson to wear a stuffed owl of this species on their heads for a crest, or on their arms for a badge, probably in consequence of some supernatural powers ascribed to the bird by the natives.

THE SNOWY OWL (Strix nivea)

Is another remarkable member of the Strigida family, not often seen in England, but ranked amongst the British species, as it breeds in the Orkney Isles, and has sometimes been caught in England. The name, taken from the colour of the bird, also corresponds with its favourite localities, which are in the coldest regions of the north, Greenland, Lapland, Hudson's Bay, and places in similar latitudes. The plumage of the snowy owl is beautifully adapted to its arctic homes, being so exquisitely fine and close, that little inconvenience can result to the bird from the cold of the severest winter. The legs are hidden by a mass of streaming plumage, serving for a most excellent dreadnought. The colour, resembling that of snow, enables the bird to hunt in the day without being seen until close upon its prey. Sometimes the Laplander or beaver-hunter is startled by perceiving the wide and silently flapping wings of the snowy owl crossing his path within a few yards, so nearly may it approach ere the eye can distinguish the moving body from the snow over which it passes. The food consists of hares, rabbits, and smaller quadrupeds, to which is sometimes added a dinner of fish; thus proving that more than one species of owl has a liking for the finny tribe. The snowy owl does not, however, appear to plunge into the water after fish, as our barn-owl will sometimes do, but snatches them from the water in a most dexterous manner with its claws. A correspondent of Audobon thus describes the angling of the snowy owl, which, though not according to the rules of

Y

Isaac Walton, is remarkably clever, and proves the bird to be an excellent caterer: "Taking its stand upon a fragment of floating timber, it watches for the rising of fish by the side of the wood, and as they unwittingly rose to the surface near the edge, that instant the owl thrust out the foot next the water, and, with the quickness of lightning, seized a fish and drew it out." Not bad this for a stupid bird! The cries of the snowy owl have some resemblance to the screams of its great-horned relative which we have just described; but as the former flies more during the daylight, its wild whooping songs are not so startling.

As the snowy owl is found far within the arctic circle, the reader may inquire how it contrives to exist during the long continuance of light in the summer season, when the sun remains above the horizon for weeks and even months. The gloom of twilight is in general suited to all owls, the eyes being adapted to act best after sunset, but the strix nivea has also the means of pursuing its prey during the brightness of the day. This power was of course necessary for a bird placed in high latitudes, and is another proof of the great rule, that every living creature is well fitted to live happily in its allotted portion of the globe. The owl is no doubt a bird of night, or of the twilight hours, but as one species has been placed in regions where the long darkness of winter is followed by an uninterrupted summer brightness, so it was necessary that this bird should be furnished with eyes equally fitted for long gloom or continued light. Such is the case with the snowy owl, which offers, amidst the northern deserts, an illustration of the wisdom and benevolence of the world's eternal Author.

It is proper to apprise the reader that ornithologists are not yet agreed upon a common appellation for this owl; some calling it strix nyctea (night owl), which is not at all appropriate; whilst by others it is more correctly described by the words strix candida (white owl), or strix nivea (snowy owl).

As for the Indian tribes, they puzzle the European most effectually by the names given to this owl, one nation calling it the wapateroo, and another the ookpuguak; the former term is no doubt considered to resemble the cry uttered by the bird, and is, therefore, a good descriptive epithet.

THE BARRED OWL (Strix nebulosa)

Is named from the broad stripes or bars across its tail, and is seldom seen in England, preferring the northern parts of America, where it is considered the representative of our brown, or hootingowl, which, however, it much exceeds in size. Our sober English