The Living Animals of the World, Volume II: Birds, Reptiles and Amphibians, Fishes, Jointed Animals, Molluscs, etc.
Birds of Prey and Owls 477
they must have done an immense amount of good. Ornithologists from all parts of the United States unanimously agree that grasshoppers form the staple diet of this hawk, though mice and gophers are also largely eaten, and especially during the winter months, when insect food is scarce. Of the PYGMY FALCONS there are several species, ranging from the Eastern Himalaya, through Tenasserim and Burma, to the Malay Islands and the Philippines. The smallest is the RED-LEGGED FALCONET of Nepal, Sikhim, and Burma. It feeds largely upon insects, such as dragon-flies, beetles, and butterflies, hawking them with a swallow-like speed. Occasionally the members of this little group are said to hunt down and kill birds larger than themselves. OWLS. FEW birds have been more misrepresented in literature than the OWLS. For centuries they have beers, depicted as birds of ill omen, and accused of all kinds of. diabolical practices. Shakespeare, for example, repeatedly makes the owl do duty for some evil sign, or fulfil some dire
By permission of Percy Leigh Pemberton, Esq. purpose. Thus in Macbeth, Act II., Scene ii., PEREGRINE FALCON. It was the owl that shriek'd, the fatal bellman, A favourite in falconry. Which gives the stern'st good-night.
And later on, in Act IV., it is an owl's wing which he makes the witches add to their caldron of noisome things, when brewing their deadly potion. In Spain the scops and tawny owls are believed to be devil's birds, and are accused of drinking the oil from the lamps suspended before the shrines of saints. The gamekeeper nails their bodies up on the barn door as offenders of the worst type, whilst the Malagasy believe owls to be the em-bodiments of evil spirits.
It is therefore a relief to find this unwarrantable prejudice is not absolutely universal, since amongst some people, at least, the owl has Photo by Ottomar Anscliutz] [Berlin. found some favour. The best- SPECTACLED OWL. known instance of this is the A South American bird with a somewhat remarkable coloration.
of the World The Living Animals478 case of the Greeks, who made the owl the symbol of wisdom, and chose as an emblem, singularly enough, the species known as the Little Owl, a bird which is notorious for its ludicrous behaviour, so much so that it has earned for itself the reputation of being the veritable buffoon of birds. Its grotesque and ridiculous antics are utilised by Continental bird-catchers, who use it as a lure to attract small birds, tethering it for this purpose near nets, snares, or twigs smeared with bird-lime. Amongst other birds, strangely enough, the fiercer owl appears to be as much disliked as the and more dangerous members of the Hawk Tribe, and in consequence, should one venture abroad during the day or be discovered in its retreat, the alarm is given, and every small bird within call is summoned to take part in a general mobbing. Although proverbially unpalatable, the Little Owl is said to be eaten in Italy, as are other species in the various countries in. which they are found. Varying considerably in size, the owls, nevertheless, present a very general uniformity in appearance. All are remarkable for the peculiar softness of their plumage, which imparts to the wings the almost unique power of absolutely silent flight, the sound being deadened or muffled, Photo by C. N. Mavroyeni]-' [Smyrna. EAGLE-OWL. so that the prey can be approached suddenly, and
An occasional visitor to the British Isles. seized before escape is possible. This is very necessary when hunting in twilight hours. The owls are almost the only birds in which the outer toe is reversible, or capable of being turned either forwards or backwards. Futhermore, the members of this group are remarkable for the fact that the eyes look directly forward, instead of outwards, as in other birds, and that the feathers of the face are arranged round each eye in the form of a disk, and thus impart the familiar owl-like visage, seen elsewhere only among certain of the Hawk Tribe known as "Harriers." Four species of owl are to be found sparsely dis-as the tributed over Great Britain. We may regard typical owl the species known as the TAWNY or WOOD- OWL. It is the largest of the resident owls in England, and would be much more abundant but that it is subjected to a rigorous and foolish persecution, born of long-standing prejudice and ignorance; it stands accused of the heinous offence of eating game, a charge which has never yet been fully proved. The benefits it confers Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S., Regent's Park. are great, but, unfortunately, unrecognised, for its chief VIRGINIAN EAGLE-OWL. on food consists of rats and mice. This is the bird which A common North American species, feeding largely gives utterance to that weird " hoo-hoo hoo-hoo-hoo," small mammals.
Birds of Prey and Owls 479 one of the most charming of the many delightful sounds that break the stillness of the summer nights. It is interesting to note that this species is unknown as a wild bird in Ireland.
Other and fairly common species in England are the LONG- and SHORT-EARED OWLS, both remarkable for the fact that the aperture of the ear, which is of enormous size, is of a different shape on the right and left sides of the head. These owls, furthermore, are characterised by the possession of a pair of feathery tufts, or " horns," springing from the top of the head, which can be erected or depressed at pleasure. These horns are found in many species of owl not necessarily closely related. The species under consideration are of medium size, with large eyes of a most wonderful golden-yellow colour, standing in strong contrast with those of the tawny owl, which are nearly black. Like the tawny owl, these two species, and especially the short-eared, live largely on rats and mice. The last-named bird also devours great numbers of dor-beetles and cockchafers. [ Washington. Amongst the largest of the tribe are the Photo by Dr. R. IF. Slmfeldt} EAGLE- and SNOWY OWLS, both of which are,This is a youngAMERICANbird whichLONG-EAREDhas not yet completelyOWL. lost its occasion- down -feath ers. ally met with in Great Britain. The eagle-owl may be described as a largely magnified long-eared owl in general appearance, though, as a matter of fact, the two are not very closely related. The snowy owl, as its name implies, is white in colour, the white being relieved by more or less conspicuous black markings. This white livery, assimilating with its snowy surroundings, allows the wearer to approach its prey unperceived on the snow. Whilst the snowy owl is confined to northern regions, the eagle-owl enjoys a wide distribution, and is represented by numerous species, one of which, as we have remarked, occasionally visits Great Britain. The larger species of eagle-owl are the most ferocious members of the order, and prey largely upon hares, rabbits, and the large game-birds; whilst the snowy owl, though selecting similar prey, does incalculable good by devouring those destructive little rodents known as the lemmings. Solitary as owls usually are, some, as the AMERICAN BURROWING-OWLS, live in what may be called colonies; and, stranger still, they live in burrows, which they share with the original excavators. Occurring both in North and South America, it is not , surprising to find that the creatures with whom the
Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S.] [Kcgent burrowing-owls elect to take up their abode are very TAWNY OWL. varied, belonging for the most part to numerous groups One of the commonest British owls. of burrowing mammalia. In the prairies of North
of the World48o The Living Animals
America they appear to quarter themselves upon the prairie-dogs, ground-squirrels, and badgers; and in the pampas of South America upon the Patagonian cavy, the viscacha and armadillos, and occasionally lizards. It seems to be no unusual thing to find, in addition to the bird and mammal tenants of a single burrow, one or more full-grown examples of the much-dreaded rattle-snake a truly wonderful happy-family, if all accounts are to be believed. But many competent to speak on the matter throw out dark hints which would appear to show that the owl quarters itself on the tenants of a burrow too weak to resist its intrusion upon their domicile, and that occasionally this most masterful bird renders itself still more objectionable by devouring the progeny of its hosts, and sometimes even the hosts themselves. The species known as PYGMY OWLS and LITTLE OWLS we mention here only on account of their small size, one member of the former
J'hoto by Dr. K. W. Shvfeldt] SCREECH-OWL. A common North American bird, feeding on small animals if all kinds.
group being little bigger than a lark. Thus they stand in strong contrast with the giant snowy and eagle-owls. Finally, we have the WHITE or BARN-OWL, which with its allies forms a group distinguished from all the other owls by certain well-marked structural characters. The barn-owl is also to be found in Great Britain, but is growing, like all the other owls in this area, more and more rare every year, owing to persecution at the hands of gamekeepers. It is a handsome bird, of a pale buff-yellow, mottled with grey above to pure white beneath, and with the characteristic facial disk peculiarly well developed. It breeds in holes in trees, ruins, and church towers, and Photo by Frans Mouwen] [Breda. feeds almost entirely on mico and rats. BARN-OWL. it occasionally From the piercing note whichThis is a British owl, evincing a preference for church-towers in which to roost and breed. utters, it is also known as the SCREECH-OWL.
Photo by C. N. Mavreyeni, Smyrna.
HOOPOE FLYING.
This photograph displays the crest fully elevated, and likewise shows the beautifully banded 'colouration of the under surface of the wing, as well as the position of the wings in flight.