Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XII.djvu/767

 OWL 753 to 25 in. long, with an extent of wings of 4 to 5 ft., the bill along the ridge 2 in., and the ear tufts 3 ; the color is variable from dark brown to nearly white; the general color above is dark brown, every feather mottled with irregular lines of pale ash and reddish fulvous, the base of each being of the latter color ; throat and neck white, breast with lon- gitudinal black stripes, rest of under parts mixed white and fulvous with narrow trans- verse dark brown lines ; iris yellow, bill and claws bluish black. It is found throughout North America, and probably also in South America, several varieties being described in different latitudes, in mountain and plain, on the seashore and in the interior ; the flight is elevated, rapid, and graceful ; it makes a great variety of sounds, barking like a dog, hallooing and leading astray the benighted traveller, sa- luting him by notes like the half suppressed screams and gurglings of a suffocating person, or deceiving him by a low " hoo-hoo-hoo-e " which seems a great distance off. It commits great havoc in the farm yard, seizing all kinds of domestic poultry, to which may be added grouse, ducks, hares, squirrels, and opossums, and even dead fish. They begin to pair in February, making a bulky nest usually on a large horizontal branch, and rear only one American Great Horned Owl (Bubo Virginianus). brood of three to six in a season. It is a bold and powerful bird, bravely resisting when at- tacked. The European horned or eagle owl (B. maximus, Sibb.), le grand due of the French, is about 26 in. long, with an extent of wings of 5 ft. ; it is common in the forests of Europe from the Mediterranean to Norway and Lapland, but is rare in Great Britain ; it occurs also in Asia ; its habits are the same as those of the American bird ; the general color is ferruginous, varied with spots and markings of brown, black, and gray ; in captivity it is fierce, hissing, snapping, and barking when irritated, but making no other noises. The genus scops (Sav.), or ephialtes (Keys, and Bias.), is characterized by small size, conspicu- ous ear tufts and large head, and long tarsi more or less covered with short feathers. The mottled or American screech owl (8. asio, American Screech Owl (Scopa asio). Bonap.) is about 10 in. long and 22 in extent of wings ; in the adults the plumage above is pale ashy brown with longitudinal brownish black lines, mottled with the same and cinereous, and below ashy white with similar stripes and lines ; bill and claws horn color ; in young birds the upper parts are pale brownish red, in some parts rufous, and below yellowish gray, hence called the red owl. This is the most abundant owl in the Atlantic states, and is found over the whole of temperate North America, and even as far as Greenland; its food consists principally of beetles and field mice, which it seeks in the neighborhood of farm houses, orchards, and gardens, where it is rarely molested ; its notes are mournful and tremulous, like the chattering of teeth, but loud enough to be heard for several hundred yards. The little horned owl of Europe (S. Aldrovandi, Kay) is about 8 in. long, of a light gray color variegated with brown, with longi- tudinal brownish black lines and transverse undulations; it is most abundant in southern Europe in wooded districts, where it feeds on insects and mice ; it is also found in N. Africa and Asia, and rarely in Great Britain ; it nes- tles in cavities in rocks and holes in trees, lay- ing two to four eggs ; it is gentle, and readily tamed; its notes are plaintive and monoto- nous, resembling "keu, keu," and are kept up regularly the night long. In the genus otus (Ouv.) the form is larger and more slender, the head moderate with more perfect facial disk, and the eyes rather small. The Ameri- can long-eared owl (0. Wilsonianus, Less.) is about 15 in. long, with an extent of wings of 3 ft. ; it is rather a handsome bird, very in- tricately marked, and may be generally de- scribed as of a buff color, mottled and spotted with brown and grayish white ; it inhabits the whole of temperate North America, and even the shores of Hudson bay ; it is strictly noc-