, 1874-09-05
BIRDS OF lLL-0MEN,
Owls, Crows, Ravens, NTagpicn,
Crowlng-Hens, Exc.

calamity, nt.d although thoy might occaslonall
afford {. preBago Of good luck, yos their goncra
10 hard to got rid Of No o bad nane md as Iii
Is truo alo Of bluoda with or without feathers
It 10 not surprising that Bo'ao OF tho furmer hGy
always boen regarded aa birds OF iIl-oinon.
II is noticeablo that this stigma has boon nj
fixed only to those birds whose appearance o
voice is diaagrocable, and whoao hnbtB aro somo
what peculiar, and occentricity III thiH respoe
being perverted by superficial observers into al
alarn'lng portcnt. Titus
cauBo Of hin nocturnal habits and tntnolot1lun
notes. Even his ,yiso looks and judicial grnyit,
haSo been mado tho nbjeot Of dorisfyo oritl
cism. The only perao1ls who really appreciated
tho good opinion Of that rofluod and intellectual
people, like praise from Sir Hilbert Stanley, out
Weighs any amount OF depreciation. Ii thu
city owls wero sucrod to Minerva, the goddess ol
tory and succoua. I,y tho Romans they wort
regarded with fooliags Of dotostation mud
aa forohoding, grave miBfortnnea.. The
language applied to those birds by the
Latin poets rotocts tho prevailing prejudice and
tho owl. Ovid calls it dire omen Of mortality
L1scan BtgnatsoH 1t as " sinister bubo," an1
Claudan inyoiglH against 1t as "infostna (dan-
EerouB or ],ostlle) bnbo." Tho word bubo, used
by naturalsta 70 loroto horned owls, originally
had reference TO tho poculsar sound OF tho note
Of slls nocturnal bird, whiu. in Spanish is called
bnho, In Froucb. hhou, aud III Ii13llHl, boo-hoo,
as B'lffon has atso entitled It,
aoino OF tie worst things ever said about tho
owl camo from tho eldor Piny Tho Roman
naturalist, who trusted moro to others obsorya-
tion than his own, and In whose writings fact
md fiction are often inaxtricably blondol, calls
tho owl m il1nusplolous and fnncreal bird. Ho
| iB particularly severe upon the horned owl, to
which he gives worry lugnbrious character, call
ing it tho monster Of tho night that nnvor utters
d choorful noto, but emita loloful sl,riolt or
| moan. This owl nnl the Hcroccl-owl werc
! espocia'iy abhorGod aud droadcd by tho lsotnanu
afEssENoEns or DEATH.
AZ tue former inhabited only deserted
cities wRs considered very alarming
omen. During tho early days Of tho ConBulHhlp
at home, causing general CONSERVATION. 10
avert the disasters which this ro,lndfaced prodi-
gy was believed to portenl, lustrntton or go,-
eral publication was ordorotl. Butler has ro-
ferred 70 this incident tn some amusing linos in
Piny, after stating that It is locked upon RS a
direful omen to sec an owl In city or oyen any,
where, in the daytime, confidently remarks: II
Know, however, for d fact, thnt 1t is not porten-
Il esvas SS oh'h oso # s'tne TSo On shs ts te
Hoyoral Of tho Roman Emporors wcro
supposed to hayo boon forobodcd by tho nppoar-
anco OF owls in the halls or OH the roofs OF their
palaces Branae, In his Popular Antiquities,
has gtven ma1y curious illustrations from old
writer's of tho nlisfortuneH of which these brIlp
were the prophetic precursors Ono OF thomoBt
Bacrlcgloua acts eyer committed by MI owl took
place during tho reign Of Pope John XXIV.,
when tho bird Of night had tho efFrontary to fly
into tho hall whoro the Holy Father was holding
council, disturbing its deliberations by his i'll
omcnsd presence.
It il not strange that tho owl in modern timos
should bc tho victim of inherited aversion. As
the pervorse fowl Inns not 90 fur proAtcl By crit-
clsm NJ to change its nature or habits, the
aalao causes which occasonod ita classical ill-ro-
pute help to perpetunte 1t. A bird that sluns
the honest light OF day and diAtnrbs tlrowsy rus
tics by hooting and scrceoblng at night, that
hnl,nss iulnetl and descrted places. prowla round
md hides in hollow trees, must
expect to be naligned. It Ia NATURAL therefore,
to find traces Of this Huporatitious dread in the
works OF modern poets aud prose writer's.
Chnucor speaks OF tho owl ns bringing
THE BoDE OF DEATH.
Sponsor, too, giyos it tho same shaatly char
actor:
Tile rucful strltcl etill waiting on tho becro,
Tho whistler slrill, tliat whose hcares doth do;
and agaiu:
The iflfaccd owlc, deaths dreadful messenger.
;, Marston,, in suumoratiug tho gloomy crentures
that prowl about ut doad Of night, asaoc,atos
acreoching owls with "n,eagro ghosts, piero,
sud black thoughts" and in Foods Old Plays it
is aaid that thu crolklng Of scroeell-owls upon
hearing OF ! cprpao, Taore ~ was s 1 proyalont nj
popuiar superstition in England. in tic oldon
time TINT Il q gcrcecII-owi nap,,eJ its wnr,,
o. ncreoc,od near tic Windows x nic1f "rns' ,,ass
sons chamber ono Of tllo family Worl1 sonn ga.
aud in paner in tho Spectator. in wh;o Elm ho'
of In onIes IL koauly natirjxa it "od ;s nbsorvod
tIat d sorooci,-owI nj m1tln;@It i,aa a1nrsooa @
[amIy moro than \ land Of Tohreru 'A'N1' -
Shakespeare largely ayailod hin1aolf of tim ain.
ut"r an,,tat;o,, ~ t;,s1 - ~ LIZ ~ 1 1!,l
1ni1iOEH aud fearful oTl OF DEATH" rs hc lna |
sraphicatly characterized it, il associated with
roljli,,H md olyinI, nnritoa and h;uo J1,n,.,, "
mentions lie nirioE Of liz owl at ftc Xix ~
1,tnt % @ sI In y. t ~ G"4 - wv o!tn u
,ayoer. Aud, whom Latiy Macbeth ia wnitin,. in
'uBueuso for tiliugs Of tho murdor Of Duncan
~ iIar husband ''A''
II wu, tn nv, That s,,,,,,, -. ,.,,, ,o,,
Whcl. gives ti,u sterat "na ',n "soht uA4 pS''nSn
1r,o nhroao l., :. TI,n,1as ' q ,S. t,.1'".
y,s bnors Ia,,,;,,o ~ " H. inoy hay sne owl
a to as1,rv st;ii nn,a, piounuss Iiau ieloIonca
~ T;loea;o,x.r. n,ur ~ antnas LUG peaeantry
Dn. y. @ oaaors aausatef boing
-, o,,, g ,,aI anASsso'Mao 81 lHfo THIS BIRD
~. a |