The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-04-07
Caneerninx owls.

SOME OF TIE CURIOUS THINGS ASTRONOMERS
PROCTOR HAS OBSERVED.
uTbere Is ridiculous notion among coun-
try folk In England and America" writes
Mr. Proctor. respecting the behavior OF
the bsrn.owl, when any one, fixing bis eyes
ON the bird, walks round and round him.
They imagine that the owl keeps his eyes
constantly fixed on the person thus
travelling round, and that the owls head
turning round continually In one dlrection,
the bird eventually dies miserabiyIise
the unfortunate lady IN the ingoiasoy
legend, OF whose bead IT IS reialed tnat
her husband twisted 1t on Till lie TWISTED
ii off,"
An American naturalist recently put the
matter 10 the test, not, OF course, Will any
idea that the owl either twists his head on
or would twist 1t off in the way imagined
by country people. At first, however, 1t
really looked as though there were some
thing i'm the common story. The head OF
the owl be experimental on went round APP
psrently a hall turn, whole turn. Two
whole turns, three, four, until certainly II
might have been expected that in the ordl-
nary course OF things it was bound TO
come of. Looking more closely, however,
he perceived that so soon as the owl had
turned his head halfway round. so as to be
looking backwards, 1t very quickly carried
SIS head back full turn, so as to be again
looking backward, only now in such sort
that as its interviewer continued his move
ment the OWLS head following his motion
came right after said observer bad completed
his first circuit, and was only bali turn
round when he bad completed circuit and
O bali. Then the process was repeated;
and clearly it might have gone on indef-
NnVft nrrla
owl. The naturalist repeated the expert
ment several times. always with the same
result.
Iwonder whether Darwin could show
that this peculiar habit Of the owl family
had IFS own origin in popularity OF an
cestral owls, which, being advantageous TO
them, has developed through the process of
natural selection into the fully-deyeloped
habit OF head-turning, or rather OF the I'M
intermittng stare which the owl affects.
This case reminds me OF the singular beha-
Vior OF a pretty little owl whose acqnaint-
ance made year or two ago at Brighton,
Eng. This little fellow (he was very young
as well as iittle) was maniiestly subject TO
vurerstiious fears. Whether come nursing
owl, TO whose care be had been iDtrusted IN
bis babybood, had told him ghost stories, |
or whether he Inherited the superstitious |
beliefs Of ancestral owls, this depouent |
sayetb not, not knowing. But whatever the |
cause, the effect was manifest. When he |
could see the greater part OF any visitors
person be was comparatively happy, unless |
the visitor wore an unusual and to BIN |
mysterious garb. But visitors on so small
n scale as not TO show more than their head |
or head and shoulders above the floor OF bis /
cage terrified him exceedingly. A small |
= he NJ min fnr ms a
that time, seemed to excite peculiar terrors. |
II must be explained that she is particu-
iarly gentle and kind to all animals. great |
and small; and all animals, save this in |
tractable little owl, take very kindly TO her. |
But her height Is, or was, Just that which Is
most thoroughly Objectionable 10 him. SO |
soon as he recognized the mysterious pbe- |
nomenon OF head moving along near the
floor OF his aboce for this doubtless is the
appearance be recognizes in these eases and
marvels at) he began TO execute wild dance |
at the back OF his cage, with his back turn
ed toward her. as though he really |
could net bear to look at any
thing so very terrible. Every now and
then be would turn sharply round to see If
she were still. there, and then turn back
again and renew his wild saltatorial move
meDts. Here was manifestiy case OF su-
the mysterious and ineXplicable--a terror
which found partial relief in exercises re-
semblMg those by which certain sect work
of, ass am informed, the excess OF
their religious excitement. The owl 10
the head-turning experiment may not,
perhaps, be really fascinated by the
intent gaze OF the person who, cir
cutting around It, keeps its head on the
turn. But Ia the same aviary where the
owl was kept which behaved so strangely
when bead appeared before his eyes with
out the usual accompaniment OF body, q
singular illustration of the influence Of |
birds Of prey on smaller birds was more
than once afforded. Among the birds there |
Is an eagle which, though no lon2eryoung. |
has never ranged the fields OF air in search |
OF prey-an eagle captured in its youth, and |
30 little like a wild eagle that 1t can be |
loosed from its cage without attempting or,
indeed, being able to escape. Yet this |
wretched and degenerate eagle with all
respect to the American eagle-even the |
finest and widest eagles are not very noble
looking crestures) has so much influence
over the smaller birds In the collection that |
when one Of them escapes 1t almest always
finds its way sooner or later TO the eagles
cage, and II it can ii gets into the cage, aud
ta 81, fhap donct,raA