Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-08-26
Concerning Owls.

AZ was seated upon the piazza OF our
hotel last evening. watching the moon rs u
came up out OF the sea. an owl glided bV:
and only for moment was seen as he passed
a window through which the light WIS
streaming. intent, no doubt, upon his mis-
sion, and apparently undisturbed by The
mu.ic. the hum Of voices, and the red
and green lights that dashed up from the
lawns on Ocean avenue. Owls my often
all around the pier hotels at nights. Tor
aught that know, but il j. not often TINT
lney are seen. Back in the woods they
make ;,ieir home. and there their hootlng
is ae familiar l. sound rs the crOaklng OF
froes. The farmer has no better friend
than the owl. aud he who kills one docs
himself and the public an injury. White,
OF Selhorne. after tanning pair OF owls,
was convinced that they brought mouse
10 the nest, on an average. every nfe min-
utos from sunset TO daylight.
Owls were never an cpicurean feast. but
there was formerly an eccentric genius in
Newport, Benjamin IIadwin. who ate them,
and. for that matter. anything that had
once had the breath Of lie. SDuthey once
had m oyI roasted for dinner for himself
and MIR. and Mrs. Wordsworth. give the
sequel in his own words, 1--WE agreed
there could be no pretcXt for making owls
game and killing them as delicacics; hut
/ II ever You eat one, by all means try It
boiled. with onion sauce
An omelet made OF owls eggs i said 10
Lca cure for drunkenness. Owls are some
fines stulfed-uOi for The table. but 20
draw crows within the range oi SPORT
man. gun. No love Is lost between the
crow and the owl, and when the latter T.
grcr prrched upon limb, the former goes
lor him WITH cciorily and disre.
card oi all those cautonary meas.
urcs that usually Wark the move
bents Of q crow. - eager l. he to
reach the object OF his aversion that he
doc not sec the gunner until 1t i too late
TO beat SAFE retreat. The Italians Use an
owl 10 catch small birds. only IN their ease
the owl is tied to q perch in open ground
I'm broad sunlight, aud the birds that
gvraic around him aiight upon twigs
Smeared with bird lime. In this way
they become an easy prey. AnoW Ssight,
clear enough and sharp enough at niSht,
/, none OF the best by daylight, and Ii
foraging j. done after dark: but story !,
Told 81 a colorcd fisherman somewhere IN
North Carolina who, having ct his ilsh-lincs,
returned after a brief interval 10 md that
d a
and that an owl, which had attempted -
capture the duck, had become 50 entangled
in the line that il could notosclpc. Nor is
this The only instance have heard oi Wher.
i an owl meddled with q line 10 lis Own a..
,h7ictioa.. ~ one time the W)rkmen on
the Washington monument were god
deal annoyed TO find that plumb line that
reached from the TOP 10 the bottom OF th.
gs.. fI.~ IL \
last il was found thu. mn owl bad t2bon ul
It's abode IN part OF tie SHAFT That affords
shelter. aud IN passing in and ont IL ll'
disturbed the line.
An owl was once beguiled iu.o Geor
gia conference meeting. intent OF 'fcuF'h-
y IN; tia, had run into the room 10 escape
from 50 persistent IN enemy' DtHt.
ov the light ne sailed around lev
ti1n,s and aliehted upon the bald hea'
of an old man directly IN lruhl q
2 the speaker. Il j. hardly necessary Il
, .av what was the next move, h''
, The presence OF the owl may have ca'ie'
: 70 Inc preacher mind the word, o
= Isaiah. who. when he foretold the desc
latiou 81 Babylon. declared that the nous
.hoi,jd le full OF dCleiul creatures, an
that owls should dwell there. An o"
: once seriously disturbed the mourner' Ill
z funeral at Becchwood, ont. Win tendt
a care they had placed the remains IN 4 toni
g aud were turning away sorrowlng' "he
c thew heard a moan that seemed to con-
+, from the colin. Hurriedly they BROS
G the cssket open, only to find al qi
c within. and then II wa, dscoNere
C that The noise they had heard came iro
:, owl at the far end Of the vault. At De-
Il there i something far from pleasing IN u
Il hoot OF an owl. The Romans had gre
= dislike to it. \ dispute 1ctwecn an o'
e. and = nightingale - to their re'P'c'
c merits a. yocaiSts once found ica"f
i podsley thought il worth his Wh.'e
o write an ode on the death Of an OWL al
e Broomhcld made the bird the subject
'e his muse. Many persons believe lhat
le owl will keep his eyes so intentiy hN.u 3.
u n uerson walking around hun 10 10 " !,
J. his own neck oil, but II was discoV'r'd
&c some quick-eyed observer thai wheh, =
le owl had turned his head hall rouh9
n whiskcd it backed through tue Whoi9 GU. '
n with the rspidity OF liShtninZ' anu i,on r1i'
n again the person who was eNp7r'''''''' ''
"a on him. .....,...--.-