. Bombay ducks; an account of some of the every-day birds and beasts found in a naturalist's Eldorado . i, in the full blaze of the early afternoon of anApril day, and when the hot wind was raging like theblast from an oven. Owls are built for night work. They have very largeeyes, long ears, and their plumage is so constituted thatthey can fly absolutely noiselessly. They are birds ofprey, and have to hunt in the silence of night, when thehum of insects is still, and the noises of the day arehushed ; hence the necessity of silent flight. Most owlslie low during the day; not so much because the
. Bombay ducks; an account of some of the every-day birds and beasts found in a naturalist's Eldorado . i, in the full blaze of the early afternoon of anApril day, and when the hot wind was raging like theblast from an oven. Owls are built for night work. They have very largeeyes, long ears, and their plumage is so constituted thatthey can fly absolutely noiselessly. They are birds ofprey, and have to hunt in the silence of night, when thehum of insects is still, and the noises of the day arehushed ; hence the necessity of silent flight. Most owlslie low during the day; not so much because the sunhurts their eyes as on account of the rough handlingthey receive at the hands of the rest of the featheredfolk. Birds are like boys at school, they set upon everystrange individual which shows itself Some owls sleepin trees; such find it very difficult to elude their pur-suers if they once expose themselves. They have nohaven of refuge to which they can flee. Not so withthe spotted owlet. It has a lair in the shape of a holeto which it can retire when mobbed. Consequently, it ,>>-?8Pii*6^. •UK sioriici) THE SPOTTED OWLET 257 is very bold, habitually venturing forth in the other birds grow accustomed to it, and do notso often molest it. During the day the spotted owlet is, of course, civilenough to the other birds of its acquaintance. Atnight, however, its manner changes. No sooner has thesun sunk below the horizon than it assumes a cock-of-the-walk air, and then makes no bones about punchingthe head of a king-crow, or any other bird which oughtto be abed. The spotted owl is a ludicrous little creature. Onecannot look at it without laughing. The moment thebird notices that you are watching it, it crouches in themost ridiculous manner, glares at you, and then treatsyou to abuse of which the quality is such that it woulddo credit to any coster. When you begin to laugh, thebird flies away in a huff. Athene brama lives chiefly on insects, but it w
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirdsin, bookyear1906
