KIRCHHOFF'S VEILED OWL.
KIRCHHOFF'S VEILED OWL (Strix Kirchhoffii), discovered by Dr. Brehm whilst in Spain, and called after one of his friends, is so extremely beautiful as to render an adequate description almost impossible. The upper portion of its plumage is of a pretty reddish yellow, mottled with grey upon the shoulders and middle of the back, and delicately spotted with black and white; the under parts are of dazzling whiteness, and as glossy as the softest satin. The discs of feathers upon the face are spotted and edged with reddish brown.
THE BARN OWL.
The FLAME OWL, or BARN OWL (Strix flammea), is from twelve to fourteen inches long, and from thirty-six to thirty-nine inches broad; the wing measures about eleven, and the tail from four and a half to five inches. The upper part of the plumage is dark grey; the nape and back of the head reddish yellow, delicately marked with tiny black and white streaks; the under side deep reddish yellow, spotted with brown and white; the long feathers upon the face are either entirely of uniform reddish white, or become gradually lighter towards the tip; the quills are rust red upon the inner and whitish upon the outer web, spotted and striped three or four times with dark brown; the reddish yellow tail-feathers are striped with black, and have a broad dark grey patch, mottled with white at the extremity; the beak and cere are reddish white; the bare portions of the foot blueish grey, and the eye dark brown. The female is of a somewhat duskier hue than her mate.
Old ruins of every description are constantly frequented by these birds, such lofty mountain ranges as are barren of trees they carefully avoid, but in every other situation are more or less frequently met with. The Barn Owls are stationary in their habits, and often remain for years in the same locality, spending the day in some retired nook, and sallying forth at night in quest of prey. Their sleep is extremely light, and, if disturbed, their contortions are amusing to behold, as they rock themselves from side to side upon their legs, and peer blindly at the intruder, expressing their uneasiness by a variety of the most extraordinary grimaces which we can conceive even an Owl's face to be capable of. If very hard pressed they seek safety in flight, and thus prove that they are not so completely blinded by the light as is popularly supposed. When evening sets in their active life commences, and they may then be constantly seen and heard, sweeping slowly about, and uttering their dismal cry at short intervals, as they flit over the ground, or settle for a short time upon the house-tops. Rats, mice, moles, and small birds, as well as the larger kinds of insects, constitute their principal food. They have frequently been accused of attacking Pigeons, but this we believe is not the case.
So adroit and rapid are the manœuvres of these Owls when hungry, that their victims have but small chance of escape, and we would therefore warn such of our readers as are tempted to try the effect of domestication upon them to keep a very sharp watch indeed upon any other feathered pets that may be in the same house. A friend of Dr. Brehm's, after endeavouring to tame one of these birds for about a week, ventured on the strength of its good training to leave it for one single minute in his dark room, while he hurried away to obtain a light; when, lo, upon his return he beheld the Owl behind a stove, quietly finishing the remains of his pet Linnet, which it had seized, killed, and more than half devoured in that short space of time! This same Owl would often eat as many as fifteen mice during the day. In Spain a strange idea is very prevalent respecting this species, it being supposed to enter the churches and consume the olive oil employed in the lamps by which those buildings are lighted. For our own part we believe that such a charge is quite unfounded, and that the Owl in this case is no more guilty of the offence, than the terrible cat facetiously described as working so much havoc in English kitchens. The Spaniards make use of the body of this bird extensively in medicine, after it has been soaked in oil. According to Pennant "the Monguls of Tartary pay the Barn Owls almost divine honours, because they attribute to one of them the preservation of Ghenghis Khan, the founder of their empire. That prince, with his small army, happened to be surprised and put to flight by his enemies; when forced to conceal himself in a little coppice, an Owl settled on the bush under which he was hid, and induced his pursuers not to search there, as they thought it impossible that any man could be concealed in a place where that bird would perch."
It was formerly supposed that the Barn Owls laid their eggs about April, but recent observations have proved this statement to be incorrect. The breeding season really commences in the autumn, and during this period the happy pair testify their love and devotion to each other by loud and constant cries, as they fly sportively together around and over the towers and turrets near which they have taken up their abode—nest there is none, the young family being reared at the bottom of a hole, or in some retired corner. The nestlings are reared upon mice, and are most carefully tended by their parents, who nurse their progeny so devotedly that they have frequently been known to carry food to them for weeks or even months, after they have been captured and shut up in a cage.
