THE THIRD SUB-ORDER.—STRIGES, THE OWLS.
The principal distinctions between Hawks and Owls (Striges) have been already pointed out (p. 255); but there are still some other smaller characters to which a passing allusion must be made. It would be difficult, for instance, for the merest novice in the study of ornithology to mistake an Owl, when seen alive in a cage, or even in a case of stuffed birds, its enormous head and short neck being unlike those of any of the other birds of prey. The neck of some Owls is, indeed, so short and contracted, that it is with difficulty that any intervening curve between the nape and the back, which would mark a perceptible neck as in most Hawks, can be detected. Again, the Owls have their eyes directed forwards, so that they confront the spectator; while most of the other birds of prey turn their head more or less on one side when their attention is diverted, and do not look one straight in the face as an Owl does. The cere is almost always hidden by bristles in the Striges, and the latter have a very distinct facial disc, surrounded by a curious ruff, somewhat similar to that of the Harriers (Circus, p. 268), and Harrier-Hawks (Micrastur, p. 270). The external ear-opening is a complicated organ in the Owls, and differs considerably, the orifices often being of different form on either side of the head; and in one species, Tengmalm’s Owl (Nyctala tengmalmi), the ear-openings are of different shape in the skull itself.
SKULL OF TENGMALM’S OWL.
To those interested in bird-lore, a most entertaining study might be afforded by tracing the superstitions with which Owls have been regarded in all countries, and in the earliest times. Such a study was begun by the late Mr. Broderip, in his “Zoological Recreations,”[209] where he quotes from the ancient writers many passages, which show that Owls were as much regarded as birds of ill-omen by the inhabitants of Greece and Italy in olden times as they have been in England up to the present day. Nor is the infatuation confined to Europe, as later on are quoted instances of superstitious dread of the Owls in Morocco and West Africa; while they are equally held in fear in many Eastern countries.
The Athenians alone seem to have had a regard for these birds, and an Owl is found on the reverse side of many of their coins, the bird being sacred to their guardian deity, Athené. The species figured is probably the Little Owl (Carine noctua), a bird which is common in Greece. It is difficult to guess why the Owl came to be regarded as the embodiment of wisdom, unless it was from its having been sacred to Minerva, the Goddess of Wisdom, who is sometimes represented as the Owl-headed goddess.
LITTLE OWL.
“The Owlet’s wing,” writes Mr. Harting,[210] “was an ingredient in the cauldron wherein the witches prepared their ‘charm of powerful trouble’ (Macbeth, Act iv., sc. 1); and with the character assigned to it by the ancients, Shakspere, no doubt, felt that the introduction of an Owl in a dreadful scene of a tragedy would help to make the subject come home more forcibly to the people, who had, from early times, associated its presence with melancholy, misfortune, and death. Accordingly, we find the unfortunate Owl stigmatised as the ‘obscure,’ ‘ominous,’ ‘fearful,’ and ‘fatal’ ‘bird of night.’ Its doleful cry pierces the ear of Lady Macbeth while the murder is being done:—
‘Hark! Peace!