“The Screech Owl, screeching loud,
Puts the wretch that lies in woe
In remembrance of a shroud.”
Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act v., Sc. 2.
When Richard III. is irritated by the ill-news showered thick upon him, he interrupts the third messenger with
“Out on ye, Owls! Nothing but songs of death?”
Richard III., Act iv., Sc. 4.
The same author, from whom the above Shaksperian illustrations are quoted, alludes further to the superstitious dread of the Owl, which exists likewise amongst the Dyaks of Borneo, and in Ceylon a Wood-Owl, belonging to the same genus Syrnium, to which the English Wood-Owl belongs, is known as the “Devil-bird,” and is held in great fear. Colonel Irby, writing of the Barn-Owl,[211] tells the following story from the MS. of the late Mr. Favier, of Tangier:—“The inhabitants of Tangier consider this bird the clairvoyant friend of the Devil. The Jews believe that their cry causes the death of young children; so in order to prevent this, they pour a vessel of water out into the courtyard every time that they hear the cry of one of these Owls passing over their house. The Arabs believe even more than the Jews, for they think that they can cause all kinds of evil to old as well as young; but their mode of action is even more simple than that of their antagonists the Jews, as they rest contented with cursing them whenever they hear their cry. Endeavouring to find out from the Mahometans what foundation there is for the evil reputation of this species, I was told this: ‘When these birds cry they are only cursing in their own language; but their malediction is harmless unless they know the name of the individual to whom they wish evil, or unless they have the malignity to point out that person when passing him; as the Devil sleeps but little, when there is evil work to be done he would infallibly execute the command of his favourite if one did not, by cursing the Owl by name, thus guard against the power of that enemy, who is sworn to do evil to all living beings.’ Having learned the belief of the Mahometans relative to this Owl, it was more difficult to find out exactly that of the Jews, who, when questioned by me, knew not how to answer, except that the act of pouring water in the middle of the courtyard is a custom of long standing, in order to avert the evil which the Owl is capable of doing; that is to say, the water is poured out with the view of attracting the evil spirit’s attention to an object which distracts him, and so hides from him the infant which the Owl in its wickedness wishes to show him.”
The late Mr. Waterton, in an entertaining essay on the habits of the Barn-Owl, says:—“Among the numberless verses which might be quoted against the family of the Owl, I think I only know of one little ode which expresses any pity for it:—
‘Once I was a Monarch’s daughter,