in those times, distinguished persons of high rank, of both sexes, from their inferiors; which is a sufficient proof that their fondness for, and frequent use of that bird, was universally known. So great a value did the princes and nobility of Europe, in that period, set upon their hawks, that they constantly carried them with them in all their journies, and sometimes into battle; and would not part with them, even to procure their own liberty when they were taken prisoners. The truth is, to resign his hawk was one of the most dishonourable actions of which a nobleman could be guilty, and was considered a voluntary resignation of his nobility.”*

THE SONG OF THE FALCON.

Time was, when fettered with jesses and hood,
Compelled to share in the sports of men,
In the presence of princes and warriors I stood,
And they called me the noble falcon then.

With ladies and knights I followed the chase,
And they deemed that mine was a noble race.

Where the monarch lived in his royal towers,
Where the chieftain dwelt with his warlike crew,
Where the fair ladies sat in their courtly bowers,
There ever the falcon and merlin flew.

With the brave and the lovely I followed the chase,
And they said that mine was a noble race.

On the slender wrist of the high-born dame,
The well trimmed merlin rested then ;
At the chieftain's call the falcon came,

And knew his voice 'mid a thousand men.

With horse and hound I followed the chase,
And they lauded the falcon's noble race.

But I'm nobler now, that far and free,
Unfettered by toils and trammels like these;
I sail abroad over land and sea,

And follow the chase wherever I please.

No bell on my foot, no hood on my brow,
I am truly the noble falcon now.

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Wood Owl. Tawny Owl. Brown Owl.

Strix Stridula.-LINN.

THE tawny owl is found in England, and many other parts of Europe. It inhabits woods, and usually builds its nest in hollow trees. It is this species of owl that utters the cry, so well imitated by the syllables tee-whit or too-whit, and the hollow shuddering kind of note too-whoo, of which the syllables are lengthened by a tremulous prolongation, that seems expressive of fear or horror.

While the eagle and falcon seek their food, and pursue their chase of the smaller animals, in the broad light of day, the owl, who is also a bird of prey, does not come forth in search of his, till the approach of night: he is therefore called a nocturnal bird of prey. In the day he shelters himself in a hollow tree, a barn, a ruinous tower, or any other quiet hiding-place he can find; for his eyes are so formed, that he cannot bear the full light of day. Unlike the eagle, who gazes on the noontide sun, the owl can only see to search its prey in the dim twilight, or when the landscape is lighted up by the soft radiance of the moonbeams. Even then his sight is far from being piercing, like the eagle's. But to supply this deficiency, he is so formed, that instead of descending on loud winnowing wings on his prey, which might give them time to escape from him in the dimmer distance, he moves on noiseless pinions. His wings are so peculiarly light and downy, that they make scarcely any sound in passing through the air. He glides silently round the house, or skims along the meadows, pouncing on his prey, and rapidly devouring the little birds, mice, &c. which he encounters in his circuit.

There is a large white owl, the snowy owl, found in many of the northern parts of Europe,

He

and sometimes, though rarely, seen in England and Scotland. This bird the Tartars hold in great reverence, in consequence of an adventure which they say befell their great leader Jenghis Khan. That prince, with a small army, was surprised and put to flight by his enemies. concealed himself from his pursuers in a wood. They followed him into his retreat, and would, in all probability, have discovered him, had not an owl settled on the bush under which he was hidden. It was supposed impossible that so shy a bird would perch close to a place where a human being was concealed. No search was made under the spot where the owl settled, and thus the prince escaped from the hands of his enemies. From that day his countrymen held the bird sacred, and every one wore a plume of the feathers of the white owl on his head. To this day, the Kalmucs continue the custom on all great festivals; and some tribes have an idol in the form of an owl, to which they fasten the legs of the real bird.

SONG OF THE OWL.

In hollow trees, or ivy bowers,
I love to pass the sultry hours,
But when the flowers are bathed in dew,
I come forth and cry, too-whit, too-whoo.

When the sun hath set in the west,
When the thrush is gone to his nest,
When woodland sounds are faint and few
I come forth and cry, too-whit, too-whoo.

What time the bat comes forth to play,
I sail abroad on pinions grey;

I come my needful work to do,
And cry as I fly, too-whit, too-whoo.

Then I skim round the barn and house,
Then I hunt the little field-mouse;
Then I chase the frog through the dew,
And cry as I fly, too-whit, too-whoo.

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The Great Horned Owl.

Strix Virginia-WILSON.

THIS is a very large species of owl, found in Virginia, and various other parts of North America. It feeds on young rabbits, squirrels, rats, mice, partridges, and small birds of various kinds. Its deep boding notes, heard in the night amid the woods, fall on the ear of the traveller with solemn and appalling cadence. Wilson, the most interesting of all our writers on ornithology, who had himself often travelled companionless through the solitudes of North America, gives