[Illustration: THE UHU (_Bubo maximus_).]
The UHU (_Bubo maximus_), King of the Night, as it has been aptly called,
is the largest species of Owl with which we are acquainted; its length
often exceeding two feet, and its breadth five feet; its wing measures
sixteen, and its tail ten inches. The rich soft plumage of this bird is
of a dark rust red, streaked with black upon the upper parts of the body,
and on the under side reddish yellow, longitudinally striped with black;
the tufts behind the ears are black marked with yellow, the throat is
nearly white, and the wing and tail feathers streaked alternately with
brown and yellow; the beak is deep blueish grey, and the scales upon
the feet of a lighter shade of the same hue; the iris is rich golden
yellow, encircled by a red line. The male and female are alike in colour,
but the young are yellower than the adults. Many slight variations are
observable in the plumage of such as inhabit different countries. This
Uhu is found occasionally throughout the whole of Europe and the northern
parts of Asia, and is replaced in Africa by two other species, viz.:--The
SHORT-EARED UHU (_Bubo ascalaphus_) which inhabits the north-eastern
provinces, and the MILK-WHITE UHU (_Bubo Nyctaëtos-lacteus_), found in
the central portions of that continent; there is also a North American
species, known as the VIRGINIAN UHU (_Bubo Virginianus_). So closely do
these birds resemble each other that one description will suffice for
them all. Their favourite haunts are mountainous districts and extensive
forests, as in such situations they can lead a quiet and retired life.
It is not uncommon for a pair to remain for years upon the same spot, if
they are fortunate enough to escape the observation of man; still they
are occasionally met with, not only living, but breeding in the vicinity
of human habitations; we ourselves found a couple that had taken up their
quarters and made their nest upon some fortifications near a large town.
During the day they remain quietly concealed in their holes, where they
are scarcely distinguishable on account of the sombre colour of their
plumage, but though neither timid nor helpless in the daylight, instinct
has taught them to avoid encountering the sunshine, and it is only when
evening has fully set in that they sally forth to reconnoitre and seek
their prey. So well do the feebler denizens of the forest know what they
have to expect from this dreaded enemy, that should one of them chance
to espy the Uhu as it crouches within its hole, a loud note of terror
immediately conveys the appalling intelligence to its companions, whose
voices at once unite in giving the huge and murderous foe a serenade that
is neither harmonious nor complimentary. During the breeding season,
combats between the males are of frequent occurrence, and then it is
that the cry of the Uhu is heard in all the unearthly tones that have
been so often supposed to proceed from demons, or some of the fanciful
crowd of beings with which popular superstition has peopled the forests.
Indeed, this species may be truly accused of "making night hideous,"
as it flies in search of the rats and mice upon which it principally
subsists. "The favourite residence of the Virginian Horned Owl," says
Wilson, "is in the dark solitudes of deep swamps, covered with a growth
of gigantic timber, and here, as soon as evening draws on and mankind
retire to rest, he sends forth such sounds as scarcely seem to belong
to this world. Along the mountainous shores of the Ohio, and amidst the
deep forests of Indiana, alone, and reposing in the woods, this ghostly
watchman has frequently warned me of the approach of danger, and amused
me with his singular exclamations. Sometimes sweeping down and around
my fire, uttering a loud and sudden 'Waugh, O! Waugh, O!' sufficient to
have alarmed a whole garrison. He has also other nocturnal solos, one of
which very strikingly resembles the half-suppressed screams of a person
suffocating or throttled."
Richardson gives the following instance of the terror this Uhu so
frequently excites:--"A party of Scotch Highlanders, in the service of
the Hudson's Bay Company, happened in a winter journey to encamp after
nightfall in a dense clump of trees, whose dark and lofty stems, the
growth of centuries, gave a solemnity to the scene that strongly tended
to excite the superstitious feelings of the Highlanders. The effect was
heightened by the discovery of a tomb which, with the natural taste
often exhibited by Indians, had been placed in this secluded spot. Our
travellers, having finished their supper, were trimming their fire
preparatory to rest, when the slow and dismal notes of the Horned Owl
fell on the ear with a startling nearness. None of them being acquainted
with the sound, all thought that so unearthly a voice must be the moaning
of the spirit of the departed, whose repose they imagined they had
disturbed by inadvertently making a fire of the wood of which his tomb
had been constructed. They passed a tedious night of fear, and with the
first dawn of day hastily left the ill-omened spot."
The Uhu devours Geese, Partridges, Buzzards, and many other birds and
quadrupeds in large numbers; some writers have gone so far as to accuse
it of seizing upon young stags, calves, and even Eagles, but such
assertions are very improbable, though the statement that it will attack
hedgehogs has been fully substantiated; the prickly ball being forced
to unroll by means of powerful strokes with the beak, which completes
its destruction before the victim has time to coil itself up again. The
period of incubation usually commences about March, and, strange to say,
no sooner are the quarrels about the possession of a mate over than
the cruel, violent male is suddenly transformed into the most faithful
and tender of spouses, and exhibits such affection and devotion to his
family as is seldom met with. Building, however, is not an art in which
the Uhu excels; the eggs are therefore, if possible, deposited in the
deserted nest of a Buzzard, Raven, or Black Stork, and should one of
these not be found, the parent is content to drag together a few twigs
and branches, and make therewith a bed in the cavity it has selected for
a breeding-place. Occasionally, the comfort of this slight arrangement
is dispensed with, and the two or three eggs are deposited upon the
bare ground at the bottom of the hole. The female alone broods, but is
meanwhile most carefully tended by her mate; and both parents assist in
defending their domicile from intrusion, attacking with fierce courage
not only beasts of prey, but men. Should the nest appear to have been
disturbed, the mother has been known to carry off her charge to a
safer retreat. Count Wodzicki mentions an instance that came under his
own notice in which a young Uhu was fed at first by its parents, and
afterwards, as soon as they were fledged, by its brother nestlings, for
the space of two months after it had been made prisoner and fastened to
a perch outside the forester's lodge. This Uhu will live for many years
in confinement, but seldom become, really tame; the African species is
perhaps an exception to this rule, for we saw one of these birds in
Stockholm that not only allowed itself to be stroked or playfully seized
by the beak, but would come to its master when called by name. "When
wounded," Audubon informs us, "the Uhu exhibits a revengeful tenacity of
spirit, scarcely surpassed by the boldest of the Eagle tribe; disdaining
to scramble away, it faces its enemy with undaunted courage; protruding
its powerful talons, and snapping its beak, it will defend itself to the
uttermost against both man and dog."
* * * * *
The Malay peninsula and India proper are inhabited by a group of Owls,
in many respects resembling the species above described, but with
this difference, that they subsist principally upon fish, crabs, and
other inhabitants of the water. All these birds are large, and have
well-developed tufts around the ears; the beak is powerful and of
moderate size, while the upper mandible is compressed, and terminates in
a hook; the feet are long, and the toes bare. The plumage is not thick,
the ears are small, and the wings, in which the fourth quill is longer
than the rest, do not extend as far as the tip of the tail.