CHAPTER III.

THE OWL AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.

“The Bird of Juno.”--“The Favourite of Minerva.”--“The Bird of Wisdom.”--Sacred to Proserpine.--Use in Medicine.--The Bird of Ill-Omen.--Its Appearance by Day.--Its Habits misunderstood.--Its Utility to the Farmer.--A Curious Tradition.--Its Note or Cry.--An Owl Robbing Nests.--Evidence not conclusive.--Its Retiring Habits.--Its “Five Wits.”--Its Fame in Song.--The Owl’s Good Night. 83