LESSON 27 THE OWL¹ 第二十七课 猫头鹰

The owl is called the“bird of night.” 猫头鹰被称作“夜之鸟”。

The light of day is too strong and too bright for his eyes. 白天的光对它们的眼睛来说太强、太亮。

So he sits all day long hid² in a tree, or in a hole of a wall, out of sight³. 所以他一整天都藏在树上或壁洞这种很难被发现的地方。

As soon as it is night he comes out, and flies round and round, in search⁴ of mice⁵, or small birds. 一到了晚上他便出来，在空中盘旋飞翔着觅食老鼠或小鸟。

When he flies, his wings do not make a noise. So the mice and birds do not hear him till he is quite near. 当他飞行时，他的羽翼不会发出响声。所以当老鼠和小鸟们听到他的声音时，他已经飞得离他们很近了。

The birds know him well, and are in great fear⁶ of him. 鸟儿很了解他，也很怕他。

When they find him out by day, they come and peck⁷ at him with all their might⁸. 当它们白天遇见他时，就会拼命地啄他。

He is then half blind⁹, and he does not see how to fight¹⁰ with them. Look how they peck at him! 他那时会反应迟钝，不清楚要怎样对付它们。看它们是如何啄他的！

Poor owl! Fly back to your hole as fast as you can. 可怜的猫头鹰！你尽快地飞回你的洞里吧。