Bubo maximus.
is found in many parts of the world, and haunts old ru- ins and other places where it is not lial)le to interrup- tion. Like others of its tribe, it remains silent in its solitude during the day, but comes forth at night from its retreat, adding, by its strange appearance and dismal tones, to the gloom of the scenes which it delights to frequent. The ground color of its plumage is brown mingled with yellow, diversified with wavy curves, bars, and dashes of black. Its length is about two feet ; the legs are feathered to the toes, and the iris of the ej'e exhibits a bright orange color. See Owl.
Screen, a partition, enclosure, or parclose separat- ing a portion of a room or of a church from the rest. In the domestic halls of the Middle Ages a screen was almost invariably fixed across the lower end, so as to ■ part off a small space, which became a lobby (with a gallery above it) within the main entrance doors, the approach to the body of the hall being by one or more doorways through the screen. These were of wood, with the lower part, to the height of a few feet, formed of close panelling, and the upper part of open-work. The passage behind the screen for the use of the servants was called "the Screens." In churches, screens were
Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, cir. I'itiO.
used in various situations, to enclose the choir, to sep- arate subordinate chapels, to protect tombs, etc. That at the west end of the choir or chancel was often called the rood-screen, from the rood having been placed over it previous to the Reformation. Screens were formed either of wood or stone, and were enriched not only with mouldings and carvings, but also with most brilliant coloring and gilding. The screens at the west end and sides of the choir in cathedrals and large churclies were usually close throughout their whole height, as they also occasionally were in other situations; but in gener- al the lower part only, to the height of about lour feet from the ground, was close, and the remainder was of open-work. The oldest piece of screen-work that has been noticed is at Compton Church, Surrey ; it is of wood, of transition character from N<irman to Early English, consisting of a series of small octagonal shafts with carved capitals supporting plain sorhicircular arch- es, and forms tlie front of an upper chajiel over the east- ern part of the chancel.
Of the Early English style the existing examples are almost invariably of stone. Some are close walls, more or less ornamented with panelling, arcades, and other decorations ; and some are close only at the bottom, and have the upper part formed of a series of open arches. Specimens of wooden screens of very early iJecurated
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date remain at Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, and at Sparsliolt, Berlvshire, and in the north aisle of tlie choir of Cliesu-r Cathedral : these have the lower part of plain boarding, and the upper of small feathered arches supported on circular banded shafts. Stone screens of this date are variously, and often very highly, enriched. Some have the upper part of open-work, similar to those of wood ; and others are entirely close, and are enriched with arcades, panels, niches, pinnacles, diapering, and other decorations characteristic of the style : specimens remain at Lincoln and several other cathedrals and large churches. Perpendicular screens exist in great variety in very many churches, both of wood and stctne. Some of them are profusely ornamented with panellings, niches, statues, pinnacles, tabernacle-work, carvings, and otiier enrichments. The lower part usually consists of close panels, and the upper part of open-work divided bv mullions supporting tracery ; but sometimes the whole is close, with the same general arrangement of panelling. The illustration given from Fytield Church, Berkshire, is an example of a parclose. — Parker, Gloss, of Aixhi- ittt ■< \
the high place assigned to them, side by side with the high -priest and the caj)- tain of the host, implies power and honor. We may think of them as the king's secretaries, writing his letters, drawing up his decrees, managing his fi- nances (comp. the work of the scribe under Joash, 2 Kings xii, 10). At a later period the word again con- nects itself with the act of numbering the military forces of the country (Jer. lii, 25, and probably Isa. xxxiii, 18). Other asso- ciations, however, began to gather round it about the same period. The zeal of Hezekiah led him to fos-
Aucieut Egyptian Scribe.
ter the growth of a body of men w-hose work it was to transcribe old records, or to put in writing what had been handed down orally (Prov. xxv, 1). To this pe-
P:irclose Screen, Fytield, Berkshire, cir. 14S0.
Alodeiu Otieiital Street Scribe.
Scribe ("^Sb. sophfr, a writer; ypai^ifinrtvi;'), a Liod accordingly belongs the new significance of the word the early appearance of which in Heb. literature title. It no longer designates only an otficer of the shows the anticiuity of the art of writing. The name i king's court, but a class, students and interpreters of of Kirjath -Sepher ("city of the book," Josh. XV, 15; Judg. i, 12) may possibly con- nect itself with some early use of the title. In the song of Deborah (v, 14) the word appears to point to military functions of some kind. Tiie " pen <if ihe writer" of tlie A. V. has been thought to be the rod or scep- tre of the commander luimbering or marshal- ling his troops; but it may naturally signify only that those unused to warfare in the emergency exchanged the pen for tlie sword. The title appears with more distinctness in the early history of the monarchy. Tiiey must not be confounded, however, with the D^"lwTli, s/iolerim (likewise literally record- ers) from whom they are expressly distin- guished (2 Chron. xxvi. 11), as the latter were rather inspectors than writers. See Okfickk. Three men are mentioned as suc- cessively filling the office of scribe mider Da- vid and Solomon (2 Sam. vi*, 17 ; xx. 25 ; 1 Kings iv, .-3. in this instance two siinultanc- ouslyj. Their functions are not specified, but Scribes \Viiuiig dowu the Number of the Slain. (Koyuujik.)