Inside Owlball

Found the owl in THE HINDUS: AN ALTERNATIVE HISTORY, which I think means I can stop reading it if I want. Yes, I have once again proven my famous and much beloved statement that every book has an owl in it. There is a particular penance for killing "a cat or a mongoose, a blue jay, a frog, a dog, a lizard, an owl, or a crow." It's quoted from Manu's DHARMA-SHASTRA, reminding me of the time John Aubrey quoted Sir Thomas Browne on the subject of "Owles," ha ha, am I right? Good times. Yeah? Are you with me? Huh? No? Is this all a little "inside owlball," to use the popular phrase? I should try to get a grip.