J. A. Baker, author of “The Peregrine” and “The Hill of Summer.” (1 Viewer)

[Sialiasialis]

What does “Curlew-call of the lemuring owls” signify? This is a quote from the Introduction (by Mark Cocker) to J.A. Baker’s “The Peregrine”, HarperCollins, 2015, at page 13.

 

[Harry Stottle]

Perhaps it may refer to the Gray-bellied night monkey.

Gray-bellied night monkey - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[halftwo]

Hi,

I think this just refers to nocturnal owl sounds - lemurs are arboreal & nocturnal.
So Baker was describing the curlew-like calls of Owls at night. Tawny Owl most likely fit.

If you enjoyed these books, you'll probably enjoy mine: Razor In The Wind.
(Available online & in bookshops).
Like Baker's, it's a prose-poetry book about nature - mine features Hobbies, rather than Peregrines - though they make occasional appearances, too.

Richard Hargreaves

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

Also remember that the word “lemur” derived from “lemures”, Latin for ghosts or spirits. Barn Owl perhaps?

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

Also curlews calling at night are supposed to be an ill-omen.

 

[halftwo]

Yep, I knew that, WP.

But I think Tawny better fits the bill. Arboreal & a hooter, rather than a screecher.

 

[JTweedie]

The OED says the word lemur is a borrowing from Latin, but the plural is lemures.

It gives this definition from Roman mythology: The spirits of the departed.

Welsh Peregrines's suggestion sounds good to me.

There could also be a double meaning suggesting the ghostly echoes of curlews killed by peregrines, but interpreted through the sound of the barn owl?

 

[nartreb]

Baker used a lot of idiosyncratic, poetic phrases. There was a previous thread by somebody who was trying to make a translation of Peregrine and had a lot of questions...
ah, here we go: Peregrines called "Hawks" "Lemuring Owls" came up on page 7 of that thread, without consensus.