I haven't had luck yet in finding that particular quote, but as to the owl representing wisdom in the European world, Chaucer called the owl "That prophete...of wo & of myschaunce" in _Philomene_ > > >The owl is a beast associated with the possession of wisdom, hence its > >frequent use in heraldry to this end. In legend, the owl is associated with > >the Roman goddess Minerva, goddess of wisdom. The owl is also the emblem of > >Athens, where owls abound, according to Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and > >Fable, hence the owl is associated with the goddess Athena, the Athenian > >version of Minerva. > > > >The phrase you mention is actually used to describe hindsight. "The owl of > >Minerva spreads its wings only with the coming of dusk.", i.e., too late to > >be useful. I do not know the origin of the expression. > > > >Harry > > ---------------------- Vincent Lyon [log in to unmask] ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).