There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate.
The great owl - qipowz (H7091); or, the darting tree serpent [the akontias of AElian, the jaculus of Lucan]. Avicenna uses the cognate Arabic term kipaz for the same. The arrow-snake, so called from its darting on its prey (Gesenius). But the context favours a bird: for 'gathering under her shadow' applies best to a mother-bird fostering her young under her wings. The English version therefore is best. The Septuagint, Chaldaic, Arabic, Syriac, and Vulgate read qipowd (H7090), 'hedgehog.' Song of Solomon 6:1-13 Hebrew MSS. (Michaelis, 'Supp.' 2199).
Lay - namely, eggs. Gather under her shadow - cherishes her young under, etc. (Jeremiah 17:11.)