THE ROMANCE OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



unclouded moon. In such a soft, warm, and 

 fragrant bed, sleep soon overcame him, till he 

 awoke with a confused idea of elves, sprites, 

 fairies and pixies, holding their midnight dances 

 around him. 



"I had not been long again settled," he says, 

 "on my grassy couch, reflecting upon my wild, 

 fantastic dream, with all its attendant revelry, 

 when my attention was drawn to the singular, 

 wild, ringing strain of the fern-owl. It resembled, 

 at times, the whirring, rapid rotation of a wheel, 

 now swelling, now diminishing, the sounds inter- 

 mixed with curring and croaking notes, some of 

 the sounds having a ventriloquial effect; there 

 was now and then a sharp, unearthly kind of 

 shriek ; presently there were the same sounds issu- 

 ing from other quarters of the wood, until the 

 whole place was ringing with the wild nocturnal 

 notes. As daybreak advanced, I could see the 

 fern-owls (there were at least from four to six 

 birds,) hawking for moths, chasing and pursuing 

 each other, and sweeping along with surprisingly 

 sudden turns and tumblings. As I sat motionless, 

 with my head just above the surface of the hay- 

 cock, I had a good view of their proceedings; the 

 birds were continually snapping at the numerous 

 small moths which were hovering over the heaps 

 of hay. The birds are not very shy when pursu- 

 ing their prey, for they would glide along close by 

 me; amidst the gloom one could see them looming 

 in certain positions, as a ship at sea is sometimes 

 to be seen in the night-time. At times the fern- 

 owls would suddenly appear close to me, as if by 

 magic, and then shoot off, like meteors passing 

 through the air. 



"The spectral and owl-like appearance, the 

 noiseless, wheeling flight of the birds as they 

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