■with almoft as much agility as the fvvallow. ' Sometimes, when 

 jfiying with great fwiftnefs, they will clofe their wings and 

 drop to the ground in an inftant ; we have repeatedly attempted 

 to furprife them in this ftate, but, in general, they are too 

 quick ; . we rather fuppofe they defcend in this manner^ to 

 feize fome infeft, which their fuperior power of fight enables 

 tfeem tq peraeive;, though at a diflance. 



This fpecies is very abundant on Sydenham-Common and 

 the wood in its vicinity, we have feen a dozen or more to- 

 gether flying about like fwallows ; they are met with alfo in 

 the neighbourhoods of Hornfey, Coome-Wood, Enfield- 

 Chace, and feveral other places within a few miles of London ; 

 It is difperfed all over the kingdom. * 



The intelligent author of the Hiftory of Selborne, when 

 fpeaking of the agility of this bird, fays : " A Fern Owl, 

 this evening (Auguft 27) fhowed off in a very unufual and 

 entertaining manner, by hawking round and round the cir- 

 cumference of my great fp reading oak for twenty times fol- 

 lowing, keeping moftly clofe to the grafs, but occafionally 

 glancing up amidft the boughs of the tree. This amufing 

 bird was then inpurfuit of a brood of fome particular plicil^na 

 belonging to the oak, of which there are feveral forts, and 

 exhibiting on the occafion a command of wing fuperior I 

 think to that of the fwallow itfelf. 



When a perfon approaches the haunts of fern owls in an 

 evening, they continue flying round the head of the obtruder ; 

 and by fl:riking their wings together above their backs, in the 

 manner that the pigeons called fmiters are known to do, make 



a fmart 



