with almoft as mucli agility as the fwallow. Sometimes, when 
flying with great fwiftnefs, they will clofe their wings and 
drop to the ground in an inflant ; we have repeatedly attempted 
to furprife them in this flate, but, in general, they are too 
quick ; we rather fuppofe they defcend in this manner to 
feize fome infe6l, which their fuperior power of fight enables 
them to perceive, though at a diftance. 
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 fpreading 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 plicilsena 
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 ftriking their wings together above their backs, in the 
manner that the pigeons called fmiters are known to do, make 
a fmart 
