OF S EL BORNE, 
153 
LETTER XV, 
TO THE SAME. 
DEAR SIR, Selborne, July S, 1773, 
Some young men went down lately to a pond on the verge of 
JVolmer-foreJl to hunt flappers, or young wild-ducksj many of which 
they caught, and, among the reft, fome very minute yet well-fledged 
wild-fowls alive, which upon examination I found to be teals. I 
did not know till then that teals ever bred in the fouth of England, 
and was much pleafed with the difcovery : this I look upon as a 
great fl;roke in natural hiftory. 
We have had, ever fince I can remember, a pair of white owls 
that conftantly breed under the eaves of this church. As I have 
paid good attention to the manner of life of thefe birds during 
their feafon of breeding, which lafts the fummer through, the 
following remarks may not perhaps be unacceptable :~About an 
hour before funfet (for then the mice begin to run) they fally 
forth in queft of prey, and hunt all round the hedges of meadows 
and fmall enclofures for them, which feem to be their only food. 
In this irregular country we can ftand on an eminence and fee 
them beat the fields over like a fetting-dog, and often drop down 
in the grafs or corn. I have minuted thefe birds with my watch 
for an hour together, and have found that they return to their 
nefl:, the one or the other of them, about once in five minutes ; 
refleding at the fame time on the adroitnefs that every animal 
is poflTeffed of as far as regards the well being of itfclf and off- 
X fpring. 
