258 
THE FERN-OWL. 
far to exceed those which were reared there, it appeared as if 
the united broods of the neighbourhood had, by common 
consent, fixed upon it as a favoured central rendezvous. All 
was exhilaration, — a perpetual twittering was kept up; a few 
of the old ones would, after flying in circles round the battle- 
ments, pass screaming by the reposing ranks of young ones, 
and then, as if by word of command, the whole body would 
sweep from their resting-places, and in loud chorus take a 
wider circuit, as if to try their powers ; and then in an 
instant crowd again together, and rest as before. But 
those days are gone by; year after year the numbers have 
fallen off, and at present we are not aware of even a single 
nest. 
There may he, however, some solitary exceptions to their 
diminution ; one, indeed, fell under our observation, on the 
17th of June, 1833, when we were delighted with a little 
colony of upwards of fifty nests, attached in closest order 
beneath the eaves of a lone public-house, called “ Cates’ 
Cabin,” between Stamford and Huntingdon, in the parish of 
Chesterton.'* 
The Goat- suckers, or Fern-Owls, so called from being fre- 
* There are some interesting circumstances connected with this public- 
house which may be worth recording. The name of Cates’ Cabin, being 
derived from Catius,the officer who commanded the station at the great 
Roman Camp, mentioned by Camden and Stukeley. The sign of this 
inn has also its peculiar interest, being the head of Dryden, painted by 
Sir William Beechey in his early days, under the following circum- 
stances : — About 400 yards from Cates’ Cabin stood a fine old manor 
house, built in the reign of James I., the seat of the Drydens, collaterals > 
of the poet. This estate descended to a Mr. Pigott (through his mother, 
a Dryden) of the family of Pigott of Chetwynd, in Salop, who was in his 
day famous on the turf ; having become embarrassed, he sold his patri- 
mony at Chesterton to a Mr. Walker, and purchased a few acres in 
Anwalton parish, only a few miles from Cates’ Cabin, and built a 
house, which was called “ Pigott’s Folly.” Retaining a taste for the 1 
pursuits and luxuries of his prosperous days, he resolved to adorn : 
“ Pigott’s Folly ” with paintings of. the heathen gods and goddesses, and 
finding in London a sprightly youth, an artist, he brought him down to 
paint his house ; this was young Beechey, who was lodged during his 
employment at Cates’ Cabin, and, in his leisure hours, painted for his 
landlady its sign, the Dryden Head (this was about the year 1770), j 
copied from an engraving of the poet in the frontispiece of his Miscel- 
lanies, borrowed by the landlady from a neighbouring clergyman. 
