Identifier: historyofbritish01morr (find matches)
Title: A history of British birds. By the Rev. F.O. Morris ..
Year: 1862 (1860s)
Authors: Morris, F. O. (Francis Orpen), 1810-1893
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: London, Groombridge and Sons
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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^, France, Denmark,Norway, Sweden, Lapland, Hussia, and other parts of thenorth of Europe: in some yetirs it appears far more abundantlythan in others. It is plentiful in all the high latitudes ofNorth America. A single specimen of this Owl was long*left alone in its glory as a British species. One was takenat sea in an exhausted state off the Cornish coast, in March,1830. It lived afterwards for a few weeks in the care ofDr. Birkett, of Waterford, to whom it was given, the vesselhaving been bound to that port. A second, however, hasbeen now recorded by E. T. Higgins, Esq., in the Zoologist,
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m ^^ HAWK OWL. HAWK OWL. 175 as having been sliot whilst hawking for prey on BackwellHill, near the Yatton (Clevedon) Station, of the Bristol andExeter Bailway, at about two oclock, on the 25th. or 26th.of August, in the year 1847, the sun shining bright at thetime. This species flies by day, but seeks its food mostly in themorning and evening. It frequents small woods, and is abold and daring bird, fiequently carrying off game from thefowler, whom it attends for the purpose: it is easily tamed.Wilson remarks in writing of this Owl that it wants thefilaments on the outsides of the quill feathers which the Owlsthat fly by night possess, to enable them, as he imagines, tosteal more noiselessly on their prey; but surely such an ad-vantage would be far more useful by day than by night.There is indeed an all-wise reason for everything in nature;but I believe we are in the dark as to by far the most. Weare apt to argue that such or such is the reason of this orthat fact, or the use of this

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