HABITS OF THE SNOWY OWL. 45 



But the eyes of the owl, though they do not help him much in the day- 

 time, arc of the utmost service in the twilight. He can see the smallest speck 

 on the ground, or the tiny mouse in the corner of the barn. And the farmer 

 rather likes him on this account. One barn owl is as good, and will do as 

 much work, as a dozen cats. 



But as there is no rule without an exception, so there are owls that can 

 see by daylight. The snowy owl is one of these. You see he is not hiding 

 in a corner, but sits very composedly on the bough of a tree, and does not 

 wink or blink although it is day-time. 



He lives in the northern parts of Europe, and goes southward when 

 winter approaches. 



His flight is noiseless, like that of the other owls, but he can continue on 

 the wing for a long time. Sometimes he hunts in the air. He spies a pigeon 

 or a wild duck, and he sets himself to follow it. With his swift and steady 

 flight he soon gains upon it. Then he strikes it with his talons, a little in the 

 same manner as the hawks do. 



He loves the margin of rivers or streams, and if there is a rapid, or a 

 waterfall, he is all the better pleased. There he stations himself, for plenty 

 of fishes are sure to be drawn over, and then he pounces upon them. He alsO' 

 goes to the trap in which some small animal, such as the rat, is caught, and 

 devours it. His diet consists also of larger prey, such as hares and squirrels, 

 and his meals are excessive. You would wonder how his stomach could hold 

 the amount of food put into it. But, happily, it has the power of stretching 

 out like india-rubber, which exactly suits him. 



If the snowy owl could not hunt in the day-time, I do not know what 

 would become of him. For in those northern regions, at certain seasons of 

 the year, there is no night at all. When he is taken alive and kept in captivity, 

 he is very gentle, but easily alarmed. Then he raises his head, opens his 

 mouth, and utters a sharp low cry. 



The owls build their nests on steep rocks, or among the branches of the 

 pine. The mother bird lays two eggs of a pure white. Sometimes it is said 

 that the nest is placed on the ground. 



A ship was once sailing to America, when the people on board saw a 

 snowy owl far out at sea and skimming the waves. Though he must have 

 been a long time on the wing, he did not seem at all tired, but rose and fell 

 with the crested billows as though he enjoyed the sport. 



