154 XATDIIAL lirSTOEY COLLECTIONS IN ALASKA. 



from five to ten eggs, in ii grassy depression in a sheltered spot ou the hillside. The last time 

 when they were so abundant about a dozen pairs were found nesting upon an isolated hill near the 

 coast, Just east of Saint Michaels, as I was informed by several diflerent ])ersons. 



On one occasion, while traveling south of the Yukon in December, I secured a beautiful 

 specimen of this bird, which was nearly immaculate milky white, with a rich and extremely beau- 

 tiful shade of clear lemon-yellow sufl'using the entire bird, exactly as the i-osy blush clothes 

 the entire plumage of some gulls in spring. The bird was kept until the next morning; an 

 examination then showed that beautiful tinge had vanished and the feathers had become dead 

 white, with barely a trace of the coloring seen the previous evening. The birds showing the largest 

 amount of white are usually males. 



The highest latitudes reached by Arctic explorers have not exceede<l the bouuds of this hardy 

 bird, which is represented by a similar or identical form around the northern shores of the Old 

 "World. In the History of North American Birds the American bird is separated from the Euro- 

 pean by the greater amount of white possessed by the latter. It is rather common to find pure white 

 specimens of this bird from the northern part of America marked by a very few scattered spots 

 upon the back. A specimen sent to the National Museum from Sitka, taken during the winter of 

 1881-'82, has a larger amount of black markings than any bird I have seen. It may indicate a 

 local dark-colored form iu that region. 



The Snowy Owl is said to nest in Lapland, after a great lemming season, and in Northern 

 Norway as well. When it nests there it always chooses a hill-top or hill-side. The eggs, which 

 ^•e from six to eight or more in number, measure from 2.05 by 1.02 to 2.25 by 1.77, and are of a 

 roundish oval form; the color is white, and the shell has a fine texture. Like numerous other 

 birds this owl figures largely in the mythologic tales of the Northwestern Eskimo, one of which 

 in particular is an interesting account of the way in which man learned the use of various imple- 

 ments by the experience of a metamorphosed owl. It does not api)ear to have been a very com- 

 mon bird near the winter quarters of the Vega, although every explorer has found it wherever he 

 Las penetrated the Arctic. 



Wrangel accuses these birds of being carrion-eaters in Northern Siberia. During the Nares 

 Arctic Expedition these birds were found nesting ou Grinnell Land, in latitude 82° 33' north, on 

 June 24, when a nest with seven eggs was found. The eggs were placed in a mere hollow 

 scooped out in the earth ou the top of a rise iu the center of a valley. They were found nesting 

 iu abundance by the same party iu latitude Sl^. 



SuRNiA ULtTLA (Liuu.). Hawk Owl. 



The ])resence of this bird in this report rests upon the capture of a single specimen uear Saint 

 Michaels iu October, 1876, by Mr. L. M. Turner, and recorded iu the Bulletin of the Nuttall Orni- 

 thological Club for January, 1878. Its great rarity at this point, as well as throughout the interior 

 of the Territory, is attested by its absence iu the large series of Hawk Owls secured by myself and 

 Mr. Turner while in the north. It is a rather abundant species around the Arctic regiou of the 

 Old World, and is numerous in Lapland, where it is uoted for its indiiference to the presence of 

 man. It nests iu hollow trees, and the male fiercely defends the eggs. They have been kuowu to 

 even wound a person climbing the tree, thus showing a spirit as bold as the American birds. One 

 of the latter made an onslaught upon Mr. Dall when iuvestigatiug a nest. 



The present form may be distinguished at once from the American bird by the predominance 

 of white barring ou the lower surface and the large amount of white upon the neck, with a gen- 

 eral paleness and increased amount of white upon the back. The brown bars of the lower sur- 

 face are narrow and pale, and the v.'hite bars broader than in caparovh. The feet and legs are dull 

 white with a fine, pale and very indistinct brown mottling. The top of the head appears white with 

 dark markings, whereas in the American bird the crown appears dark-brown with white marks. 

 The white marks ou the upper back, scapulars, and rump are larger and more promiuent than the 

 dark markings. The brown of the entire bird is i)ale aud has a bleached appearance. The pat- 

 tern of coloration is the same iu the two forms, but the European bird will be recognized at once 



