312 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



Charlotte islands. The miners and traders about Cook inlet, Alaska 

 say that snowy owls have frequently been killed there in ^"inter. 

 It is a regular winter visitor at the base of the Alaskan peninsula. 

 (Osgood.) From the Sitkan region north to the farthest point of 

 Alaska this species keeps mainly to the more barren portions of 

 the coast and interior, and always is found less numerous where 

 trees are abundant. It occurs also on the islands in Bering sea 

 and more sparingly on the Aleutian chain. (Nelson; Turner.) This 

 bird may be said to be a resident at Point Barrow, although in the 

 depths of winter it retreats with the ptarmigan back to the "deer 

 country," that is, to the valleys of the large rivers running into the 

 Arctic ocean east of Point Barrow. (Murdoch.) I found the 

 snowy owl unexpectedly scarce in the vicinity of Kotzebue 

 sound and when seen were mostly single individuals. (Grinnell.) 

 Usually seen on the Pribylof islands, Bering sea in winter but 

 occasionally in summer. (Wm. Palmer.) 



Breeding Notes. — In Bendire's "Life Histories of N. A. Birds" 

 is a record of a snowy owl nesting in Manitoba and having eggs 

 advanced in incubation in the middle of February, but the time 

 of the year — Manitoba midwinter — is sufficient to pronounce this 

 record as a pure invention of the alleged finder of the nest — one 

 calling himself Le Grand T. Meyer— this, no doubt, being a fictitious 

 name. The nest is described as being made of hay, grass and sticks, 

 warmly lined with feathers and eighteen inches high above the 

 level prairie. The alleged finder of this nest evidently was never 

 in Canada or he would know that the ground is usually covered 

 deep with snow at this time of the year and that it would be an 

 impossibility for the snowy owl to prevent itself being buried in 

 the snow drifts; besides if the bird left its eggs for a few minutes 

 they would get frozen and burst. I have a clutch of seven eggs 

 and another of four eggs taken by Mr. Young, on Herschell island, 

 west of Mackenzie bay. This bird nests on the highest parts of 

 Herschell island, laying its eggs in a hollow lined with grass and 

 feathers. I have another clutch taken at Baillie island in FrankHn 

 bay, June 20th, 1900 by Capt. Bodfish; the nests were on raised 

 ground, the bird choosing sites so that it can overlook the sur- 

 rounding country. (W. Raine.) This species is not plentiful in the 

 Anderson country, while every effort made to secure even one speci- 

 men nest with its eggs proved unsuccessful; on one occasion we 



