SNOWY OWL 361 



sort of rock or shrub. The eggs, which were decidedly soiled, proved to be nearly 

 fresh, and were very palatable. 



O. J. Murie (1929) says, of some 40 nests observed near Hooper 

 Bay, Alaska: 



The snowy owl nested most abundantly on the high rolling tundra, but a certain 

 number were found on the tide flats and others on the slopes of the Askinuk Moun- 

 tains. In nearly all cases the birds chose a hummock for the nesting site. In a 

 few instances a large hummock, rising prominently to a height of three or four feet, 

 was selected, but ordinarily the nest was made on a less conspicuous rise, sometimes 

 a very slight one. Often there were numerous other hummocks in the vicinity, 

 many of them better defined and drier than the one containing the nest. On the 

 high tundra, as well as on the tide flats, small lakes were plentiful, and the nests 

 were consequently located near some body of water or marshy tract, usually on a 

 long gentle slope. They were seldom found on the highest elevations. In the 

 Askinuk Mountains nests were found on various parts of the slopes, one at least 

 at an elevation of approximately 1000 feet. Other nests were seen on the salt- 

 water marsh, which was partly enclosed by two spurs of the mountains. 



The nest was merely a hollow scooped out of the top of the mossy knoll or mound, 

 usually exposing the peaty earth underneath the vegetation. Normally there 

 was no lining, but in a few instances moss, lichens, or grass was present in the 

 nest. This had been plucked near the nest rim. One nest had been made on a 

 small mound capped with tall grass. The owls had torn out enough of the grass 

 to make room for the nest and had left the rest standing. 



In the Askinuk Range, three nests were found on huge granite boulders about 

 four feet high and capped with moss and other vegetation in which the nest cavities 

 had been scooped out. One nest was near the base of a slope, the other two at a 

 much higher elevation on the upper slopes. Sometimes a second nest was found 

 near the one occupied. One such nest consisted of a well-formed cavity; another 

 had been started only. These were evidently false beginnings, abandoned when 

 the owls had decided on a new location. 



Capt. J. H. McNeile has sent me some notes on his experience with 

 the nesting of the snowy owl in Swedish Lapland, and also some excel- 

 lent photographs of the nests and their surroundings ; I quote from his 

 notes for June 7, 1924, as follows: 



"When we topped the ridge, we found ourselves looking down over 

 a great stretch of undulating snow, with here and there a rocky crest 

 or hillock standing out as an isolated patch of black, and with all the 

 surrounding mountains and distances blotted out by the powdery 

 snow which was driving in our faces. Even the reindeer had not 

 attempted to go up there, as the snow was lying too deep everywhere, 

 and the only living creatures to be seen were an occasional ptarmigan 

 or golden plover, and a pair of rough-legged buzzards whose melan- 

 choly cries made the dreary scene appear even more dismal. 



"The three of us separated, so as to try to hunt the black hummocks 

 or small bare hillocks as systematically as possible, and for five hours 

 or more we toiled and struggled over that abominable soft snow, and 

 never saw a sign of a snowy owl. But luckily, at about 10 p. in., we 

 heard a shout from Johan, a mile away to the east of us, and found he 



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