46 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [Marcll 



twenty yards from his trap, fully determined to shoot the first 

 comer ; but his determination proved fruitless, for a large white 

 owl — probably the thief — seeing something white sticking up 

 through the centre of the bush, and evidently mistaking it for a 

 fine plump willow grouse, instantly made a '•' stoop," and, at the 

 same time, sending its claws almost to the man's brains, suddenly 

 disappeared with the cap and white handkerchief : the man was so 

 startled for the moment that he was unable to shoot at the bird. 

 The snowy owl is a frequent attendant — although generally 

 unnoticed — of the sportsman, and often succeeds in carrying off 

 a grouse or duck before the retriever gets to it. On one occasion 

 sonie men were waiting in ice " gazes" for the purpose of shooting 

 wild geese {Bernicla canadensis and B. hrenta), when one of them, 

 named James Carter, left his "gaze" to go and have a chat with 

 his neighbour, incautiously leaving his new white swan-skin cuffs 

 and gun behind him. He had scarcely left his " gaze" when an 

 unseen enemy, in the shape of a fine snowy owl, pounced in and 

 succeeded in getting clear off again with both of the white cuffs. 

 A fine adult bird of this species entered my host's house, via the 

 chimney, and fought so valiantly for its life that the man had to 

 kill it with a " pew" — a piece of pointed iron fastened to a 

 wooden handle about four feet long, and used for throwing codfish 

 from the boats. A good many snowy owls are annually caught 

 in the fox-traps of the settlers ; and when very fat, which they 

 frequently are, are considered good eating by many, and I see no 

 reason why they should not be so, but I could never sufficiently 

 overcome my repugnance to birds of prey as food to taste one. 

 None of the settlers appeared to know anything of the breeding 

 of this bird, although Mr. Downs states that it " breeds in 

 Newfoundland." Mr. Cordeaux has kindly examined parasites 

 of Nyctea nivea from Newfoundland, and informs me that they 

 are identical with others from European specimens. 



Hawk Oivl, (Surnia ulula Linn.) — Perhaps the commonest owl 

 in Newfoundland, or, from being a day-flying species, is more 

 frequently seen than any other. It is a bold, familiar bird, 

 generally found in the neighbourhood of houses, preying on 

 chicken, tame pigeons, &c., — remaining throughout the year, but 

 not so abundant in the denth of winter as at other seasons. In 

 the fall ot the year, and probably at other times, the hawk owl 

 has a habit of perching on the bare and dead top of high fir trees, 



