Ii6 



BIRDS OF AMERICA 



The fine, strong, and picturesque Snowy Owl 

 comes to us as a migrant from the northland 

 where it breeds, and where the long days in 

 summer make its habits chiefly diurnal. This 

 fact has been discovered too late by many a Crow 

 engaged with his brethren in the pleasing diver- 

 sion of mobbing the big white specter sitting on 



Drawing by R. I Brasher 



SNOWY OWL (8 nat. size) 

 A clever fisherman as well as hunter 



a limb motionless, and presumably blind, because 

 obviously an Owl. For, let one of the black 

 tormentors come near enough and the ghost sud- 

 denly launches out on strong, silent wings, the 

 great talons strike and close, and there is a Crow 

 who would have been wiser but for the circum- 

 stance that he is very dead. 



In the regions far to the north, where this Owl 

 breeds and therefore does its most persistent 

 hunting, it preys upon small rodents. Ptarmigans, 

 Ducks and other waterfowl, and, according to 

 Captain Bendire, will kill and devour even the 

 Arctic hare, an animal often twice as heavy as 

 the Owl. It is very fond of fish and is said to 

 be expert at catching them alive. It will also 

 eat dead fish washed up on the shore, when 

 other food is scarce. 



So swift is its flight that it is able to overtake 

 even Grouse in flight. Duck hunters are often 

 startled by the sudden descent of the great bird 

 upon their decoys. In its migrations it is be- 

 lieved to be more destructive to game and other 

 useful birds than the Barred Owl, but less so 

 than the Great Horned Owl. 



For unknown reasons the winter migrations 

 of the Snowy Owl sometimes amount to veritable 

 invasions. In New York, for example, this phe- 

 nomenon was observed in the winters of 1876- 

 1877, 1882-1883, 1889-1890, and 1901-1902, 

 when, according to Mr. Eaton, " dozens of speci- 

 mens were collected in various parts of the State, 

 notably on Long Island and near the shores of 

 Lake Ontario." 



Of its economic value Dr. A. K. Fisher says: 

 " On account of its size and strength the 

 Snowy Owl is capable of doing great good in 

 destroying noxious mammals. The stomachs 

 examined were collected between the last of Oc- 

 tober and March and the contents make a very 

 good showing for the bird. Although a number 

 of water birds were found, a large proportion 

 consisted of mammal remains. One stomach 

 contained fourteen white-footed mice and three 

 meadow mice, and in others as many as five to 

 eight of these little rodents were found. The 

 common rat appeared in a number of stomachs 

 and seems to be considerably sought after. It 

 is a lamentable fact that this useful bird is 

 slaughtered in great numbers whenever it ap- 

 pears within our limits." George Gladden. 



AMERICAN HAWK OWL 

 Surnia ulula caparoch (MiUlcr) 



A. O. U. Number 377a See Color Plate 55 

 Dav Owl ; Canadian Owl ; Hudsonian 



Other Names 



Owl. 



General Description. — Length, 17 inches; spread of 

 wings, 34 inches. Color above, dark brown, speckled 

 with white; below, white, barred with brown. No ear- 



tufts ; facial disk, poorly developed, making the face 

 hawk-like ; 3 or 4 outer primaries notched on inner 

 webs; tail, tony and routidcd : feet, heavily feathered. 

 Color. — Adults : Plumage above, rich dark brown, 

 darker in front, where passing into black or brownish- 



