AMKIUCAN ORNITHOLOGY. 21 



SNOWY OWL. 



A <). U. Xo. 376. fXyctea nyctea.) 



RANGE. 



Snowy Owls are found through the northern portions of the North- 

 ern Hemisphere, bot hin the New and Old World. In North America 

 they breed from the central portions of Canada northwards. In winter 

 they mißrate to the northern boundaries of the United States and a few 

 stragglers are observed in many of the middle tier of states. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Length 25 in. Male. — White more or less barred with brownish black. 

 Occasionally birds will be found that are entirely white and tinmarked, 

 but they are almost always slightly barred. A female is very much 

 more heavily barred than the male and as a rule is considerably larger. 



NESTS AND EGGS. 



The Snowy Owl's nest daring May, placing their eggs in ahollow of 

 the moss on a dry portion of some marsh. Sometimes a few grasses 

 and feathers are used for lining. They are said to lay from three to 

 ten eggs. These are oval in shape, of a white or creamy color, and 

 average in size 2.24 X 1.77 in. 



HABITS. 



None of the owls with wliich we are familiär in the United States can 

 compare in point of beauty with this inhabitant of the far north. In 

 regard to size and strength they are also the leaders. They weigh 

 slightly more than the Great Horned Owl and are fully his equal in 

 muscular ability, and as for the Great Gray Owl which is found in the 

 same regions as the Snowy, the latter is fully twice as heavy although 

 the soft fluffy plumage of the Great Gray gives him the appearance 

 of being the larger of the two. 



During the summer months they find an abundance of food in the far 

 north; Ptarmigan and rabbits abound, and they also feed on ducks and 

 waders and are also said to be experts in catching fish. 



Their appearance in the United States depends upon the scverity of 

 the weather and the conditions of the food supply. In some winters 

 they come down in great abundance spreading out over the country 

 and being found in quite southerly latitudes. They frequent the open 

 country almost exclusively both in the north and during the winter 

 when they are in this country. They lurk about stone walls and 

 fences from which places they watch their opportunity to maVe a dash 

 and catch some unwary bird or mainmal, and they are very frequently 

 caught by placing a steel trap on the top of some fence post. 



