during the Arctic Expedition 1875-76. 403 



search expeditions that entered Lancaster Sound, or skirted 

 the northern shores of America from Behring's Straits, nor 

 by observers in Alaska or the fur- countries, leads to the sup- 

 position that it must be a species of limited distribution, 

 having its breeding-haunts to the north of Hudson^ s Bay. 

 I would suggest that inquiries about this bird should be made 

 among the Esquimo of Cumberland Gulf; and as it is chiefly 

 American vessels that winter there, the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion would, I think, have very little difficulty in inducing 

 some person employed there to investigate this subject. Dr. 

 Horner, of the yacht 'Pandora,' kindly informed me that in 

 July 1876 he saw an example of Saxicola mnanthe at Port 

 Foulke, a far more northern range of this species than had 

 previously been recorded. 



I was much struck with the extreme shyness of all the birds 

 we met with in the far north ; and until they had settled down 

 to nesting it was no easy matter to get within gun-shot range. 



1. Falco candicans. Greenland Falcon. 



The white form of Great Northern Falcon, though seen on 

 several occasions, was not procured by us in Smith Sound. 

 Mr. Hart noticed a pair of these birds nesting in the lime- 

 stone clifiFs near Cape Hayes, Grinnell Land (lat. 79°41'N.), 

 but was unable to secure a specimen. From this point to our 

 most northern extreme this Falcon was not observed by any 

 member of the expedition. On the 24th August, 1876, near 

 Cape Fraser (lat. 79° 47' N.), when on our return southwards, 

 a bird of this species flew round our vessels. The following 

 morning, when on shore between Cape Hayes and Cape Na- 

 poleon, I saw a magnificent example of F. candicans seated 

 on a rock ; it permitted me to get within seventy or eighty 

 yards ; but I failed in trying to procure it. 



2. Nyctea scandiaca. Snowy Owl. 



This Owl is a common spring and summer migrant to the 

 northern part of Grinnell Land. On the 2nd October, 1875, 

 I observed an individual of this species seated on a hummock 

 in the vicinity of our winter-quarters (lat. 82° 27' N.) . On 

 the 29th March, 1876, an example was seen by Lieutenant 



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