SNOWY OWL. 355 



Mr Bullock, who met with it botli in Orkney and in 



Shetland, although he procured only one specimen, dif- 

 fers from Mr Edmondston in alleging that it preys in 

 mid-day ; and of this opinion we see Dr Richardson 

 and other observers to be. Recent British writers have 

 not added any thing to our information respecting 

 *' this noble and beautiful owl." Perhaps I ought to ex- 

 cept Mr Mudie, who is apparently very familiar with 

 it. 



" Time of day is a matter of indifference to the 

 snowy owl during the storms or the fogs. When the 

 sun is hot, it takes shelter under some ledge of those 

 wdd rocks, in the fastnesses of which it nestles, and 

 annually rears its brood of a single pair. But when the 

 snow drives it is twilight all the day long, and not very 

 different dm:ing the fogs. At these times the snowy 

 owl flies low, after the manner of the eagle owl, and 

 the prey which it captures is so abundant, that it not 

 only waxes fat during the storms, but retains its fat- 

 ness when drifted by the winds to the distance of a 

 thousand miles. Countries in which snow dims the 

 eyes or fogs cloud the vision of those animals on which 

 it preys, appear to be the most congenial to this inte- 

 resting bird. Accordingly, it very rarely comes to the 

 mainland of Britain ; and when it does, it is always du- 

 ring violent snow-storms from the north, which also 

 bring the northern birds, not generally visitants of our 

 shores. When it comes, it perches on the top of a 

 wreath, or on some stick or other point jutting out of 

 the snow, and as it is not very unlike a lump of snow 

 itself, it causes but little alarm in the birds, and so cap- 

 tures them with ease !" 



