180 NYCTEA NIVEA. 



just got. They are not nearly so round as my eggs of the Eagle-Owl, Ijut 

 nearly as large/' 



Three of these eggs Mr. Wheelwright was good enough to let me become 

 possessed of. Of the remainder, one has, I believe, passed into the collection 

 of Mr. Braikenridge, another into that of Mr. G. D. Rowley, and the third re- 

 mains in INIr. Wheeh\Tight's own keeping. 



In the ' Field ' newspaper, No. 527, for January 31, 1863 (p. 93), is one of a 

 series of articles entitled " A Spring and Summer in Lapland, by an Old 

 Bushman." From it I make the following extract : — 



" Owing perhaps to the lemming migrations, which appear to draw all the 

 birds of prey in the north into one focus, the snowy owl has not been rare on 

 the Quickiock fells during the last three seasons ; and in 1861 three nests, all 

 containing young birds, were destroyed by the Laps within sixty miles of 

 Quickiock. In no single instance were the old birds kUled ; but they did not 

 come back to breed in the same localities in 1862, for we carefully examined 

 every old nest. However, in the beginning of June I sent two Laps otF to 

 the great lake Wihrigaur. The road was bad, and the snow lay deep on the 

 fells ; but they retm-ned wnthin the week, bringing with them a nest and six 

 eggs of the snowy owl, as well as the old female, which they had shot. I was 

 much pleased to see the marked difference between this egg and the egg of any 

 other of the large European owls. It is more elongated and not so round or 

 large as the egg of the eagle owl (but of course perfectly white) ; and it is 

 larger than that of the Lap owl (Strix Lap2)onica). The egg of the snowy 

 owl measures just the same in length as that of the eagle owl (2\ inches) ; its 

 breadth is If inches, that of the eagle owl being 2 inches full. The nest was 

 nothing more than a large ball of reindeer moss, placed on the ledge of a 

 bare fell. The old birds appeared to guard it most jealously; in fact, the 

 Laps often kill them with a stick when they are robbing the nest." 



Some other interesting information respecting the habits of the bird is 

 added by this excellent observer; but, as it does not relate to these eggs, I do 

 not copy it here'. I may, however, remark that I do not quite agree with the 

 statement above quoted as regards the comparative size of the Snowy and 

 Eagle-Owl's eggs, so far as I am able to judge from the specimens now in my 

 possession, and included in this Catalogue. Of seven of the first, the longest 

 measures 2-24 in., the shortest 2-14. Of nineteen Eagle-Owls' eggs, all laid 

 by wild birds, the longest is 2*42 in., the shortest 2'19, — giving an average 

 length for Nyctea nivea of about 2-204 in., and for Buho maximus of 2-303 in. 

 Wihri-jaur is on the boundary of the kingdoms of Norway and Sweden, 

 almost immediately under Sulitjelma, the highest mountain of Arctic Europe, 

 and, with the adjoining Wasti-jaur, forms the chief reservoir whence the Great 

 Lulea river flows, before entering the lake of the same name.] 



pp. 212, 213). This was in the beginning of June 1843, and I am not aware that 

 he ever met with another. Perhaps Mr. Wheelwright meant to have written 

 " Lillehammer " for " Ilammerfest." — Ed.] 



1 [In the volume, lately issued, containing (under the same title as that by which 

 they originally appeared in the ' Field ') the whole series of these valuable articles 

 collected and reprinted, it is further stated (p. 2r)8) that " The snowy owl will 

 occasionally make its nest on the large turf hillocks in some of the mosses." — Ed.] 



