142 SNOWY OWL— WHITE OWL. 



be plucked off before the skin is finally exposed. Again, when we 

 remove the skin, we find the whole body encased in a thick coating 

 of yellow fat, so that, as I have just stated, it is difficult to conceive 

 of any cold severe enough to penetrate such a covering. Still fur- 

 ther, when we look at this bird as he sits motionless, looking like a 

 lump of snow on the limb of some tree, we observe that the only 

 uncovered or bare portions of his body are the great staring yellow 

 eyes, the point of the beak, and the very extremities of the hooked 

 claws, none of which can be sensible to cold. Consequently it is 

 more natural to attribute the southward migrations of these birds 

 to scarcity of food in the more northern regions, this scarcity, 

 being unquestionably caused by extreme weather, which obliges 

 the grouse and other creatures upon which this Owl preys to seek 

 more temperate quarters. In the track of these the Snowy Owl 

 follows, and often himself falls a prey to the gun of the hunter 

 and figures in our markets. 



The Snowy Owl hunts during the day and twilight, and 

 in this respect resembles the Hawk Owl. " Indeed unless it 

 could do so," says Richardson, " it would be unfit to pass the 

 summer within the Arctic circle." On the "Barren grounds" in 

 these northern parts it squats on the ground, and is said to be 

 very wary and difficult of approach. This squatting on the ground 

 does not se'em to be so much from the force of circumstance as 

 natural inclination and habit, for I have again and again surprised 

 this Owl on the Nuns' Island, near Montreal, on a snow bank, and 

 on the ice of the St. Lawrence, on the borders of this island. 

 When discovered the bird at once betook itself to some distant tree, 

 and became exceedingly wary, not permitting me again to reach 

 within anything like gun-shot of it. As an instance of its powers 

 of sight by day, I may mention the following : A gentleman resid- 

 ing some years since in Montreal, who was a great observer of 

 our winter birds, was in the habit of making frequent excursions 

 across the ice to Nuns' Island. On several occasions he observed 

 a Snowy Owl perched on one of the trees adjoining the out-build- 

 ings connected with the " Priests' Farm," but all attempts to come 

 within gun-shot of the bird proved unavailing. Thinking that 



