SNOWY OWL— WHITE OWL. 143 



the color of his o-arments mioht be the obstacle to his success, he, 

 on a subsequent occasion, shrouded himself wholly in white linen, 

 and repaired to the same spot. There sat the Owl in pretty much 

 the same position as when it had been before observed, but as 

 wary as ever, and evidently even already engaged in considering 

 the nature of the white object approaching him. The attempt 

 was unsuccessful, and the hunter returned to town without his 

 prize, but with a considerable addendum to his knowledge respect- 

 ing the powers of vision of the Snowy Owl. 



When the Snowy Owl is winged and otherwise wounded and 

 brought to bay, he makes a desperate resistance, and uses his bill 

 and claws with terrible effect ; and I have seen a dog most griev- 

 ously torn, and almost entirely disabled, which had incautiously 

 attempted to retrieve one of these wounded birds. I have 

 never seen the Snowy Owl snap his mandibles together as most 

 of the other Owls do when molested, and am satisfied he never 

 does so ; but with head thrown back, mouth open, and head- 

 feathers closely compressed, he watches every movement of 

 his tormentor, and cannot be surprised by the most cunningly 

 devised feint. The only sound made by the bird while thus 

 pressed is a repeated hissing, like that made by Eagles and the 

 Great Horned Owl ; and occasionally I have heard him scream 

 like an Eagle when he has been finally secured and powerless. 



The living Snowy Owl in my possession was caught in a 

 trap of some kind on. the island of Montreal, but, as I have just 

 stated, without being injured in the slightest. It is a beautiful 

 adult full-grown female, and thus far has thriven well, tamed very 

 considerably, and is fast becoming reconciled to her imprisonment. 

 Her abode is a large cellar, moderately light, and always cool, 

 and from one corner of this to the other she roams as she sees 

 fit. Her usual and apparently natural habit is to squat for hours 

 at a time on the floor, and although there are numerous objects 

 around her on which she might perch, were she so disposed, 

 she has not yet done so, except when suddenly alarmed. Her food 

 consists of raw meat of any kind, which is cut up into long strips 



