Birds of Spitsbergen. 579 



though it often nests in the ground, and no more careful 

 concealer of its nest exists, I have no other references to 

 this bird, either by others or myself. 



2. Plectrophenax nivalis (Linn.). Snow-Bunting. 



The Snow-Bunting has been so frequently recorded, that 

 all it seems necessary to say here is that I found the 

 species generally distributed in suitable nesting-spots. 

 There were two pairs in the river delta under the Norwegian 

 graves at Advent Bay, and a pair here and there up that 

 valley. In Wijde Bay I saw a pair, in Dickson's Bay two, 

 and there was quite a colony of breeding-birds in the 

 hyperite rocks at Eckmann's Bay and near the Splendid 

 Glacier. On August 11 there were small flocks of old and 

 young on Oxel Island, Van Mijen's Bay. 



- 3. Nyctea scandiaca (Linn.). Snowy Owl. 



It would seem to be now established beyond challenge that 

 theSnowyOwlmustbe regarded as merely a straggler to Spits- 

 bergen. Up to the date of the publication of Prof. Newton's 

 paper but one example had been recorded. Of voyagers who 

 follow, Lamont mentions that one of his party shot one on 

 Ziegler Island, Deep Bay, in August 1869. Von Heuglin did 

 not observe it, nor did Mr. A. H. Cocks. Prof. Norden- 

 skiold records one killed in Wijde Bay in 1872 (Voy. 'Vega,' 

 i. p. 131), and adds of this species : " It evidently breeds and 

 winters at the Ptarmigan-fell." He gives, however, none 

 of the evidence, and his conclusion may therefore fairly be 

 questioned. Col. H. W. Feilden, who visited Spitsbergen in 

 1894, remarks (Zool. 1895, p. 90) : " In our brief visit to 

 Spitsbergen we obtained two specimens, saw two more, and 

 saw traces of them.'' The facts in this paper discount to 

 some extent the theory, advanced by previous Avriters, that 

 the absence of the lemming explained the scarcity of the 

 Snowy Owl, for Col. Feilden found this bird content to feed 

 upon the Little Auk, a statement I am able to confirm from 

 my own observations. No Snowy Owl was seen last year, 

 either by myself or by any of our party. No country could 

 ofPer a greater advantage of nesting-sites for this species than 



