218 General Notes. [£$-, 



Where no mention is made of the contents of stomach it was empty 

 or not examined. 



Mr. Alexander Calder, Winnipeg, Man., and Mr. George E. Atkinson, 

 Portage la Prairie, Man., inform me that these owls have been quite as 

 numerous in their localities as they were in the winter of 1905-1906, when 

 they were very abundant. 



An interesting feature is that a number of persons who have this season 

 received specimens, report the unusually light plumage, some examples 

 being practically immaculate. Mr. Jas. H. Fleming, Toronto, Ont., writes 

 under date of February 20, 1907, that Snowy Owls reached Toronto early 

 in October (first record Oct. 12), and while the flight was not large, it was 

 remarkable for the wonderful whiteness of the birds. Mr. Fleming states 

 that among a dozen specimens examined there was not a dark one repre- 

 sented, and one taken on November 10, was as nearly spotless as a Snowy 

 Owl can be. 



Mr. P. A. Taverner, Detroit, Mich., under date of November 26, 1906, 

 writes : 



"This fall I have a few notes on Snowy Owls that you may find of in- 

 terest. 



"Oct. 29, 1906, male, Point Pelee, Ont. This is an almost pure white 

 bird with but half a dozen or so light markings on the breast and a few 

 more a shade darker on inner secondaries and scapularies. Specimen 

 in my collection. 



"Nov. 8, 1906, female, Point Pelee, Ont., the usual dark form and the 

 only such bird that I have so far seen this fall. 



'•Nov. 9, 1906 (about), Port Huron, Mich., almost as white as specimen 

 taken October 29. 



"Nov. 9, 1906 (about), Port Huron, Mich., not quite as white as the last 

 but still remarkably so. Both these birds were probably males but were 

 not sexed. 



"Nov. 10, 1906, Grosse Isle, Mich., male. Taken a few miles below 

 Detroit. This is one of the very whitest owls I ever saw. Plucking out 

 a few body feathers would make it immaculate. 



"This flight is of more than usual interest from the pronounced white- 

 ness of the birds taken. In all previous flights as far as I can gather the 

 birds were of the usual heavily marked type. It shows I think that this 

 flight comes from a different geographical source than previous flights. 

 The only place that I know of where white birds are at all common is the 

 Canadian Northwest, and it therefore looks as if it was from thence that 

 these birds came, via my 'Hyperlaken Route.'" 



Mr. J. D. Allen, taxidermist, Mandan, No. Dak., writes under date of 

 March 11, 1907: "The Snowy Owls have not beeD as abundant in this 

 vicinity during the present winter, as they were a year ago. About 

 twenty specimens have been sent to me, while last winter I received 

 about thirty." Mr. Allen also states that some years ago there was a 

 most remarkable flight of these owls throughout the State and that he 



