10 BULLETIN^ OF THE NUTTALL 



where it is confined mostly to the coast, although occasionally taken 

 throughout the interior. About the first of November, 1876, how- 

 ever, large numbers suddenly appeared along our coast. This be- 

 ing the season when sportsmen and the market gunners were in 

 pursuit of water-fowl on the sea-shore, dozens of Snowy Owls were 

 shot by them and sent to the markets and to taxidermists, so that 

 during the three following weeks it was a common thing to see 

 them hanging with other game in the markets, or confined alive, 



I first heard of them on our Massachusetts coast as frequenting 

 the ishmds off Kockport, where numbers were taken. One gunner 

 spoke of seeing fifteen at once on a small island one foggy morning, 

 nearly half of which he procured. As the Owls flew around over 

 the rocks uttering their weird cries, they presented- a scene of rare 

 occurrence in New England. Specimens were soon after captured 

 in nearly every town in this vicinity (Boston), and were sent to the 

 city from various other parts of the country. Several were shot in 

 the very heart of the city of Boston, where they were occasionally 

 been perched upon the house-tops or church-spires. 



I learn from Mr, George A. Boardman, of Milltown, Me., that 

 they were at this time very abundant in his locality, where they 

 appeared as early as September. Mr. Simeon F. (/heney, of Grand 

 Menan, also informs me that they were never before so abundant 

 there as during the present season, arriving there about October 20. 

 He reports that eight w^ere seen together at one time, and that on 

 another occasion a flock of fifteen was noticed. 



Mr. N. C. Brown, of Portland, Me., i-eports that about one hun- 

 dred and fifty wore shot in the immediate vicinity of that city, and 

 that five flew about the buildings of the city for a week unmolested. 

 Mr. J. M. Le Moyne also writes me that the unusual abundance 

 of these birds about Quebec, Canada, has been the subject of gen- 

 eral remark. 



The migration seems also to have extended far to the southward 

 of New England, as 1 learn from Mr. Boardman that specimens 

 Lave been taken as far south as Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Wash- 

 ington. In Philadelphia Mr. John Krider, the well-known taxider- 

 mist, had forty sent to him for preparation during October and 

 November. One was taken near Baltimore during the last of Sep- 

 tember, I have heard of some five hundred specimens that have 

 been seen, the majority of which have been shot. 



Many of the specimens were in exceedingly poor condition. Of 



