EXPEDITION TO POINT BARROW, ALASKA. 107 



ft. nnd on :i mud-bank, and partially concealed by a clod, though not so completely as a .Snow-bunt- 

 ing's ;ii!st would have been. They appear to raise, .sometimes two broods in a season, Bl a ne.-,l has 

 been found as late as Juno 21 containing only two eggs. Wo never found more than six eggs in 

 any nest of this species, and sels of five wore frequently found far advanced in incubation. 



The first newly-hatched young were noticed about the middle of June. Like the Snow-buntings 

 they keep themselves pretty well out of sight during the first half of July, but from then through 

 August appear in considerable numbers, congregating with the Snow-buntings round the, village 

 and native camps. The young, some of which are fully Hedged by the middle of July, gather in 

 large loose flocks, and appear to remain later than the adults. They go oil' gradually near the 

 latter part of August, and were, last seen in 1882 on the 4th of September. We left them still 

 quite abundant in 1883, when we abandoned the station. 



207a. ZONOTRICHIA QAMBELI INTERMEDIA Ridgw. 



INTERMEDIATE WHITE-CROWNED SPAUIIOW. 



This bird, which is common in the Yukon region and on the lower Mackenzie, occurs at Poinfc 

 Barrow only as a straggler. A single individual, which Mr. Ridgway has identified as the young 

 of the year of this species, was caught in one of the tents at the station September 14, 188.'!, a 

 solitary instance to be compared with the northward autumnal wanderings of tlie-Bank-swallows. 



217. JUNCO HYEMALIS (Linn.) Scl. 

 BLACK SNOWBIRD (Su'ksaxia). 



This is another straggler from the Yukon region and the wooded interior of Alaska, where 

 Mr. Dall found it not uncommon during his stay at Nnlato. 



The solitary instance of its occurrence near Point Barrow was on May 24, 1883, when a male, 

 apparently ready to breed, was taken not far from our station. 



406. NYCTEA SCANDIACA (Linn.) Newt. 



SNOWY OWL (Vkpil-). 



This bird may be fairly considered a resident of these regions, although in the depths of the 

 vinter it retreats with the ptarmigan back to the "deer country," that is, the valleys of the largo 

 rivers running into the Arctic Ocean east of Point Barrow. 



Its abundance in the spring and summer near the coast appears to depend on the prcseiu 

 absence of its favorite food, the Lemming, as has been noted elsewhere by Mr. Nelson. 



During the season of 1882 we, saw 110 Lemmings, though signs of their presence in the shape 

 of droppings, and their skulls and skeletons ia owl's castings, were numerous all over the tundra. 

 During that season we saw but very few owls. On the other hand, in 1883, Lemmings were exceed- 

 ingly plenty all round the station, and owls were proportionately abundant; scarcely a day passed 

 without one or more being seen sitting on the tundra, generally on the top of a bank or small 

 knoll, on the lookout for Lemmings. 



They were exceedingly shy and watchful, and, though seen and pursued nearly every day. only 

 two were taken. 



One of these made a regular habit of coining every afternoon at about the same time and set- 

 tling himself in plain sight of the station on the opposite bank of the lagoon. For nine days ho 

 came regularly, and afforded much sport to several members of our party, who would go out regu- 

 larly to capture him with rillo or shotgun, and as regularly return baffled. lie was at last secured 

 by two men, one of whom attracted his attention while the other managed to creep up within gun- 

 shot under cover of a bank. 



These birds showed no signs of breeding while in our neighborhood. Some of the Eskimos 

 said they could get the eggs from a camping-ground towards the southwest, but they failed to 

 do so. 



