818 REPORT OF STATE GEOLOGIST. 



ficial. Their chief food, with us, is meadow mice; in the Arctic re- 

 gions these mice and lemmings principally supply its wants. Mr. 

 L. M. Turner, in his "Notes on the Birds of Labrador and Ungava," 

 says: "It never seizes its prey except while the latter is in motion, 

 except in the case, probably, of fish." The examinations of stomachs 

 conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture show, of 

 38 stomachs of the Snowy Owl examined, 2 contained game birds; 9, 

 other birds; 18, mice; 2, other mammals; and 12 were empty. (Fisher, 

 Bull. No. 3, Div. 0. & M., U. S. Dept. Agr., p. 187.) 



The beauty of the plumage of this useful bird marks it for slaugh- 

 ter. It flys by day, and is, therefore, very conspicuous. Few, if any, 

 of those that visit the United States live to return. The winter of 

 1876-7, Mr. Euthven Deane estimates as many as 500 were killed in 

 New England. 



Audubon gives an interesting account of the fishing habits of this 

 Owl, as observed by him at the Falls of the Ohio (Orn. Biog., Vol. II, 

 p. 136). 



88. UEVUS SURNIA DUMKRU.. 



154. (377a). Surnia ulula caparoch (MULL.). 



American Hawk Owl. 



"No ear tufts; tail rounded at tips, and indistinctly barred with 

 white. Top of head and back of neck, spotted with white and black, 

 or dark brown; a patch of uniform blackish or dark brown on each side 

 of hind neck; upper parts, brown, more or less spotted with white; 

 lower parts, regularly barred with brown. 



"Length, 14,75-17.50; wing, 7.50-9.00; tail, 6.80-7.00." (Fisher). 



RANGE. Northern North America. Breeds from Newfoundland 

 and Manitoba, northward. South, in winter, irregularly, to northern 

 United States; Massachusetts, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, Da- 

 kota and Montana. 



Nest, in natural cavity, in tree or among limbs of bushy conifers. 

 Eggs, 3-7; white; 1.51 by 1.23. 



Accidental visitor. Mr. E. R. Quick identified it in Franklin 

 County, in January, 1878. 



This Owl is diurnal in its habits. It hunts by day, generally in the 

 morning, or in evening. It nests from Newfoundland northward to 

 the Arctic regions, wherever timber is found. Nelson says: "This 

 is perhaps the most abundant resident bird of prey throughout the en- 

 tire wooded part of northern Alaska/' (N. H. Coll. in Alaska, p. 155.) 

 The Hawk Owl has been taken in the lower peninsula of Michigan, the 



