762 The Zoologist— June, 18G7. 



4. F.peregrinus. — Is not with certainty known to breed in East 

 Finmark. The eggs that Nordvi possesses were brought by a Kvaen- 

 Lapp, who lives in South Varanger, and they may thus possibly have 

 been taken in Norwegian territory. The eggs are whitish brown, with 

 brown dashes and darker spots, which on the one are collected at the 

 pointed end, the remainder of the egg being almost white. In the 

 autumn it is often seen at Mortensnses, but must be reckoned amongst 

 our rarer birds. 



5. F. Uthofalco (ccsalon). — Lays four or five eggs, either in the 

 fells or on the ground in steep hills, or in trees not only towards the 

 south and west, as Malm states, but also equally often towards the east. 

 The eggs are, directly after they are laid, pretty violet-red with reddish 

 brown spots, but after a day or two have passed they take their reddish 

 brown ground colour with dirty brown spots. It lays an egg every 

 other day. Some years it is very common, others very scarce. It 

 arrives early in May and leaves early in October. It has difficulty in 

 clutching its prey on the wing. 



6. Aslur palumbarius. — Breeds at Enare : it is seen sometimes, and 

 perhaps breeds, at South Varanger. 



7. SirLv nyctea. — Is sometimes, when lemmings are plentiful, found 

 very commonly; thus in 1853 and 1854; otherwise it is occasionally 

 seen every year. It breeds, on the Varanger Na?sset and the fells 

 between the Tana and Lebcsby, either on rubble or tussocks in large 

 mosses. In the latter case it always chooses the largest tussock. In 

 May, 1859, a sea Lapp found a nest in a steep precipice about a mile 

 (Norwegian) above Karlebotten. When he found the nest there was 

 but one egg in it. Having informed me of it and been told to let the 

 place remain unvisited for a couple of weeks, he still went there earlier 

 and found five eggs. In order to see if the owl had begun to sit, or if 

 it could be expected to lay more eggs, he took an egg and put it in 

 water. As the egg sank to the bottom he placed it again in the nest, 

 but on his visiting the place, after a few days interval, all the eggs 

 were gone. The fell Lapps tell me that the snowy owl always 

 removes its eggs when anyone has touched them. 



8. S. lapponica. — Occurs at Enare, from whence it sometimes moves 

 northward after lemmings. In 1853 it has been shot at Polmak. It 

 may be named here as worthy of note that a Lapp owl, which in the 

 autiunu of 1854 remained at Tana, bit the year's shoots off the birch- 

 trees, so that the ground under the trees was quite covered with the 

 twigs thus bitten off. When thus employed it seemed to go eagerly 



