206 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 217 



Surnia ulula caparochi^MxAler) 



Imale 



Apr. 17 



weight 322 g. 



medium fat 



testes 7.5x11, 5.5x9 



TTlTn. 



1 female 



Apr. 10 



weight 384 g. 



medium fat 



egg 2.5 mm. 



1 female 



May 2 



weight 310 g. 



no fat 



egg 8 mm. 



1 female 



May 4 



weight 336 g. 



no fat 



egg 8 mm. 



The first hawk-owl obtained made itself known by repeating a 

 low call like a robin's note of alarm as it sat high in a willow on 

 the island east of the village. It had a layer of white abdominal 

 fat several millimeters thick and nearly as hard as beef tallow at 

 ordinary room temperature. Hawk owls are familiar to the Indians 

 for their boldness, since they often come into the village to perch 

 on poles. The eggs in the specimens taken May 2 and 4 were 8 mm. 

 in diameter. These birds appeared to be in condition for laying 

 early in May. The May 2 specimen was taken from the top of a 

 broken spruce near a cavity which looked as if it had been used last 

 year for a nest and which showed some signs of preparation for use 

 this year. About two feet lower was a flicker's hole apparently con- 

 structed about a year ago but not in use this year. 



Pairs of these small but demonstrative predators are apparently 

 distributed at intervals of only a few miles in the arctic forests from 

 Mackenzie across Yukon and Alaska. The Indian name is Tchichitoo. 



Strix nebulosa nebulosa Forster 



1 female May 3 weight 1092 g. no fat egg 2.5 mm. 



The specimen of great gray owl listed above was first seen flying 

 among the spruce trees which predominated in the area at the base of 

 the bluff a mile north of Kenneth Nukon's cabin, and was pursued 

 for a mile of short flights. Its appearance of large size belied its 

 actual weight, for although the thick feathers of the great gray 

 owl make it look larger, great horned and snowy owls are much 

 heavier birds. 



There are few specimens or even sight records of great gray 

 owls in western arctic America and the birds seem to be more widely 

 separated than great horned owls. They are well known to Eskimos 

 and Indians in the arctic forest, and from their reports I believe 

 that great gray owls sparsely occupy the arctic forest across Yukon 

 and Alaska. Joe Kay discussed owls and their habits in detail, even 

 remarking that great gray owls are not bad eating, while the slightly 

 more common great horned owls are not particularly good. As a 

 matter of fact owls are seldom eaten, but his people have accumulated 

 and preserved every observed detail about the birds of their country. 



The importance of owls for food is calorifically smaU, but Indians, 

 Eskimos, and some arctic travelers have encountered situations in 



