BIRDS OF PREY. 8/ 



birds; such as are very old are either entirely white, or have a few small brown spots upon the 

 forehead and quills ; the younger the bird, the more distinct are these brown markings. The eye is a 

 rich yellow, and the beak greyish black. 



During the entire summer the Snow Owl remains in its native land, but when heavy snow 

 begins to fall, and renders search for food impossible, it departs to warmer latitudes. According 

 to Radde, the females are the first to leave, but are very shortly followed by their mates. 

 When perched these birds look much like other members of their family, but when in flight exhibit 

 a rapidity of motion and dexterity in steering their course, far exceeding that possessed by any 

 other species of _ Owl, and so remarkably bold are they that, if wounded by a shot, they at 

 once bear down upon the sportsman who has molested them, for the purpose of revenging the 

 injury, and will also attack dogs, darting upon them, and seizing them after the manner of a 

 Falcon. Whilst tarrying in Central Europe, they subsist principally upon lemmings, and should 

 these prove scarce, attack squirrels, marmots, and other small quadrupeds : they pursue Wild Pigeons, 

 Ducks, and Ptarmigans with great ardour, and are so daring in contesting the latter delicacies with 

 the hunters that, according to Blakeston, they have been known to snatch the coveted prize out 

 of the sportsman's bag, whilst it hung suspended at his back. Audubon had the good fortune to see 

 some of these interesting birds busied in what we should have imagined an uncongenial occupation 

 for an Owl, namely, " angling for fish." He tells us that whilst engaged one morning in shooting 

 Wild Ducks on the banks of the Ohio, he observed a Snow Owl lying upon the rocky bank, appa- 

 rently asleep, with its head turned towards the water : whilst noticing it, a fish rose to the surface, 

 and, with the rapidity of lightning, was caught in the claws of the wily bird, who at once made off with 

 its prize to a few yards' distance, and having devoured it, immediately returned to play the same 

 clever trick upon other victims. In the winter season this species often seeks its food during the 

 night, and so much vigilance does it display in these nocturnal excursions, that no object seen in 

 the air is allowed to pass without proper investigation as to its edible properties. Holboell mentions 

 having amused himself one moonlight night by constantly throwing up his hat to attract the 

 attention of a Snow Owl, and was rewarded by inducing it to follow the unfamiliar object for 

 nearly a quarter of a mile. The cry of this bird is harsh, and much resembles that of the Crow. 

 The breeding season commences in June ; the eggs, from seven to ten in number, are of a dirty- 

 white, and are deposited in a hole in the ground lined with a little dry grass. The young are 

 fledged by the month of August, and are tended till this period with great affection by both 

 parents. The female, who is also carefully fed by her mate during the period of her seclusion, 

 exhibits great affection for her little family, and should a man approach so near the nest as to 

 excite her suspicion, will fall to the earth, and lie as though dead or lamed, in the hope of diverting 

 the stranger's attention from the brood to herself. Attempts to rear this remarkable Owl have 

 hitherto usually proved unsuccessful. 



The STONE OWLS {Athetit) are small birds, with moderate sized heads, short round wings, 

 which do not extend beyond two-thirds of the long straight tail, long legs, powerfully armed toes, and 

 short beaks ; the latter are compressed, and the upper mandible terminates in a hook. The aperture 

 of the ear is smaller, and the feathers which surround it longer than in other diurnal species ; the 

 plumage is compact, and only partially covers the legs, the toes being overspread with a hair-like 

 growth. 



THE STONE OWL PROPER. 



The Stone Owl Proper {Athene noctua) is about eight inches long, and twenty broad ; its 

 wing measures five inches and a half, and the tail three and three-quarters. The female is slightly 



