THE SNOWY OWL. 105 



"How serenely beautiful their noiseless flight ! A flake of snow 

 is not winnowed through the air more softly silent !"* Occasion- 

 ally, when but little way was made, they remained for a day about 

 the ship, and again, as reported to me, " went off for a day and 

 returned next morning," greatly to the surprise of the beholders 

 how they could find the ship after a night had intervened. What 

 must have added much additional interest to their appearance, was 

 the idea entertained, that these birds blown from the coast of La- 

 brador, and finding, like the dove of old, "no rest for the sole of 

 her foot," had, after traversing the pathless waters, sought the 

 vessel for this purpose, loitering about her course, disappearing 

 for a day, and again hastening to repose upon her yards and rig- 

 ging. But however pleasing such imaginings, it is not for the 

 naturalist here to pause, but in search of truth, assuredly not 

 less attractive, to pursue inquiry further. 



If by reason of storms, or otherwise, he cannot perceive why 

 the same birds should, after having rested on and left the vessel, 

 re-appear another day, he may perhaps conclude, that the owls 

 thus seen, were flocks successively migrating to more southern 

 latitudes, and that different birds appeared on each occasion, or, 

 at all events, that it was not the same individuals which presented 

 themselves during the whole period. 



That the regions within the arctic circle are the chief abode of 

 the snowy owl is well known, as it likewise is, that numbers mi- 

 grate thence in winter to Canada and the United States. Refer- 

 ence to the " log " will show, that during the five days on which 

 these birds were successively observed, the vessel kept nearly to 

 the 54th degree of latitude, having sailed during the time about 

 500 miles in an easterly direction; consequently, if the flight of 

 the owls were to Canada or the States, the vessel, which in such 

 event might possibly " have fallen in with " them a second time, 

 was proceeding somewhat in an opposite course, but whither it 

 does not appear from the direction of the wind that they would 

 have been driven by storms. A greater number of birds, too, 



* Professor Wilson in Blackwood's Magazine, vol. xx. (1826) p. 671. 



