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Calais, Maine : — ' Snowy Owls. Winter. Not common. A pair seen this spring, the last of 

 May ; probably had a nest.' Although we must not, on the strength of this, declare that the 

 Snowy Owl breeds in the United States, yet the probability almost amounts to certainty. And 

 thus, although this species decidedly exceeds the Hawk Owl in extent of its winter peregrina- 

 tions, the southern limits of the breeding-range of the two birds will doubtless prove to tally to 

 a nicety." 



The Snowy Owl frequents the open, treeless, and desolate parts of the northern latitudes, 

 never appearing to inhabit localities which are covered with forest-growth. Its movements are 

 chiefly regulated by those of the Lemmings, which it follows on their migrations, and on which 

 it principally feeds. It is a somewhat shy bird, and not easy to approach within gun-shot. 

 Audubon (B. of A. i. p. 113) gives some very graphic notes on its habits, which I transcribe as 

 follows : — " The Snowy Owl hunts during the day, as well as in the dusk. Its flight is firm and 

 protracted, although smooth and noiseless. It passes swiftly over its hunting-ground, seizes its 

 prey by instantaneously falling on it, and generally devours it on the spot. When the objects of 

 its pursuit are on wing, such as ducks, grouse, or pigeons, it gains upon them by urging its 

 speed, and strikes them somewhat in the manner of the Peregrine Falcon. It is fond of the 

 neighbourhood of rivers and small streams having in their course cataracts or shallow rapids, on 

 the borders of which it seizes on fishes, in the manner of our wild cat. It also watches the 

 traps set for musk-rats, and devours the animals caught in them. Its usual food, while it remains 

 with us, consists of hares, squirrels, rats, and fishes, portions of all of which I have found in its 

 stomach. In several fine specimens which I examined immediately after being killed, I found 

 the stomach to be extremely thin, soft, and capable of great extension. In one of them I found 

 the whole of a large house-rat, in pieces of considerable size, the head and the tail almost entire. 

 This bird was very fat ; and its intestines, which were thin, and so small as not to exceed a fourth 

 of an inch in diameter, measured 4^ feet in length. 



" Scarcely is there a winter which does not bring several of these hardy natives of the north 

 to the falls of the Ohio at Louisville. At the break of day, one morning, when I lay hidden in 

 a pile of drift-logs at that place, waiting for a shot at some wild geese, I had an opportunity of 

 seeing this Owl secure fish in the following manner: — While watching for their prey on the 

 borders of the ' pots,' they invariable lay flat on the rock, with the body placed lengthwise along 

 the border of the hole, the head also laid down but turned towards the water. One might have 

 supposed the bird sound asleep, as it would remain in the same position until a good opportunity 

 of securing a fish occurred, which I believe was never missed ; for, as the latter unwittingly rose 

 to the surface, near the edge, that instant the Owl thrust out the foot next the water, and, with 

 the quickness of lightning, seized it, and drew it out. The Owl then removed to a distance of a 

 few yards, devoured its prey, and returned to the same hole ; or, if it had not perceived any more 

 fish, flew only a few yards over the many pots there, marked one, and alighted at a little distance 

 from it. It then squatted, moved slowly towards the edge, and lay as before, watching for an 

 opportunity. Whenever a fish of any size was hooked, as I may say, the Owl struck the other 

 foot also into it, and flew off with it to a considerable distance. In two instances of this kind, I 

 saw the bird carry its prey across the Western or Indiana Shute, into the woods, as if to be quite 

 out of harm's way. I never heard it utter a single note on such occasions, even when two birds 



