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joined in the repast, which was frequently the case when the fish that had been caught was of a 

 large size. At sunrise, or shortly after, the Owls flew to the woods, and I did not see them until 

 the next morning, when, after witnessing the same feats, I watched an opportunity, and killed 

 both at one shot. An old hunter, now residing in Maine, told me that one winter he lost so 

 many musk-rats by the Owls, that he resolved to destroy them. To effect this, without loss of 

 ammunition, a great object to him, he placed musk-rats caught in the traps usually employed for 

 the purpose, in a prominent spot, and in the centre of a larger trap. He said he seldom failed, 

 and in this manner considerably 'thinned the thieves' before the season was over. He found, 

 however, more of the Great Grey Owl (Strix cinerea) than of the Snowy Owl. The latter he 

 thought was much more cunning than the former." 



I do not know that the fishing-propensities of this Owl have been remarked here in Europe ; 

 but I can, from personal observation, confirm what Audubon writes, as I found the stomach of 

 one, obtained in New Brunswick, full of fish. Though generally so shy, it is occasionally very 

 bold, probably from hunger ; and Captain Blakiston (I. c.) writes that he " knew of an instance 

 of one carrying off a wounded bird from the haversack of a hunter ; its wing, having been sticking 

 out and fluttering, attracted the Owl's attention." It feeds on lemmings and other small rodents, 

 Ptarmigan and Willow-grouse, arctic hares, and, as above stated by Audubon, fish, and has been 

 stated to eat carrion ; it is very voracious, and destroys numbers of lemming when following 

 them on their migrations. 



Mr. Wheelwright, who met with the Snowy Owl in Quickjock, Lapland, writes that " it is 

 clearly a diurnal bird ; for any day when we went out on the fells we could see the White Owl 

 perched on a distant rock watching us, or beating over the fells with a stately measured flight — 

 always, however, out of gunshot. Its shriek when on the wing resembles a loud ' krau-au,' 

 repeated three or four times ; but it is seldom heard except when the bird is excited. Some of 

 the movements of this bird are very extraordinary ; and I once saw one fall from a considerable 

 height on to the ground, where it lay for some time perfectly motionless, with outstretched 

 wings, as if it were shot. I tried to creep up within gunshot ; but it rose out of distance, and 

 sailed away, uttering a wild loud cry, ' Bick, rick, rick,' as if mocking one." 



It is only comparatively lately that full particulars have been recorded respecting the 

 breeding-habits of this species. The Rev. H. S. Hawkins published (Ibis, 1870, p. 298) an 

 excellent account of its nidification in Labrador, where a collector of his took seven eggs out of 

 a nest, consisting of a few feathers placed in a slight hollow on a ledge of rock ; and he remarks 

 that all the eggs are not laid at the same time, but the first two are often hatched before the 

 last is laid. 



From Mr. Collett, of Christiania, I have the following information respecting the nidification 

 of this Owl in Norway : — " In the summer and autumn of 1872, immense numbers of Lemmings 

 (My odes lemmus) migrated south and north from the Dovrefjeld and its ramifications — also from 

 the fells in Sondre Throndhjems Amt, whence they made their way along the frontier towards 

 Jemtland, in Sweden. In these localities the number of Snowy Owls was observed gradually to 

 increase, becoming in the course of the summer much greater than had been the case even of 

 late years under similar circumstances. 



" The phenomena attending the occurrence of this species of Owl in such numbers have not 



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