310 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



CLX. NYCTEA Stephens. 1826. 



376. Snowy Owl. 



Nyctea nyctea (Linn.) Light. 1854. 



Very common in Greenland in summer; more numerous in the 

 northern Inspectorate than in the southern. Found also on the 

 eastern coast and extends westward to Liddon island and Mel- 

 ville island, lat. 75° (Arct. Man.) Seen now and again on Elles- 

 mere island. (£. Bay.) A rare winter visitor at Ivigtut, Greenland. 

 (Hagerup.) Common throughout the country. Breeds at Fort 

 Chimo, Ungava. {Packard.) A few specimens were seen in the 

 early spring about FuUerton, Hudson bay. They are reported by 

 the natives to breed inland. At Cape Dufiferin on the east side of 

 Hudson bay upwards of thirty of these birds were caught by placing 

 fox traps on the top of short poles, at intervals along the coast 

 during the southern migration in 1901. {A. P. Low.) Noted by 

 various arctic expeditions at several points to the north and north- 

 west of Hudson bay. {Preble.) Tolerably common and probably 

 resides all the year in Newfoundland. {Reeks.) Some years plenti- 

 ful and others scarce in Nova Scotia, seen only in winter. {Downs.) 

 A common and often an abundant winter resident; seen on Sable 

 island, N.S., in August, 1854. {Gilpin.) A winter visitor at St. 

 John, N.B.; reported as occasionally spending the summer. (Cfeam- 

 berlain.) Winter visitor; rare at Scotch Lake, York county, N.B. 

 {W. H. Moore.) Taken at Beauport; a winter visitant at Quebec. 

 {Dionne.) Winter visitor at Montreal; some years it is scarce and 

 others more plentiful. In the winter of 1891-92 I saw exposed for 

 sale at one time in Bonsecours market five females and two males. 

 (Wintle.) A winter visitor in the Ottawa district. {Ottawa Nat- 

 uralist, Vol. V.) An irregular winter visitor in Ontario, sometimes 

 appearing in considerable numbers and again being entirely absent. 

 {Mcllwraith.) This owl is found in both the Parry Sound and 

 Muskoka districts in winter, but is not common, except in years of 

 unusual migrations. A regular migrant at Toronto, very large 

 numbers have appeared about the city at irregular intervals; the 

 flight of 1901-02 extended from December to April. (/. H. Flem- 

 ing.) The snowy owl is commonly met with in the fall and winter 

 in eastern Ontario and has been shot at Long point, Wolfe island, 

 near Kingston. {Rev. C. J. Young.) This species seems to prefer 



