LAND BIRDS. 331 
some doubt with regard to them remains. In the summer of 1904 the 
University of Michigan party took four specimens, one in Ontonagon county, 
July 26, and three on Isle Royale, August 26, which have been determined 
by Mr. Ridgway as Bubo virginianus pallescens Stone, of the new (1910) 
A. O. U. Check-list. Another specimen of the same race was taken by Mr. 
C. McLaughlin, at Robbins, Ontonagon county, January 5, 1906, and was 
determined by Mr. H. C. Oberholzer as Bubo virginianus occidentalis [Stone?] 
(Swales, Auk XXVII, 1910, 208), which would therefore seem to make 
this latter subspecies equivalent to pallescens of Stone (Auk XVIII, 1901, 
300). In reply to an inquiry as to the status of these specimens Dr. C. W. 
Richmond, of the U. S. National Museum, writes, under date of December 
1, 1911: “The Owls identified by Mr. Ridgway are Bubo virginianus 
pallescens of the new Check-list, but Mr. Oberholzer claims that B. v. 
occidentalis is a definite, recognizable form occupying the middle west 
(north of the range of true pallescens), and from his point of view the 
Michigan birds are occidentalis.” 
The habits of this subspecies, as observed by Mr. Peet, on Isle Royale, 
do not seem to differ much from those of the common Great Horned Owl. 
It seemed to feed mainly on white-footed mice and northern hares, both of 
which were abundant. It was not shy in the dusk of evening, but rather 
curious, perhaps because most of those seen were young, or because they had 
been little disturbed by man (Adams’ Rep. on Isle Royale, Mich. Geol. 
Surv., 1908, 353). 
159. Snowy Owl. Nyctea nyctea (Linn.). (376) 
Synonyms: Arctic Owl, White Owl, Ermine Owl.—Strix nyctea, Linn., 1758, Vieill., 
Wils., Bonap., Aud.—Nyctea nivea, Cass.—Strix arctica, Bartr., 1792.—Nyctea scandiaca 
var. arctica, B. B. & R., 1875. 
Figure 82. 
Mainly snow white, but always more or less barred with brown; no ear- 
tufts or only mere traces; large. 
Distribution.—Northern portions of northern hemisphere. In North 
America breeding wholly north of the United States; in winter migrating 
south to the middle states, straggling to South Carolina, Texas, California 
and Bermuda. 
This beautiful owl, not to be mistaken for any other species, comes to 
us from the north late in autumn and is met with occasionally until early 
spring. Sometimes one is seen as early as the middle of October, but more 
often they do not come until late in November, and although a stray 
loiterer may be seen in April (St. Clair Flats, April 5, 1906, Taverner) the 
greater number retire to the north before the beginning of that month. 
Usually very few are seen, and in the interior of the state several winters 
may pass in any given locality without the record of a single one. They 
prefer the shores of the Great Lakes and the courses of the larger rivers, 
perhaps because they are decidedly fond of fish and these localities afford 
them a fairly good supply. 
At long intervals they appear in much larger numbers, and several of these 
invasions have been recorded within the past thirty years. In the winter 
of 1876-77, they were unusually abundant over all the northern United 
States, being thus reported from localities where previously they had been 
extremely rare. Again in the winter of 1892-93, there was another large 
