180 BRITISH BIRDS. 



but food is then so plentiful that his " struggle for existence " is over for 

 the timOj and possibly his very conspicuousness may be of advantage to 

 him amongst so many innocent Gulls and Swans. He himself is wary 

 enough, and I have only twice succeeded in shooting a Snowy Owl. The 

 first time was on the shores of the lagoon of the Petchora. My attention 

 was first attracted by seeing a great white bird which seemed to me to 

 ahght upon a distant lake. Taking it to be a Bewick's Swan, I put a slug- 

 cartridge into my gun, and walked rapidly on in its direction. Before I 

 got within shot the bird rose, and I recognized it at once as a Snowy Owl, 

 as with measured but rapid flight it disappeared behind some sandhills 

 on the shore. I carefully stalked it ; and looking cautiously around 

 under cover of the sandhill, I descried at length a white spot on the 

 opposite shore of the creek, which, with the aid of my telescope, I found 

 to be the Owl. He, too, must have been watching me : perhaps he took 

 my sealskin cap for some new species of lemming; for presently he rose 

 and flew across the water directly towards me. By the time he had 

 crossed the creek doubts on the subject seemed to have occurred to him, 

 and he alighted on the beach about sixty yards in front of me. I rose 

 and walked towards him; he also rose; but before he had flown ten yards 

 my shot reached him, broke one of his wings, and dropped him into the 

 sea. As he lay struggling in the water a score of Glaucous and Arctic 

 Herring-Gulls came flying towards him, and sailed round and round him, 

 making quite a small uproar with their cries. The other time that I 

 brought one down was on the voyage home, a little to the east of Kolguev. 

 Early in the morning I turned out of my berth and went on deck, and 

 the first thing I saw was a Snowy Owl on each mast. I ran down 

 for my gun and shot one of them. We were out of sight of land at 

 the time. 



Audubon and Wheelwright describe the Snowy Owl as passing with 

 quick noiseless flight over the fells and marshy parts of the shore, more 

 like a large animated snowflake than a bird, seizing its prey by darting 

 quickly down upon it, and usually devouring it on the spot. When 

 pursuing larger birds or animals, its manner is much the same as that of 

 the Peregrine Falcon. 



In the extreme northern limit of its range the Snowy Owl is no doubt a 

 regular summer migrant, repairing north to rear its young during the short 

 arctic summer, and drawing southward again at the approach of winter. 

 The winter-quarters of this species are undoubtedly in the highest northern 

 latitudes in which a sustenance can be obtained, the birds which are fou^nd 

 so far south in temperate regions being but exceptional wanderers or young 

 birds. Capt. Feilden mentions that in Grinnell Land the Snowy Owl 

 was first seen on March 29th, and was common during the summer, but 

 by the end of August all had disappeared from Discovery Bay. During 



