THE SNOWY OWL. 113 



Hawk Owl, Strix funerea, Nutt. Man., vol. i. p. 115. 

 Hawk Owl, Strix funerea, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. iv. p. 550. 



Male and Female. 



Tail long, much rounded, the lateral feathers two inches shorter than the 

 middle. Upper part of head brownish-black, closely spotted with while, 

 hind neck black, with two broad longitudinal bands of white spots; rest of 

 upper parts dark brown, spotted with white; tail with eight transverse bars 

 of white, the feathers tipped with the same; facial disks greyish-white, 

 margined with black; lower parts transversely barred with brown and dull 

 white. 



Male, 15$, 31|. Female, 17$. 



THE SNOWY OWL. 



7*Surnia nyctea, Linn. 



PLATE XXVIII Male and Female. 



This beautiful bird is merely a winter visitor of the United States, where 

 it is seldom seen before the month of November, and whence it retires as 

 early as the beginning of February. It wanders at times along the sea coast, 

 as far as Georgia. I have occasionally seen it in the lower parts of Kentucky, 

 and in the State of Ohio. It is more frequently met with in Pennsylvania 

 and the Jerseys; but in Massachusetts and Maine it is far more abundant 

 than in any other parts of the Union. 



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, grous, 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, 



Vol. I. 17 



