SNOWY OWL. 183 



are sometimes quite extensive migrations along the eastern seaboard. 

 For instance, in the winter of 1876-'77, in New England alone, Mr. 

 Ruthven Deane knew of some 500 being seen, the majority of which 

 were shot. (Bull. Nuttall Ornith. Club, vol. it, 1877, p. 10.) 



It appears in the United States sometimes as early as October and a 

 few occasionally remain until May. At Point de Monts on the north 

 shore of the St. Lawrence River it has been taken as late as May 31, 

 though the specimen was probably a pensioner. During migration 

 nights of these Owls are observed sometimes far out to sea. 



In the far north, lemmings and arvicoline mice furnish almost the 

 exclusive food of this Owl in summer, but during the winter wander- 

 ings, when these mammals are not always obtainable, it takes what food 

 it can get, such as fish, hares, muskrats, squirrels, rats, ptarmigans, 

 ducks, or even offal. 



From the following quotations it will be seen how universally this 

 Owl depends on the lemmings for food: 



Lieut, (now Gen.) A. W. Greely says: u Our observations agree 

 with that officer [Maj. Feilden] to the effect that the food of this bird 

 seems to consist entirely of the lemming." (Three Years of Arctic 

 Service, vol. n, 1886, p. 381.) 



Mr. Henry Seebohm says: " The lemming forms the Snowy Owl's 

 chief food in the Far North, the range of both mammal and bird being 

 generally the same; but other small rodents are taken, and it will 

 sometimes attack Ptarmigan and Willow Grouse, or even the arctic hare. 

 It is said occasionally to feed on fish." (Hist. British Birds, vol. i, 

 1883, p. 181.) 



Mr. John Murdoch says: "Its abundance in the spring and summer 

 near the coast appears to depend on the presence or absence of its fa- 

 vorite food, the lemming, as has been noted elsewhere by Mr. Nelson. 

 During the season of 1882 we saw no lemmings, though signs of their 

 presence in the shape of droppings, and their skulls and skeletons in 

 the owls' castings, were numerous all over the tundra. During that 

 season we saw but few owls. On the other hand, in 1883, lemmings 

 were exceedingly plenty all around the station and owls were pro- 

 portionately abundant; scarcely a day passed without one or more 

 being seen sitting on the tundra, generally on the top of a bank or 

 small knoll, on the lookout for lemmings." (Expedition to Point Bar- 

 row, Alaska, 1885, p. 107.) 



Of the ten or twelve specimens which Dr. Leonhard Stejneger secured 

 on Bering Island all except one contained the remains of arvicoline 

 mice. The largest number found in the stomach of one individual was 

 six, but in another the stomach was spoken of as 6 crammed with arvi- 

 colse,' so that probably it contained at least ten or fifteen mice. The 

 extent of the dependence of this Owl upon mice is shown by a very 

 interesting fact relative to the recent increase of the Owl on Bering 

 Island, which the latter author records. Prior to 1870 there were no 



