THE SNOWY OWI.. 
45 
very shortly afterwards. Another Owl of the same species, after 
being kept for several months, died after eating a small piece of 
salt fish. One kept by myself died at the end of eighteen months, 
still as imtameable, and, except toward myself, as fierce as upon 
the day of his capture. This bird, having been slightly wounded 
by Nicolson, was brought to me on the 21st June 1864; and 
although its endeavours to escape ceased in a few hours, it was 
not in the slightest degree subdued, but was ready with bill 
and claw for the first hand which happened to approach within 
reach. ]My notes upon this individual being much scattered, I 
here collect them in a more convenient form, the greater part 
having already appeared in the pages of the ‘‘ Zoologist : ” — 
June ZOth, 1864. — It is strange that although Snowy Owls 
will survive a heavy shot, a very slight wound is sufficient to 
bring them to the ground. My prisoner only received a mere 
scratch upon the back, and as soon as it came into my hands 
was able to fly all about the room ; yet scarcely an hour pre- 
viously, it had been brought down by the shot and carried off. 
The only way of accounting for this is by supposing that the 
contact of the shot conveying the impression that the enemy 
was at close quarters, the bird at once threw itself into the 
attitude of defence, and thus allowed itself to be taken by the 
hand. There is no doubt that if the man had not run up at 
once, the bird would soon have recovered from its surprise and 
made its escape. Like most other birds of prey, the Snowy 
Owl when wounded throws itself upon its back and strikes 
fiercely with its claws; and any person who feels inclined to 
handle an angry 'Catyogie’ would do well first to examine 
some very ugly scratches upon the stock of a certain gun of 
mine. 
‘‘Aug. oi)th . — The Snowy^wl is still as healthy as an owl 
can possibly be ; it is a male, and must be of some considerable 
age, for it is much whiter than most specimens I have seen 
here. For about the first week of his imprisonment, he would 
not touch food, although I kej)t him as quiet as possible, and 
offered him various temptations in the form of birds of various 
