SNOWY OWL. 
311 
ing of a large frog. He did not appear to be in 
the least distressed by the light. The shaded 
apartment was an unnecessary precaution, for he 
never entered it during the day ; indeed, he was 
rather more lively in the morning than in the 
afternoon, staring abroad with his bright orange 
eyes at all that was passing. The Snowy Owl 
may therefore be set down as a diurnal species, or 
belonging to the Accipitrine family of Temminck.” 
The birds killed in Northumberland frequented 
a wild and rocky part of the open moor, and w r ere 
generally seen perched on the snow, or on some 
large stone projecting from it.* Dr Richardson 
says that “ it hunts in the day. "When seen on the 
barren grounds, it was generally squatting on the 
earth, but if put up, alighted again after a short 
flight, but was always so wary as to be approached 
with great difficulty. It preys on lemings, hares, 
and birds, particularly the willow grouse and ptar- 
migan. I have seen it pursue the American hare 
on the wing, making repeated strokes at the 
animal with its foot.”+ Wilson mentions it feed- 
ing on carrion occasionally, which he has perhaps 
borrowed from the account of Heame, and he 
also corroborates the account of its hunting by 
day, and records the bird as a fisher. “ He is 
particularly fond of frequenting the shores and 
* Must. British Ornith. i. p. 98. 
+ North. Zool. ii. p. 89. 
