The Snowy Owi,. BIRDS. The Little Owl. 265 
adaptation to a diurnal activit}' is evidently in intimate 
I'onnection with tlie necessities of their existence ; they 
are, for the most part, inhabitants of those regions of 
both hemispheres which lie within, or close to, the 
arctic circle ; and as, during the summer, there is little 
or no night in those latitudes, a nocturnal bird would 
be but ill adapted to get his living there at that season. 
Of these diurnal species the Snowy Owl is a well- 
known example. It is generally distributed over the 
extreme northern parts of both hemispheres, descending 
more towards the south in the winter, when the mhos- 
pitable climate of the arctic regions would leave it but 
little chance of finding prey. In this way it visits the 
United States in the western, and Germany and Great 
Britain in the eastern hemispheres, but it is a very rare 
bird in this ' country. Nevertheless it would appear, 
that not very long since it was a permanent resident in 
the Shetland islands, building its nest and breedmg 
amongst the rocky ledges of their wild hills. 
The Snowy Owl is one of the largest species of this 
family ; the male measuring twenty-three, and the 
female twenty-six inches in length. It has a rather 
long and rounded tail ; its plumage is white, with the 
back spotted, and the wings, tail, and lower surface 
barred, with dusky brown. These brown marks are 
larger in the females and young birds than in the males. 
The feet are thickly clothed with white feathers to the 
extremities of the toes, which are armed with strong 
black claws; the bill is also black. Its habits have 
been observed principally in North America, where 
they were carefully studied by Audubon and Sir John 
Richardson. Both these authors state that it hunts 
during the day, and, Audubon adds, also in tne dusk. 
It flies well, passing swiftly over its hunting ground, 
and capturing its prey by dashing suddenly down upon 
it. In pursuing birds on the wing, such as ducks, 
grouse, and pigeons, it strikes at them somewhat in the 
manner of the peregrine falcon. Its terrestrial prey 
consists of lemmings and hares ; the latter it has been 
seen to pursue for some distance, grasping at the 
animal repeatedly with its foot ; and it generally de- 
vours its victims on the spot, swallowing them whole 
if not too large. It is also said to be dexterous in 
fishing, often frequenting the borders of rivers for this 
purpose, and capturing its finny prey most cleverly 
by grasping with its foot as it sails along close to 
the surface of the water. In the Orkneys, and other 
places in the British islands where this bird has been 
met with, it appears to haunt the rabbit warrens and 
to feed on their inhabitants. In Sweden its habit of 
preying upon hares is said to have given origin to the 
name of Harfang^ which it bears in that country. Dr. 
Edmonston describes it as feeding upon sandpipers, on 
which it pounces with great precision as it skims over 
the marshes; and from his account it would appear 
sometimes to swallow these birds whole. The same 
writer tells us that in the Shetlands “ it affects solitary, 
stony, and elevated districts, which, by the similarity 
to it in colour of the rocks, renders it difficult to be dis- 
covered.” On leaving its haunt, which it does only at 
the approach of twilight in the Shetlands, it is often 
pursued by crows and other birds, whose attacks it 
treats with the most contemptuous indifference. In 
VoL. I. 34 
captivity it appears to be gentle and tractable, and to 
exhibit a considerable degree of intelligence. 
The accounts given by naturalists of the nesting of 
the Snowy Owl vary somewhat according to the nature 
of the country in which the birds have been observed. 
Thus, in Europe the birds have been found to breed 
on the ledges of steep rocks and on the old pine trees 
of the north ; but in the fur countries of North America, 
Dr. Richardson describes them as making their nests 
on the ground. Their eggs are three or four in num- 
ber, and of a white colour. 
THE HAWK OWL {Surnia Ulula), which is nearly 
allied to the preceding, is also found in the high 
northern latitudes of both hemispheres, descending 
towards the south only during the winter. It is con- 
siderably smaller than the snowy owl, the male mea- 
suring only about fifteen inches in length, and the 
female seventeen. It is of different shades of dark 
broum and black, mottled and barred with dull white 
on the back and wings; the lower surface is dingy 
white with numerous transverse brown bars; the tail 
feathers are barred with brown and white, the beak is 
yellow, the claws horn-coloured, and the feet clothed 
with long whitish feathers to the very extremities of 
the toes. 
The Hawk Owl is a bold and active bird, which, like 
the snowy owl, flies and pursues his prey by day-light. 
He feeds on partridges and grouse, and during the 
summer to a great extent on mice and insects; and so 
bold is this owl, that he will even descend upon a bird 
which has just been shot, and carry it off before the 
eyes ot the sportsman. The snowy owl has also been 
known to perform the same feat. The nest of the 
Hawk Owl i.s built in a tree, and composed of sticks, 
grass, and feathers ; the eggs are two in number, and 
of a white colour. 
THE LITTLE RUFOUS OWL {Athene Noctua), the 
Little Owl of some English ornithologists, is a rare bird 
in this country, but common on most parts of the 
European continent. It measures scarcely ten inches 
in length, and is of a greyish-brown colour with a 
reddish tinge above, variegated with white spots of 
different sizes. The throat, breast, and belly are white, 
the two latter marked with longitudinal brown spots ; 
the beak is yellowish-brown. The feathers with which 
the feet of this bird — and of the other species of its 
genus, which are numerous — are clothed, are very 
slender and bristle-like, presenting a great contrast to 
the thick plumage with which these parts are covered 
in most species of the family. The Rufous Owl 
lives in old houses and ruined towers, in the cavities of 
which it builds its nest. It is nocturnal, or at least 
crepuscular in its habits, and feeds upon mice, bats, 
and insects, and also upon small birds, which it cap- 
tures while at roost. The female lays two eggs of a 
white colour. 
THE LITTLE OWL {Athene passerina), the only 
other European species of this genus, is still smaller 
than the preceding, measuring only about seven inches 
in length. It has the upper parts of a brownish-ash 
colour, with white or reddish-white points and lines, 
and the lower parts of dazzling whiteness with numer- 
ous longitudinal brown spots. The feet are white 
