From Eastern Mass, M,A, Frazar. 
In October snowy owls commenced to arrive, and ap- 
peared in greater numbers than for several years past, 
about half a dozen coming under our notice from this 
immediate vicinity. As usual the flight lasted but little 
over a month, and by Christmas they had apparently 
disappeared; a late straggler, however, was brought in 
on Feb. 24. 
How erroneous the common notion is that the southern 
migration in winter of extreme northern birds is caused 
by excessive cold weather in their native haunts. Take 
snowy owls for instance; whenever there is a noticeably 
unusual movement of these birds it always occurs before 
winter has really set in, and generally in October. The 
past winter has been one of the mildest known, and yet 
never before, as far as records show, have we had such a 
surprising visitation of northern species. In our opinion 
changes in temperature have an exceedingly slight effect 
in causing these unusual movements of birds. Severe 
storms, however, undoubtedly exert quite an influence, 
but this principally along the coast, where birds have 
but little shelter, and when once driven off shore find it 
difficult to return, and either get lost in the ocean or 
wandering aimlessly about finally fetch up on some for- 
eign shore. 
For, & strm, April 24, 1800. P.2Q8 
Occurrence of Snowy Owls at Mono- 
moy Island, Cape Cod.- 
A flight of Snowy Owls reached the Cape 
shores early in November, spreading as far 
south on the elbow as Monomoy Island. Four 
birds have been taken by the station men, the 
last one being shot on the evening of Dec. 16th. 
In one instance a man from the Monomoy 
station saw an owl on the high beach sitting 
nearly under the gunwale of an old overturned 
lefe boat. He made a wide detour so as to 
get the boat between him and the owl, but the 
bird had his weather eye open, as is usu- 
ally the manner of some of the wreckers on 
this island, and got away before the man 
could get within gun-shot of him. A member 
of the B. B. Club shot at one in November, 
winch was in very white plumage, near Inward 
j Point, and although he hit the bird hard did 
I not succeed in getting it. j. c. Cahoon 
O.& O. XV . Fe b. 1 890 p.4 $ 
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