during the Arctic Expedition 1875-76. 403 
search expeditions that entered Lancaster Sound, or skirted 
the northern shores of America from Behring's Straits, nor 
by observers in Alaska or the fur-countries, leads to the sup¬ 
position that it must be a species of limited distribution, 
having its breeding-haunts to the north of Hudson's Bay. 
I would suggest that inquiries about this bird should be made 
among the Esquimo of Cumberland Gulf; and as it is chiefly 
American vessels that winter there, the Smithsonian Institu¬ 
tion would, I think, have very little difficulty in inducing 
some person employed there to investigate this subject. Dr. 
Horner, of the yacht f Pandora,' kindly informed me that in 
July 1876 he saw an example of Saxicola cenanthe at Port 
Eoulke, a far more northern range of this species than had 
previously been recorded. 
I was much struck with the extreme shyness of all the birds 
we met with in the far north; and until they had settled down 
to nesting it was no easy matter to get within gun-shot range. 
F 1. Falco candicans. Greenland Falcon. 
The white form of Great Northern Falcon, though seen on 
several occasions, was not procured by us in Smith Sound. 
Mr. Hart noticed a pair of these birds nesting in the lime¬ 
stone cliffs near Cape Hayes, Grinnell Land (lat. 79°4PN.), 
but was unable to secure a specimen. From this point to our 
most northern extreme this Falcon was not observed by any 
member of the expedition. On the 24th August, 1876, near 
Cape Fraser (lat. 79° 47' N.), when on our return southwards, 
a bird of this species flew round our vessels. The following 
morning, when on shore between Cape Hayes and Cape Na¬ 
poleon, I saw a magnificent example of F. candicans seated 
on a rock; it permitted me to get within seventy or eighty 
yards; but I failed in trying to procure it. 
g - 2. Nyctea scandiaca. Snowy Owl. 
This Owl is a common spring and summer migrant to the 
northern part of Grinnell Land. On the 2nd October, 1875, 
I observed an individual of this species seated on a hummock 
in the vicinity of our winter-quarters (lat. 82° 2 7' N.). On 
the 29th March, 1876, an example was seen by Lieutenant 
2f 2 
