. Animate creation : popular edition of "Our living world" : a natural history. Zoology; Zoology. THE SNOWY OWL. 77 The Snowy Owl is one of the handsomest of this group, not so much on account of its dimensions, which are not very considerable, but by reason of the beautiful white mantle with which it is clothed, and the large orange eyeballs that shine with a lustre as of a living topaz set among the snowy plumage. This bird is properly a native of ]S"orth America and Europe. Like the Hawk Owl, it is a day-flying bird, and is a terrible foe to the smaller mammalia, and to vario
. Animate creation : popular edition of "Our living world" : a natural history. Zoology; Zoology. THE SNOWY OWL. 77 The Snowy Owl is one of the handsomest of this group, not so much on account of its dimensions, which are not very considerable, but by reason of the beautiful white mantle with which it is clothed, and the large orange eyeballs that shine with a lustre as of a living topaz set among the snowy plumage. This bird is properly a native of ]S"orth America and Europe. Like the Hawk Owl, it is a day-flying bird, and is a terrible foe to the smaller mammalia, and to various birds. Mr. Yarrell remarks that "one wounded on the Isle of Balta disgorged a young rabbit whole ; and that one in my possession had in its stomach a young sandpiper with its plumage ; It is rather remarkable that the bird should have thus been swallowed whole, as I have always. /4^^^fe: SNOWY 0\ nivea. BEAEDED OWL.—Si/ndum tapponicum. remarked that when an Owl devours a little bird, he tears it to pieces before eating it, though he always swallows a mouse entire. <. In proportion to its size the Snowy Owl is a mighty hunter, having been detected in chasing our American hai'e, and carrying off wounded grouse before the sportsman could secure his prey. According to Yarrell, the Swedish name of Harfang, which has been given to this bird, is derived from its habit of feeding on hares. It is also a good fishennan, posting itself on some convenient spot overhanging the water, and securing its finny prey with a lightning- like gTasp of the claw as it passes beneath the white-clad fisher. Sometimes it will sail over the surface of the stream, and snatch the fish as they rise for food, but its general mode of angling is that which has just been mentioned. It is also a great eater of lemmings ; and in the destruction of these quadrupedal pests, does infinite service to the agriculturist and the population in Please note that these images are
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Keywords: ., bookauthorbr, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectzoology
