ANNALS OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



XXV. — On the Snowy Owl, Surnia nyctea, DumeriL By 

 William Thompson, Esq., Vice-President of the Natural 

 History Society of Belfast. 



On the 2nd of December, 1837^ a beautiful specimen of the 

 snowy owl was shot in a quarry on Scrabo mountain in the 

 county of Down, and came into the possession of Thomas 

 M'Leroth, Esq., of Killinether House, in that neighbourhood, 

 who liberally presented it to the Belfast Museum. Having 

 come under my inspection in a recent state, I drew up the 

 following description of it, which, differing in some particulars 

 from that of other specimens described in detail*, and for the 

 purpose of comparison with individuals noticed in the sequel, 

 may not be superfluous. 



inch. line. 



Length, entire 24 



Length of wing from carpus to end of longest quill 16 6 



tarsus 2 3 



————— bill measured along ridge 1 9 



cere on its ridge 9 



bill in a straight line from rictus to outer edge 1 9 



middle toe I 6 



its claw, following curvature 1 8 



its claw in a straight line 1 3-J- 



inner claw, following curvature 1 9 



outer claw, following curvature 1 6 



hind claw, following curvature 1 5 



Wings pass the tail 1 6 



Extent of wings 4 feet 9^ inches; first quill 1^ inch 

 shorter than the second, which is about 2 lines shorter than 

 the third, this being the longest ; the fourth is about 2 lines 

 shorter than the second, the fifth 2 lines less than the first in 

 length : this relative proportion of the quills is the same in 

 another specimen preserved in the Belfast Museum. 



Colour of forehead, throat and upper portion of breast, 

 * See ' Fauna Boreali- Americana,' Part 2. p. 190. 

 Ann. Nat. Hist. Vol.1. No. 4. June 1838. r 



