THE SNOWY OWLS. 85 



Nyctea scandiaca (L.), Newt. ed. Yarr. Brit. B. i. p. 187 

 (1872); Dresser, B. Eur. v. p. 287, pi. 310 (1873); 

 Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. ii. p. 125 (1875); B. O. U. 

 List Br. B. p. 87 (1883) ; Saunders, Man. Brit. B. p. 293 

 (1889); Lilford, Col. Fig. Br. B. part xviii. (1891). 

 Surnia nyctea^ Seeb. Brit. B. i. p. 177 (1883). 

 ^Plate XXXVI.) 



Adult Male. — Pure white above and below, with a longitu- 

 dinal spot of brown on the hinder crown and on the wing- 

 coverts ; on the quills a few remains of brown bars, and on the 

 tail-feathers a small spot near the end of the central rectrices ; 

 bill and claws blackish horn-colour; iris deep yellow. Total 

 length, 23 inches; wing, 167 ; tail, 9*6 ; tarsus, about 2*1. 



Adult Female. — Similar to the male, but a trifle larger. Total 

 length, 26 inches; wing, 18*3. 



Young Birds. — Not so pure white as the adults, with bars of 

 dusky-brown both above and below, the quills and tail being 

 also banded. 



There can be no doubt that the Snowy Owl becomes whiter 

 with age, and that the very old individuals lose their markings 

 almost entirely, though it is a question whether the females 

 ever become perfectly snow-white and lose their spots and 

 bars. American specimens appear to have the toes more 

 thickly clothed with feathers than European examples. 



Nestling. — Covered with down of a sooty-brown colour. 



Range in Great Britain. — An occasional visitant, occurring 

 chiefly in winter, and being noticed nearly every year in the 

 Orkneys and Shetland Islands. It has also been recorded 

 many times from Scotland, as well as on. various occasions in 

 England and Ireland. Although many of the Snowy Owls 

 winter in the vicinity of their arctic home, it is plain that a 

 considerable southward migration takes place, and Thompson 

 mentions that a flock of these Owls accompanied a ship half- 

 way on the voyage between Labrador and Ireland, while Mr. 

 Seebohm one morning found a couple perched on the masts 

 of the ship in which he was returning from the Petchora round 

 the North Cape, and when the vessel was out of sight of land. 



Range outside the British Islands. — The Snowy Owl is an in- 

 habitant of the high north in both Hemispheres, and breeds 



