STRIGID.*:. 



^93 



THE SNOWY OWL. 



Nyctea scandiaca (Linnaeus). 



This conspicuous bird was first noticed in Britain by the late 

 Dr. Edmondston, who recognized it in iSti in the Shetland Islands; 

 to which, and to the Orkneys, it is now known to be an almost 

 annual visitor in the cold season, especially after northerly gales. 

 Its occurrence in the Outer and the Inner Hebrides, as well as 

 on the mainland of Scotland, is by no means unusual ; while in 

 England it has been obtained on several occasions in Northumber- 

 land and Yorkshire, nine times in Norfolk, once in Suffolk, and once 

 in South Devon, To Ireland its visits have been less frequent, but 

 it has been observed, at considerable intervals, in several counties 

 during the winter months. It has never been known to breed in 

 a wild state — though it has done so in captivity--in any part of 

 the British Islands. 



