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long and wide, with the third quill longest; tail moderate, or long and 
broad; plumage dense. Only one species. 
NycreA NIVEA—Daudin—THE SNowy OWL. 
Audubon’s Birds of Am., Oct. ed., I., pl, 25. 
This large and beautiful species is very common during the winter, along 
the lake shore. As these owls do not breed in our State, but in high 
northern latitudes, they appear here in winter only; but their visits do not 
depend on the severity of the weather alone, as they are often quite plen- 
tiful in mild seasons; this is the case the present winter, 1858-59, so 
remarkable for its mildness. In the neighborhood of Cleveland a great 
many were shot, and this is the case almost every year. This bird leaves 
its summer haunts, when winter sets in, and proceeding southward, spreads 
over the temperate latitudes of North America, Asia and Europe. It is 
said to build its nest on the ground. The rugged: nd inhospitable moun- 
tains and shores of Greenland, and the neighborhood of Hudson’s Bay, 
are its favorite hunting grounds, and it is said to feed on hares, rabbits, 
ducks, grouse, and other small quadrupeds and birds. It has also obtained 
some celebrity as a fisher. In its winter visits with us, it devours great 
numbers of mice and other vermin, hunting them during the day, and also 
during twilight. 
Few birds attract more attention than this, and consequently a great 
many of them are annually shot. It is not, however, likely that the num- 
ber visiting us will decrease, as it abounds in its summer haunts, where it 
is undisturbed, and raises its young in perfect safety, from the unwelcome 
visits of bird-nesting school-boys. Its feathers, are of a pure white, with 
spots of dark brown. The specimens vary greatly, some being almost en- 
tirely white, while others are thickly spotted, and barred with the dark 
brown. Quills and tail are regularly banded with brown. All are beauti- 
ful birds, and cannot be mistaken for any other species. 
The female is, as usual, larger than the male, and measures from 24 to 
26 inches in length, the tail being ten inches. 
Several specimens in the Museum of the Cleveland Academy of Natural 
Sciences, and the private cabinets of Prof. Kirtland and others. 
GENUS SuRNIA—Dameril. 
Of small or medium size; head moderate, without ear-tufts, and the facial 
disc obsolete; wings long, with the third quill longest; tail long and broad, 
