SNOWY OWL. 305 



On the 21st of the same month, as two of my 

 friends were out snipe shooting at Bruslee, about 

 twenty miles to the south-east of Portglenone, a 

 large white Owl, represented by them as twice 

 the size of the common species of that colour, rose 

 from the heath within a few yarda of one of them, 

 who had just discharged both his barrels at a 

 snipe. In Dublin, I subsequently saw a Snowy 

 Owl which had been shot in the County of Mayo, 

 also in the month of March; and am credibly 

 informed that a few others were obtained about 

 the same time in different parts of Ireland. One 

 may be mentioned as having been received from 

 the county of Longford, on the 5th April, by a 

 bird preserver."* 



In Europe, the Snowy Owl is found also in 

 Norway, Sweden, and Lapland, but nowhere abun- 

 dant, and Temminck records it as an occasional 

 visitant to the North of Germany. In North 

 America it seems more plentiful; Wilson men- 

 tions having examined eleven specimens within 

 fifteen months, shot in various parts of the United 

 States, and is of opinion that a few remain through 

 the summer in the more northern inland parts, 

 where they are most numerous during winter. t 

 Dr Richardson says that it frequents, " in summer, 

 the most remote arctic lands that have been visited, 



* Mag. of Zook and Bot. ii. p. 179. 



J- Wilson's North American Ornithology. 



U 



