SNOWY-OWL. RAPTORES. SURNIA. 95 



The genus Surina, established by DUMEEIL to embrace 

 those species of the Strigidae which shew a considerable ap- 

 proximation to the Falconidce (not only in the habit of 

 hawking by day, but also in form, having smaller heads, 

 less complete facial disks, arid longer tails, than the other 

 Owls), appears properly to include the Snowy Owl of au- 

 thors, as that bird possesses all the essential characters of the 

 other Hawk Owls, and its habits (from the statement of those 

 who have studied and observed them) are declared to be 

 those of a day-flying, rather than a nocturnal bird of prey. 

 The members of this genus are natives of high northern lati- 

 tudes, and are widely distributed. They feed upon birds, 

 animals, and fish. Their plumage, although soft, has not 

 the downy texture or appearance so distinctive of the more 

 typical or night-flying kinds. 



SNOWY OWL. 



SURNIA NYCTEA, Dumeril. 



PLATE XXIII. 



Surnia Nyctea, Dumeril. Sir Wm. Jardine's ed. of Wils. Amer. Orn. 2. 46. 

 Strix Nyctea, Gmel Syst. 1. p. 201 Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. 57. sp. 20 



Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. v. 1. p. 75 Wils. Amer. Ornith. v. 4. p. 53. 



pi. 32. f. 1. 



Nyctea cinerea, Shaw's ZooL 13. 68. " 

 Strix alba Freti-Hudsonis, Briss. 1. 522. 

 La Chouette Harfang, Buff. Ois. v. 1. p. 387 Id. PI. Enl. 458 Temm. 



Man. d'Ornith. v. 1. p. 82 Veil. Ois. d'Amer. Sept. v. 1. pi 18. 

 Chouette blanche, Vaill. Ois. d'Afr. v. 1. pi. 45. old bird. 

 Schnee-Kauz, Bechst. Naturg. Deut. v. 2. p. 925. 

 Schnewuil, Meyer Vog. Liv. und Esthl. p. p. 29. 

 Snowy Owl, Arct. Zool. 2. No. 121 Lath. Syn. 1. p. 132. 17 Id. Supp. 



p. 45 Mont. Supp. to Ornith. Diet. Bewick's Supp. Br. Birds Wer- 



nerian Trans, v. 4. 



IT is only within these few years past that this noble and 

 beautiful Owl has been established as indigenous in Great 

 Britain. In a tour made to the Orkney and Shetland Isles, 

 in the year 1812, Mr BULLOCK, the late proprietor of the 

 London Museum, met with it in both groups of islands ; and 



