SNOWY OWL. 143 



History, vol. viii. p. 608. " Last week I received from 

 Mr. Scarth, Sanda, Orkney, a living specimen of the 

 Snowy Owl. This was not a native specimen, but evi- 

 dently a bird of last year, in immature plumage, but 

 whose expanded wings extend four feet in width. This 

 bird arrived in Orkney during a strong north-west gale, 

 with hail and sleet, along with flocks of wild Swans, 

 Golden-eyes, snow-flakes, &c.; indicating an Icelandic or 

 Greenland origin." 



A notice of one taken still more recently has appeared 

 in several periodicals devoted to Natural History. On the 

 13th of February last (1837), a fine male Snowy Owl was 

 shot three miles below Selby-on-the-Moor, Yorkshire, 

 where it had been observed by a miller, at a mill adjoining, 

 for a day or two previous. The moor is well stocked with 

 rabbits, and the Owl was most probably preying upon 

 them : it appeared very shy, and when pinioned by the 

 shot was extremely fierce.* Several specimens have also 

 been killed in different parts of Ireland, the particulars of 

 which are recorded by Mr. Thompson of Belfast, in the 

 second volume of the Magazine just quoted. 



The Snowy Owl inhabits Sweden, Norway, Lapland, and 

 the North of Europe generally. The Swedish name of 

 Harfang is bestowed upon it in consequence of its apparent 

 partiality to feeding upon hares. It inhabits also Iceland 

 and Greenland. Several pairs were seen during the siim- 

 mer months on the different islands of the Polar sea by the 

 Arctic voyagers from this country; but the birds being 

 very wary, and the country affording little shelter to the 

 sportsman, only a single individual or two were killed. A 

 specimen was obtained by Mr. King during Captain Back's 

 last journey, and others were seen. Dr. Richardson, who 

 passed seven summers and five winters in the fur-countries 



* Magazine of Zoology and Botany, vol. ii. p. 93. 



