150 SNOWY OWL. 



less with brown, and the sides somewhat barred; back, as the 

 neck. The wings expand to the width of five feet two inches; 

 greater and lesser wing coverts, as the back; primaries, white; 

 barred with dark brown bars, two inches apart; secondaries 

 and tertiaries, white, spotted with dark brown; larger and 

 lesser under wing coverts, as the breast. Tail, white, banded 

 with bars of broad brown spots; tail coverts, as the back. 

 Legs and toes as in the male, but with a few spots; claws, 

 black. 



The young are at first covered with brown down, and 

 have their first feathers also light brown. Their next plumage 

 is similar to that of the female, only that they are much more 

 spotted all over: in fact the abundance of spots is a sign of 

 youth, as their absence is of age. 



