480 NYCTEA 



NYCTEA, Steph., 1826. 



684. SNOWY OWL. 

 NYCTEA SCANDIACA. 



Xijcteascandiaca(L\rm.\ Syst. Nat. i. p. 132 (1766) ; Newton, i. p. 187 ; 

 Dresser, v. p. 287, pis. 309, 310 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. ii. p. 125 ; 

 Saunders, p. 303 ; Lilford, i. p. 105, pi. 50 ; Blanf. F. Brit. Ind. iii. 

 p. 290 ; S. nyctea, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 132 (1766) ; Namn. i. 

 p. 417, Taf. 41 ; Wils. Am. Orn. iv. p. 53, pi. 32, fig. 1 ; Gould. B. 

 of E. i. pi. 43 ; S. nivea, Thumb. Sv. Akad. Handl. 1798, p. 184 ; 

 (Gould), B. of Gt. Brit. i. pi. 34 ; S. arctica, Bartr. Trav. Carol, 

 p. 289 (1791). 



Surnie Harfang, French ; Schnee-JSule, Germ. ; Sneugle, Dan. 

 and Norweg. ; Fjelluggla, Harfang, Swed. ; Skuolffi, Lapp. ; 

 Tunturipollo, Finn. ; Bidaya-soxa, Russ. ; Ak-uku, Baskir. 



$ ad. (Siberia). Pure white, with the remains of a few dark bars on 

 the upper parts, occasionally quite white ; legs and feet covered with 

 long, dense, hair-like feathers ; on the head small, scarcely perceptible ear- 

 tufts ; bill and claws blackish horn; iris deep yellow. Culmen 2 -25, 

 wing 16*0, tail 8*8, tarsus 2'4 inch. The female is larger and has the 

 upper parts closely barred with blackish brown, the under parts also, but 

 with narrower bars. 



Hob. The high northern portions of Europe, Asia and 

 America, wandering south in winter, when it has been met with 

 in the British Islands, France, Germany ; once even in the 

 N.W. Punjab. In North America it has been met with in 

 winter as far south as Texas and the Bermudas. 



Does not inhabit forests, but frequents the open, treeless 

 plains, and rocky parts of the mountains, and is shy and wary, 

 and though noiseless its flight is strong and protracted. It 

 hunts both in the daytime and in the dusk of the evening, and 

 preys on small rodents, Arctic hares, Willow Grouse, Ptarmigan, 

 and other birds, fish, and carrion. Its cry is a loud krau-krau, 

 and also rick, rick, rick. Its nest is a mere hollow in the open 

 ground, or on the ledge of a rock, sometimes lined with a few 

 feathers or a little grass, and from 4 to as many as 10 eggs are 

 deposited in June or July at indefinite intervals so that fresh 

 hatched as well as nearly fledged young are found in the same 

 nest. The eggs are roundish oval, fine in grain of shell, pure 

 white and in size average about 2'32 by 1'76. 



