The Zoologist — July, 1866. 289 



it to me under the belief that his prize was a snowy owl. It was a 

 female in very good condition — a little too good, indeed, for I expe- 

 rienced no small difBcully in separating the thick layers of fat from 

 the skin. The crop was fully distended with small pieces of flesh, 

 and in the stomach was a large mass of flesh and rabbits' fur, but, with 

 the exception of a few pieces of vibs, there were no bones. The 

 largest of the ova were the size of No. 8 shot. Some fur was still 

 adhering to the claws of both feet. The following description was 

 taken down immediately after the bird came into my possession, and 

 before the skin was removed : — 



Bill. — Cere and upper mandible very pale blue, the tip nearly 



*black, the angular projection or " tooth" sharp and prominent; lower 



mandible nearly white, the anterior portion of its cutting edge brownish. 



A few days after death the bill begins to turn pink, and afterwards 



becomes reddish brown. 



Iris nearly black ; the bare skin surrounding the eye pale flesh- 

 colour. 



Head white, the central line of most of the feathers nearly black ; 

 these marks are smallest upon the sides of the head, and very few in 

 number about the base of the bill. 



Upper Surface. — Upper half of the back of the neck marked in the 

 same manner as the top of the head, but with the streaks larger and of 

 a browner hue ; feathers of the lower half of the back of the neck, and 

 also those covering the back itself, dark grayish brown, bordered with 

 white, the concealed portions lighter in colour and patched with white, 

 the shafts nearly black; upper tail-coverts and scapulars nearly the 

 same as the parts just described, but the tail-coverts have the pale 

 margins broader, and the white patches larger, and in the scapulars 

 those nearest the tail have the white so far encroached upon by the 

 brown as to cause an irregular barred appearance. Many of the 

 feathers of the upper surface, especially those about the neck, have 

 some portion of the white border tinged with brown. 



Wings. — Second quill longest, its tip when the wing is closed 

 reaching within three inches of the end of the tail ; first quill half an 



SECOND SERIES VOL. I, 2 P 



