252 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 



the head and neck by a few minute dots of dull brown, 

 and on the rest of the body by regular transverse semi- 

 lunar streaks of the same colour, but narrower and 

 lighter on the under than on the upper surface. These 

 streaks do not extend to the legs, w'hich are covered 

 down to the claws by long, thick, shaggy, hair-like 

 feathers. The whole of the plumage is extremely soft, 

 close, and thick, affording a most effectual protection 

 a2;ainst the severities of weather to which this bird is 

 constantly exposed in the Arctic regions which it inha- 

 bits. Even the beak is almost entirely buried in the 

 disks of the eyes, which advance intemallv to a much 

 greater extent than on the outer side. The head is 

 remarkably small, compared with that of the other 

 species of Owls ; the iris of a bright golden yellow ; 

 the tail short, scarcely extending beyond the wings ; 

 and the bill and claws strongly curved and of a deep 

 black. In the female the spots and bars are darker 

 and more numerous, and never disappear to so great an 

 extent as in the male, which sometimes in advanced 

 age becomes almost purely white. The full grown 

 female, which is rather larger than the male, measures 

 two feet in length, and more than five in the expanse of 

 its wings ; and is consequently by far the largest Owl, 

 without tufts of feathers upon its head, with ^vhich we 

 are acquainted. Its weight, however, according to 

 Hearne, seldom exceeds from three to four pounds. 



The Snowy Owl is a native of the most northern 

 reo-ions of both Continents, passing southwards in the 

 Old as far as the latitude of Astracan, and in the New 

 to that of Pennsylvania, or more rarely even to the 

 borders of Florida. It is very seldom, however, met 

 with in Europe to the south of Sweden ; while in 

 America it appears to be most frequent in the latitude 

 of Hudson's Bay. Bechstein mentions one or two 



