98 STRIGIDiE. 



Extent of wings 4 feet 94 inches ; first quill 14 inch shorter than the second, 

 which is about 2 lines shorter than the third, this being the longest ; the fourth is 

 about 2 lines shorter than the second ; the fifth 2 lines less than the first in length ; 

 this relative proportion of the quills is the same in the specimen from Portglenone, 

 preserved in the Belfast Museum. 



Colour of forehead, throat, and upper portion of breast, lower part of belly, under 

 tail-coverts, under side of wings (except the roundish spots towards the points of 

 primaries, secondaries, and tertials), and entire legs, white. Plumage of the body 

 beneath the wings, lower part of breast, and upper portion of belly, white, beautifully 

 barred with blackish-brown in waved and variously formed lines about half an inch 

 apart, and becoming narrow as they approach the tail ; the greatest breadth of these 

 dark bars about 14 line. Feathers of the occiput white, tipped with black ; lower 

 part of nape where the head joins the body, white ; back, scapulars, and coverts of 

 the wings, white, closely barred with blackish brown. Primaries, secondaries, and 

 tertials (which, as to colouring, cannot well be separated in description, blending as 

 they do into each other), at first darkly barred on both outer and inner webs towards 

 the tips, but gradually becoming less so towards the centre (secondaries generally), 

 where three or four round spots appear on the outer web only ; thence the spots 

 become more numerous, and towards the body (tertials) the bars again appear on 

 both webs, thus, in the markings, balancing the primaries on the opposite side ; upper 

 tail coverts with narrow bars of blackish brown. Tail feathers twelve in number, 

 the two outer ones pure white, third and fourth with two broad bars of dark blackish 

 brown near the tip, fifth and sixth with three bars of the same colour. Irides, 

 golden yellow. Weight 3i lbs. This bird was fat, and in high condition. On 

 dissection, it proved a male ; its stomach was quite empty. 



In a letter, dated Twizell House, July 21, 1838, 1 was informed 

 by P. J. Selby, Esq., that lie had received a snowy owl from 

 Killibegs, county of Donegal, near which place it was shot in the 

 month of November or December, 1837. This is the same indi- 

 vidual which appears from the " First Annual Report of the 

 Natural History Society of Dublin," p. 6, to have been announced 

 at one of the meetings as an eagle owl [Bubo maximus) : it is 

 almost unnecessary to add, that the gentleman who made the an- 

 nouncement had not the opportunity of seeing the specimen, but 

 judged merely from the description communicated to him. The 

 fact is mentioned here merely to guard against future error. 



On young birds brought alive from North America. 



In the month of October, 1837, Eichard Langtry, Esq., of 

 Eort William, near Belfast, received three riving specimens of the 

 snowy owl, which were taken in the previous month of August, 



