126 DUBLIN ITATUilAL HISTORY SOCIETr, 



My friend, Professor Kinahan, has recorded his having seen two 

 Snowy Owls in Tipperary, in December, 1 853.* He describes their flight 

 as very beautiful, strong but buoyant, which, from the texture of the 

 feathers and formation of the wings and tail, by their relative length, 

 and the comparative length of the wing-feathers to each other, I should 

 suppose to be the case, even if I had not the testimony of so accurate an 

 observer as my friend. Those last mentioned, in addition to one I know 

 of having been killed in Mayo, in 1850, a living specimen obtained in 

 the same county in 1859, by my friend, Mr. Alford Newton, f and the 

 example now before you, make the number of Snowy Owls known to 

 ornithologists to have visited Ireland in a wild state, fourteen. 



The specimen exhibited to night, by permission of the Council of the 

 Eoyal Zoological Society, was wounded in the wing by a countryman 

 near Swords, in this county, a few weeks ago. I obtained it on the 

 22nd of last month for the collection in the Zoological Gardens. It is a 

 female, I think in its second year. Its habits are exactly in accordance 

 with those of every other example of Surnia mjctea I have had any op- 

 portunity of observing. It remains generally in the very front of its 

 cage, perfectly fearless, and ready to show fight, never taking advan- 

 tage of a screen of branches put into its cage as a place of retirement. 

 It also prefers sitting on the ground to any kind of perch or block. The 

 light does not atfect it in the least. I have tried it with rabbits, 

 birds, and rats ; but it prefers meat cut small to all these, and feeds out 

 of its keeper's hand. When first procured, I had to force the meat 

 down its throat. [This bird died October, 1862, and was 'presented to 

 the Society's collection.] 



[^Addendum to ahove. — Mr. J. B. Doyle mentioned having seen a spe- 

 cimen of this bird, said to have been shot at Summerhill, county of Sligo, 

 by Mr. Palmer. A communication laid before the Society at a subse- 

 quent meeting details its capture, as also the occurrence of a second spe- 

 cimen, at the same place : — 



" Moyview, May 24, 1862. 



"Dear Kinahan, — I write to say that the Snowy Owl shot by Mr. 

 Palmer was obtained by him at Summerhill, 26th January, 1856, He 

 got it stuffed by old Gleimon, of Suffolk- street. Mr. Palmer also told 

 me that his son met, and attempted to shoot, another in the demesne there 

 sometime in November, 1860. 



" 1 remain, yours sincerely, 



" Robert "Warren, Jttn."] 



Natural History Review," vol. i., p. 22. f " Proceedings," vol. iii., p. 69. 



