STRIGIDA. 393 
THE SNOWY OWL. 
Nyctra scAnpiaca (Linnzus). 
This conspicuous bird was first noticed in Britain by the late 
Dr. Edmondston, who recognized it in 1811 on Unst, the most 
northern of the Shetland Islands, to which, as well as to the Orkneys, 
it is now known to be an almost annual visitor in the cold season, 
especially after northerly gales; while its occurrence in the Outer 
and the Inner Hebrides, as well as on the mainland of Scotland, is 
by no means unusual. In England it has been obtained on several 
occasions in Northumberland and Yorkshire, nine times in Norfolk, 
once in Suffolk, and about five times in Devon, while one on Exmoor 
may be given to Somerset. To Ireland its visits have been less fre- 
quent, but at intervals it has been observed in several counties 
during the winter months. In a wild state it has never been known 
to breed in the British Islands, though it has done so in captivity. 
To the Feeroes and Iceland the Snowy Owl is only a straggler ; 
