162 
BIRDS. 
(J. Whitaker). This grey colour is very remarkable in 
tawny owls shot in the north ; numbers of both the brown 
and grey variety come to Mr. Macleay, Inverness, for 
preservation every year, and grey ones equal, if they do 
not predominate over, the brown. 
154. Nyctea scandiaca {L.). Snowy Owl. 
A very rare visitant. An example, killed at Achintoul, in the 
parish of Kildonan, passed through Mr. Macleay's hands, 
and another was in the collection of the late Mr. Dunbar 
of Brawl. 
A very fine specimen of this bird was obtained by John 
M'Kenzie at Altnaharrow, Sutherlandshire, in October 
185.3, and is now in the Milner collection in the Museum 
at Leeds. It was the first seen in the district, and was shot 
sitting on a rock in Cnoc Staing. 
An occasional visitant to Caithness. A specimen (one of 
three) in Dr. Sinclair's collection is in the pure white 
plumage so rarely seen in examples obtained in this 
country. Mr. Osborne mentions one or two examples, one 
of which was obtained in April 1867 by a shepherd in 
Strathmore. It had been trapped, but got loose, and was 
seen flying about for some days with the trap attached, 
until at last a shepherd caught it, when it was almost 
dead from exhaustion. Another Mr. Osborne obtained 
alive some years ago. It had been shot on a moor at 
Kilminster, near Wick ; one pellet had struck the extreme 
fleshy tip of one wing, but so slightly that it had quite healed 
up in a few days. Mr. Osborne has also heard of one or 
two others having been seen, and considers that it is pro- 
bable that few winters pass without an individual or two 
visiting our Caithness moors, well stocked as most of them 
are, with wild-fowl (0. MSS., 1868). 
Mr. Lewis Dunbar records two examples — one adult 
male obtained in 1876 at Freswick, killed by Mr. Steenson, 
