96 
STRIGIDiE. 
lished respecting Irish specimens, nothing is now to be added. 
— I can only bring together what has before appeared. 
On June 9, 1835, I had the satisfaction of communicating the 
first notice of the occurrence of the snowy owl in Ireland to the 
Zoological Society of London, in whose Proceedings, (1835, 
p. 78,) it was subsequently published. About the 26th of March, 
1835, a specimen of this bird was sent in a recent state to Dr. 
Adams of Portglenone, county of Antrim, by a person who had 
shot it a few days before in that neighbourhood, and who stated 
that a similar individual had been seen about the place where it 
was obtained. The specimen was presented by Dr. Adams to the 
Natural History Society of Belfast. It was immature, agreeing 
with the figure in Mr. Selby’s Illustrations of British Orni- 
thology. 
On the 21st of the same month, as two of my friends were 
snipe-shooting at Bruslee, about twenty miles to the south-east of 
Portglenone, a large white owl, represented by them as twice the 
size of the common species of that colour [Strix flammed), rose 
from the heath within a few yards of one of them, just as he had 
discharged both barrels at a snipe. His companion fired at it 
from such a distance, that although struck, it escaped with the 
loss of only a few feathers, and afterwards alighted a short way 
off. On showing the specimen killed at Portglenone to one of 
these gentlemen, he recognised it as similar in size and colour to 
the bird which he had seen. 
In Dublin, I subsequently saw a snowy owl, which had been 
shot in the county of Mayo, also in the month of March, and was 
credibly informed that a few others were obtained about the same 
tleman, then rose at about forty yards distance, and flew towards him, when it was 
fired at, hut sailed away apparently unhurt. It was, however, soon afterwards brought 
to him by a hoy who had seen it fall ; and excepting a flesh wound in the muscle of 
one wing, was quite uninjured. It was kept in confinement for a considerable time, 
and eventually killed by a servant for making too free with some chickens. 
In the Fauna of Cork, published in 1845, it is stated that “ an individual of this 
species was twice fired at by Richard D. Parker, Esq., of Sunday’s Well, on Inchigeela 
mountain, in 1827, hut was not procured.” To make sure that there was not a 
typographical error in the year, — that 1827 was not substituted for 1887, — I wrote 
to the author, and learned that it was correctly printed. The bird was seen in the 
month of September. 
