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 34 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 he 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 “ Eirst Annual Eeport 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 
Port William, near Belfast, received three living specimens of the 
snowy owl, which were taken in the previous month of August, 
