3U3 
SNOWY OWL. 
Sumia nyctea. — Selby. 
PLATE XXXIV. 
Strix nyctea, Gmel . — La chouette Harfang, Buffon , TemmtncTi, 
Man. d' Ornith . — Snowy Owl of British ornithologists. 
This magnificent species is of very rare occur- 
rence on tfie mainland of the British islands, being 
more particularly a native of the countries verging 
upon the arctic circle, whence it reaches to our 
own more northern islands, and whence, again, 
occasional stragglers have been captured in the 
interior of Britain and Ireland. Mr Bullock, in 
1812, during his tour to Orkney and Shetland, 
met with this species, and seems to have been the 
first to have directed our attention to the fact of 
their being resident and breeding there. He first 
met with the species among the sand-hills of 
Orkney, to which they had resorted for the sake 
of preying on the rabbits, and afterwards succeeded 
in procuring specimens on Unst in Shetland, and 
ascertaining that it bred there and on the island 
of ZelL Mr Edmonstone, about the same period^ 
