38 ASIONIDZ. 
habits of MZ. whitneyi, partly from his own observations, partly from those of others, 
and Dr. Fisher also gives a similar summary in his excellent work on the Hawks and 
Owls of the United States. 
From Mexico we have as yet heard little of this Owl, and no specimens have reached 
us from that country. It is said by Herrera to be found in the Valley of Mexico, and 
there is a specimen in the United States National Museum sent from Guanajuato by 
Prof. A. Dugés®, Prof. Ferrari-Perez also sent to the same museum an adult male 
obtained at San Salvador el Verde, in the State of Puebla °®. 
2. Micropallas graysoni. 
Micrathene whitneyi, Grays. Pr. Bost. Soc. N. H. xiv. p. 8300 (nec Coues)*; Lawr. Mem. Bost. 
Soc. N. H. i. p. 297°. 
Micrathene graysoni, Ridgw. Pr. U. 8. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 166°; Auk, 1886, p. 333 vr 
M. whitneyi similis, sed multo brunnescentior haud griseo lavata, fasciis pallidis caude et area inter eas 
sequalibus. 
Hab. Mexico, Socorro I. (Grayson 1 23 4), 
The Socorro-Island birds obtained by Grayson were long considered to belong to the 
continental M. whitneyi, till Mr. Ridgway separated them in 18863. We have never 
seen specimens of this form, and have taken our diagnosis from Mr. Ridgway’s 
description ®. Grayson obtained three specimens of this little Owl during his stay on 
Socorro Island. He says they were always found among the branches of low evergreen 
trees. He adds that they seem to feed entirely upon the small land-crabs which are 
abundant near the sea*. The iris in life is bright yellow 1. 
Note.—In the ‘Transactions of the Zoological Society’ (vol. iv. p. 232) Kaup 
described an Owl from Mexico, which we do not recognize, as follows :— 
“ Asio macrurus, Kp. 
“* Diagn. The tail brown, 148 mm. long, with five small whitish bands and end. 
“ Descr. The upper parts dark brown, with two to three irregular rusty-yellow cross bands on each feather.. 
The lower parts white, on each feather a broad dark-brown shaft-stripe. The under tail-coverts pure 
white. Wings on the inner sides blackish, with from three to five whitish pronged bands and spots. 
Tarsi rusty-yellowish white, with rusty-yellow cross-lines. The bristle-feathers of the lorum white with 
black shafts, The stripe over the eye dirty-white, extending to the ear-horns, which are not very well 
distinguished. Veil white, each feather with rusty-yellow black-margined shaft-spots. 
“ Dimens. Head 70, bill from the root 20, from the gape 34, wing 250, tarsus 60, middle toe without the 
nail 39, left ear-hole (taken on a stuffed specimen) 14, right ear-hole 22 mm. long. 
« Hab. Mexico (Wiirzburg Museum).” 
