96 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPAKATIVE ZOOLOGY. 



Bubo virginianus elachistus, subsp. nov.i 

 Dwarf Horned Owl. 



Bubo virginianus (not Strix virginiana Gmeliv) Baird, Cat. N. Amer. Birds, 1859, 



no. 48, part; Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Pliila., 1859, 301, 302 (Cape St. Lucas). 



Shakpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., II. 1875, 19-23, part. 

 [Bubo virginianus] var. arcticus CouES, Key N. Amer. Birds, 1872, 202, part. 

 Bubo virginianus, \dT. arcticus CouES, Check List, 1873, ti3, no. 317 a, part. Baird, 



Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, III. 1874, 64, part (Lower 



California). 

 Bubo virginianus subarcticus (not Bubo suharcticus Hor) Ridgway, Norn. N. Amer. 



Birds (Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no. 21), 1881, 3(5, no. 405a, part; Proc. U. S. 



Nat. Mus., VL 1883, 349 (crit. ; Victoria Mts.). Beldixg, Ibid., V. 1883, 543 



Cape Region); VI. 1883, 349 (Victoria Mts.). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. 



Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 284 (Cape Region; Victoria Mts.). 

 Bubo virginianus arcticus Coces, Check List, 2d ed., 1882, 80, no. 463, part. 

 B.[ubo] virginianus subarcticus Ridgway, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 263, 



part. 

 Subspecijic Characters : — Similar to Bubo virginianus saturatus, but Tery much 

 smaller. 



Measurements: — 9.- 



3 t ta 



._" ** 



Male Type, No. 17,866 \ ^^^"^ ^^ ^^ ^''S""^' ^^^^ ^^' } 12.96 2.45 .85 

 "^ ' \ 1887. M. Abbott Frazar ) 



Male No. 17,865 \ ^^" ^""'^ ^^^ ^^'"'^"'' "^"^^ '^^' \ 13.20 2.50 .85 



I 1887, M. Abbott Frazar ) 



Male No. 47,302 I ^^"^^ ^"''*' '^"^y ^^' ^^^^'112 52 228 .80 



I Love Miller ) 



Average 12.89+ 2.41 .83+ 



Female No. 17,867 | S'^"'* '^^ ^^ ^^S""^' ^P"^ ^9. Kg 4.^ 2.35 .89 



I 1877, M. Abbott Frazar ' 



Thi.'? dwarf form of B. virginianus, the smallest, if I am not mistaken, which 

 is at present known, at least from any part of North America, is represented in 

 my collection by four adult birds, three of which are colored and marked nearly 

 like average specimens of saturatus. The fourth appears much paler, but it is in 

 excessively worn condition, and a number of new feathers sprouting among and 



1 In April of the present year I showed my Horned Owls from the Cape Region 

 to Mr. Oberholser. He told me that he had decided to describe the form wliich 

 they represent, but finding that I had already done tliis in manuscript and that my 

 paper was likely to appear before his, he was kind enough to suggest that I use 

 the above name, which he had selected and which is derived from the Greek 

 ^Aax'CToj = least. 



