119 



fourth quills. Rest of spots light brown. A row of white spots 

 on edges of lesser coverts, four on the upper, seven. on the lower 

 series, with a row of light brown spots between. A few Avhite 

 spots also on outer secondaries. A white stripe on outer row of 

 scapulars, edged by large light brown stripes toward middle of back. 

 Rest of wing feathers dark brown, the secondaries with light ashy 

 dots toward their ends. Tail feathers colored like the quills, the 

 light spots forming five broken bars, and another narrower bar at 

 the tip. Wings and tail ashy brown beneath, with white bars ; 

 edge of wing white, a dark brown patch at end of coverts, which 

 are elsewhere white, tinged with yellowish. 



Stiff feathers above eye white, with black spots on middle of 

 shafts. Feathers below orbit light brown, faintly barred with 

 darker ; bristles around bill black for their outer half. Chin and 

 throat feathers white, their" base black, and tips of lower series light 

 brown, the white thus forming a broad crescent in front of the neck, 

 extending between outer angles of orbits, somewhat broken at the 

 median line, and edged with brown, darkest laterally. Sides of 

 neck narrowly barred with ashy alternating with light and dark 

 brown ; a large white patch in front of neck, mottled with blackish. 

 Breast imperfectly barred and blotched with the same colors, the 

 brown forming large patches toAvard abdomen, margined with gray 

 and white. 



Sides more grayish, tinged yellow, flanks plumbeous. Tibial 

 feathers narrowly barred with light and dark brown. Tarsal bris- 

 tles white, those on toes yellowish, soles yellow, claws horn brown, 

 bill pale green, (black with yellow edges when dry) iris bright 

 yellow. • 



Length 6.25 inches ; extent of wings, 15.25 ; wing from carpus, 

 4.50 ; tail, 2.25 ; tarsus, 0.90 ; middle toe, O.GO, with its claAv, 

 0.70 — inner lateral claw reaching to base of middle, outer to base 

 of inner ; hind toe and claw, 0.50 ; gape of bill, 0.45 ; height, 

 0.30 ; width at base, 0.40. 



No. 208, male, (?) shot at Fort Mojave, lat. 35°, Colorado 

 Valley, April 26th, 1861 ; the only one met with. 



This owl is the smallest species yet discovered in the United 

 States, being considerably less than the little Glaucidium (/noma. 

 In colors it much resembles this species, but in generic characters 

 differs essentially, being in these closely allied to Athene, though 

 it might perhaps form a distinct genus. Not having access to any 

 analysis of the South American genera, I have preferred to retain 

 this bird in Athene. 



The next, which is undoubtedly a new bird, I have dedicated to 

 the interesting Uttle daughter of my kind friend, Prof S. F. Baird. 



