PYGMY OWL G. FASSERINUM VAR. CALIFORNICUM. 317 



The food of this interesting little Owl, which is not so large as a Robin, 

 though it appears bulkier, consists chiefly of insects. Its nesting, ac- 

 cording to Wilson and Audubon, is various: sometimes it builds in the 

 blanches of trees, while at other times it will occupy the deserted nests 

 of other birds, or lay in a hollow tree. The eggs are pure white, sub- 

 spherical, of crystaliiue clearness, measuring 1| inches by IJ inches. 



Mr. Gentry informs me of a curious circumstance in regard to this 

 Owl. Referring to the association of the Burrowing Owl of the West 

 with the prairie-dog, he continues : " In the hollow of an oak-tree, not 

 far iroin Gerniantown, lives an individual of the common chickaree 

 squirrel [Sciunis Jmrlsonius), with a specimen of this little Owl as his 

 sole companion. They occupy the same hole together in perfect har- 

 mony and mutual good-will. It is not an accidental temporary associa- 

 tion,' for the bird and the squirrel have repeatedly been observed to 

 enter the same hole together, as if they had always shared the apart- 

 ment. But what benetit can either derive from the other !" 



While speaking of this small species, it may not be amiss to mention 

 vsome other little Owls of this country. Small as it is (the specimen above 

 mentioned measured only Ih inches long, with an extent of 19 inches, 

 the wing oj inches, the tail 2^ inches), it surpasses several pygmies 

 found on the west coast and southward. The Pygmy Owl, Glaucidium 

 passerinnm var. coliforniciim. of the whole Pacific region, is the most 

 abundant and best known of these. A closely allied Mexican species 

 of the same genus, and of about the same size {G. ferrtigineum), has 

 lately been detected in Arizona by Lieut. O. Bendire, U. S. Army. His 

 specimen gave the first intimation of its presence m the United States, 

 as I stated in the American Naturalist, vol. vi, p. 370. It will be fousid 

 fully described in the " E^ey," p. 206. Another, still smaller, and very 

 cuiious lilliputian Owl, was discovered at Fort Mojave, Arizona, by Dr. 

 J. (r. Cooper, and has more recently been observed at Mazatlan aiul on 

 the island of Socorro, by Col. A. J. Grayson. It is the type of a new 

 genus 1 instituted in 1866, calling it Micrathene ichiineyi. This species 

 is only about six inches long, has the tarsi nearly bare, and is otherwise 

 peculiar. 1 have the following accounts to j)resent of these two species 

 from my Arizona Mss. : 



PYGMY OWL.* — G. passerinum var. californicum, [SgI.) Eidgiv. 



* The following is the syuonyruy of this species : 



a. j)«sscr(Hi(«i. 



Strix pasHerlna, Linn., Svst. Nat. i, 17()(i, 13:^.— Retz., Fii. Suec. 86.— Gm., Syst. Nat. i, 

 1788, 29fj.— Lati'i.. lud. Orii. i, 1790, (if).— Nilss., Oin. Suec. i, 09, pi. :^.— ViEUX., 

 Euc. Metli. iii, l-JS'). — Goi'LD, B. Yaw. pi. 50. — Dkul., Oru. Eur. i, l;3G; auil of 

 authors generally. 



Glaucidium j)aHnciiin(m, Boie. Isis, 1H2(), ;)7().— Bp., List, 1838, 6; Cat. Ucc. Eur. "i'i ; 

 Consp. Av. i, 18.')0, :U).— Bueum, Viig. Deutschi. 108.— Sn. & Dr., B. Eur. pt. iii. 



Snniia passcrinii. Keys &, Bi.as., Wirl). Eur. 1840, '.ii. 



Mirropljins piixscrinimi, KaiI', Mom. Strif/. Cout. Orn. 1852, 107. 



Athi nc pasxvriiKi. Gkav, (icn. of 15. i, 1845, :55. 



Xixhiit pasfn'riiHi. ^cui.., M. I'.-B., Strif/cx, 18G2, 41. 



-Strix jiiisilla. Daid.. Tr. Oru. 1800, '205 {ex Lcraillaiit). 



Strix p;i(jmnii, I'lECMsr., Nat. Deutschi. iv, 1805,, 'J78, pi. 24.— Meyeu, Tascheuh. i. 8:?. 



Xodiia jtiiifnura, Shaw, Gen. Zool. vii, 03. 



.*?/»•/.(■ (icadica, Te.mm., Man. i, 1820, !)(> (not of GmeHii). 



" Alhi'uv ajricaiia. Gkay," Bp., Consp. Av. i, 1850, 30 (under G. 2)as8erinum). 



1). ralifonncum. 



{1)'- Strix tlat((. Xatt., Mus. Viniloh." apnd Bp., Consp. Av. i. l^'tO, 30. 



(?) GIniiridiiim ihila. I5p.. Consp. .\v. i, 1850, 30 ('• SimiltH S. paatfirimv, svd raitda longiori;" 



most prohaltly this loriu ; Mexiei)). « 



Strix ixi-tiiiriiioidts, Ati>., Orn. Bu>g. v, 183'J, 271, pi. 432 (not of Temminck). 



