444 BULLETIN 17 0, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



southwestern part of the range, except southern Baja California, 

 being found in southeastern California, Arizona, New Mexico and the 

 Mexican State of Sonora. The Texas elf owl (M. w. idoneus) occupies 

 the valley of the lower Rio Grande in Texas, and from there south to 

 Puebla, Guanajuato, and the Valley of Mexico. Sanford's elf owl 

 (M. w. sanfordi) is found only in the southern part of Baja California. 

 Egg dates. — Arizona: 28 records, May 3 to June 9; 14 records, May 

 22 to 26, indicating the height of the season. 



MICROPALLAS WHITNEYI IDONEUS Rldgway 

 TEXAS ELF OWL 



HABITS 



The Texas elf owl occupies a range quite remote from that of the 

 Arizona bird, in the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and thence 

 southward well into Mexico. Robert Ridgway (1914) describes it as 

 "similar to M. w. sanfordi in grayness of upper parts and absence of 

 distinct cinnamoneous blotches on under parts, but under parts with 

 more white and with markings darker." 



The type was taken by F. B. Armstrong, while camped 5 miles from 

 Hidalgo, Tex., on April 5, 1889, and apparently it has not been taken 

 north of our boundary since. Mr. Ridgway had only two specimens 

 when he named and described the race. Nothing seems to have been 

 published about its habits. 



MICROPALLAS WHITNEYI SANFORDI Ridgway 

 SANFORD'S ELF OWL 



HABITS 



In southern Lower California, south of about latitude 23°40' N., 

 this race is separated by a wide gap from the elf owl of Arizona, and 

 it has been given the above name. Mr. Ridgway (1914) describes it 

 as "similar to M. w. whitneyi, but much grayer above and (in the gray 

 phase, at least) with much less of cinnamon-buff on face and little if 

 any rusty brown or cinnamon on under parts; gray phase with ground 

 color of upper parts between mouse gray and hair brown, without 

 distinct, if any, darker vermiculations ; brown phase similar in colora- 

 tion to the grayer phase of M. w. whitneyi but slightly darker; wing 

 averaging decidedly shorter, tail averaging longer." 



William Brewster (1902) says: "Mr. Belding asserts that he found 

 the Elf Owl 'common, if not abundant' at Miraflores in 1882, and 

 that he also met with it in 'the mountains' in 1883, but it 'appeared to 

 be less common here than in the cactus regions' at lower levels." 



I can find nothing in print about the nesting or other habits of this 

 owl, which probably do not differ materially from those of other elf owls. 



