STRIGID.E — THE OWLS — SCOPS. 



421 



mottled with palo brownish ; quills brown with transverse bands, nearly white on the outer 

 webs; tail pale ashy-brown, with about ten transverse nai-row bands of pale einerec 



eons ; 



under wing coverts white, the larger tipped with black. (^Scops ncevia.) 



i'ounr/ci: Entire upper parts pale brownish-red with streaks of brownish-black, espe- 

 cially on tlie head and scapulars ; face, throat, under wing coverts, and tarsi, reddish-white ; 

 quills reddish-brown ; tail rufous with bands of brown, darker on the inner webs. {Scops 

 axio.) 



Young. Entire plumage banded with ashy-wliite and pale browni ; wings and tail pale 

 rufous. 



S. McCall'd docs not seem to have tangible difl'crences in plumage, and its smaller size 

 is according to the usual rule in Southern specimens of widely distributeil birds. Lcngtli, 

 8.00 to 10.75 ; extent, 18,50 to 22.50 ; wing, COO to 7.00 ; tail, 3.00 to 3.50. Ks yellow; 

 bill and claws horn-color ; cere greenish ; toes wliitish-gray. 



llah. All tcnqierate North America. Cuba ? 



According to Dr. Bachinan, the youug are red for two years, wlien they 

 cliange to gray. I have never seen a red specimen in California. 



Tills little owl is quite common in the wooded parts of the State, and 

 often captured in houses. At Fort Mojave one was brought to me from a 

 hollow tree, which differed from one I found at Santa Barbara only in being 

 rather smaller and much paler gray, as if its line was affected by the hot, 

 dry climate, although it never exposed itself to the sunshine. It did not, 



