STRIGID.E: OTHER OWLS. 645 



lated shaft-lines of whitish ; chin and throat white, divided into two areas by a blackish or 

 dark gular C(jllar, which curves across from one post-auricular region to the other. The mark- 

 ings all diffuse. Auriculars dark, sharply scratched with white snaft-liues, bounded below by 

 pure white. Eyebrows white, pretty definitely bounded above by color of crown. Region im- 

 mediately about the bill whitish, but mixed with long, heavy, black bristles that project far 

 beyond bill, which latter is greenish at base, growing dull yellowish at end ; sparsely-haired 

 toes somewhat like bill; claws brownish-black; iris lemon-yellow. Length of ^ about (i. .50; 

 extent 14.50; wing 3.50; tail 2. .50; tarsus 0.75: middle toe without claw about the same, 

 its claw 0.40. 9 larger: length 7.00 or more; wing 4.00; tail nearly 3.00. Red phase : 

 Entire upper parts deep rufous-red, with lighter markings of head, etc., obsolete or obliterated; 

 tail the same, with dark bars scarcely traceable. Dark cervical collar, however, conspicuous. 

 White of under parts tinged with yellowish or fulvous ; markings of under parts similar in 

 color to ground of upper parts, but duller and paler ; tibiae rufous, without markings. Gular 

 collar blackish. Various intermediate stages have been observed, and the species is to be found 

 in every degree of transition, from the slightest departure from the normal state to completely 

 erythritic condition. These color-conditions are common to both sexes. In extreme cases, the 

 rufous becomes intense and almost uniform, a light rufous replacing even the white of under 

 parts, and there being no traces left of bars on wings or tail. Texas to Arizona and Southern 

 California, and soutliward. Habits like those of the Gnome Owl; eggs of the same size and 

 shape, granulated, 3-4 in number, laid in holes in trees, April, May. G. ferrugineum of all pre- 

 vious editions of the Key, 1872-1890, as I hesitated to make any change of nomenclature in a 

 case the synonymy of which was so extensive and intricate; but the species is now identified 

 with the old Strix plialcEnoides of Daudin's Traite, ii, 1800, p. lOG; Glaucidium 2)halcBnoides 

 Cabanis, J. f. 0. 18(i9, p. 208 ; A. O. U. Lists, 1st and 2d eds. 1880-95, No. 380. 

 MICRO'PALLAS. (Gr. fiiKpos, mikros, small ; IlaXXdf, Pallas, goddess of wisdom, to whom 

 the Uwl was sacred.) Elf Owls. Kelated to Glaucidium ; of very diminutive size, including 

 the smallest known species of Owl, and one of the least of all raptorial birds. Head perfectly 

 smooth ; no plumicorns ; ear-parts small, uon-operculate ; facial disc incomplete, with eye not 

 centric. Nostril circular, opening in tumid cere. Tarsi scarcely feathered below sufFrago, 

 being almost entirely naked and bristly, like the toes; this is as in Speotijto, though other 

 characters are quite different. Claws remarkably small and weak ; middle toe and claw about 

 as long as tarsus ; outer claw reaching a little beyond base of middle claw ; inner intermediate 

 lietween middle and outer. Wings very long, rather more than | the total length of the bird, 

 l>ut much rounded ; 1st primary only f as long as longest one ; 3d and 4th longest, 5th but 

 little shorter, 2d about equal to ()th ; outer 4 sinuate on inner webs. Tail of moderate length, 

 ^ as long as wing, the feathers not graduated, broad to their very tips. Bill small and weak, 

 compressed at base, where hidden in dense antrorse bristly feathers ; culmen and gonys only 

 moderately convex ; lower mandible obsoletely notched. One species known. Genus 3//- 

 crathene Coues, 1866, and lst-3d eds. of the Key, 1872-87; name changed to Micropallas 

 CouES, Auk, Jan. 1889, p. 71, and Key, 4th ed. 1890, p. 904, the generic name originally 

 bestowed being antedated by Micrathena of Sundevall, a genus of arachnidans. 

 M. Avhit'neyi. (To Prof. J. 1). Whitney.) Elf Owl. Adult ^ : Above, light umber- 

 brown, thickly marked with irregular angular ]>ale brownisli dots, one on every feather, and 

 inintitcly unduhitfd witli lii,'lit(r and darker color. A concealed white cervical collar, this color 

 occu|)ying the middle of the feathers, which are brown at end and pluml)eous at ba.^e. A white 

 sca])uiar stripe ; outer webs of scapulars almost entirely of this color. Wings like back ; lesser 

 coverts with two pale brownish spots on each feather; middle and greater coverts boldly spotted 

 with white at end of outer web of each feather, and with pale brown spots near end. Onills 

 with 3 to 6 pale brown spots on each web, forming broken bars, mostly passing to white on 

 edire of the feathers, those on a few intermediate primaries almost white. Tail-feathers like 



