Mr. R. B. Sharpe on the Genus Glaucidium. 39 



ceous white, as well as a few bars of the latter colour. Sides 

 of upper breast clear brown, thickly mottled with spots and bars 

 of ochraceous buff. A rufous collar round the hind neck. 



This species I believe I understand, from the series ex- 

 amined, which is nearly as good as Mr. Ridgway's. I do not 

 consider it so close to G. passerinum as the latter gentleman 

 does, and find its nearest ally in G. griseiceps of Central Ame- 

 rica, and G. pumilum of Brazil. To the latter species it is 

 closely allied, and, like it, has a rufous collaret round the 

 hind neck, below the usual whitish nape-band ; but it is dis- 

 tinguished, when adult, by the spotted character of the upper 

 surface, whereas G. pumilum seems to have the back uniform 

 at all ages. The tails of the two species are also different, 

 the spots in G. pumilum never exceeding four or five, and 

 being much smaller and more rounded. When adult, also, 

 the northern bird has much whiter legs than its Brazilian 

 congener. 



Total 

 length. Wing. Tail. Tarsus. 



a, J imm. Vancouver Island (Lord) . . 6-5 3'o 2-75 0-7 



b, ad. „ „ {Heiihurn) 70 3-6 275 0-8 



c, imm. N. California (Bnjdyes) 7-0 3-5 27 07 



d, ? ad. Mexico (Xe Stranrje) 60 3-5 27 0-65 



e, imm. „ „ 6-0 33 2-4 07 



fjuv. W. Mexico {Mus. Brit.) 5-8 36 255 07 



g. imm. Guatemala (Skinner) 6"5 2*6 07 



h. Choctum (O. Salvin) 6-5 3-35 2-55 075 



i. „ „ 60 3-3o 2-5 07 



k. „ „ 6-5 3-6 2-65 075 



Mr. Ridgway says : — "This species is not at all \\\egnoma 

 [i. e. his gnoma), nor, indeed, any other American species 

 with which it has been confounded by nearly all ornithologists 

 — even by Cabanis," &c. &c. In reply to this I must state 

 my conviction that Cabanis and the other ornithologists were 

 right in identifying this bird as Glaucidium gnoma ; and I 

 almost suspect that our author did not consult the original 

 description of Wagler in the ' Isis.' Had he done so, I do 

 not think he could have hesitated to recognize in his G. 

 calif or nicum the true G. gnoma. I transcribe from Wagler's 



