328 NATURAL IIISTOllY OF LIllDS. 



notes, some smotherccl, and dull otbers loud and clear. " These notes are often vari- 

 ously modulated by the bird itself or the action of the air, and are sujiposed by the 

 8U|iC'rstitiousjicasaiit.s to form connected setitcnccs, as, for instance, 'Konim-mit, komm- 

 mit auf (k'u Kirsc-li(jff-iiof-hof (Come with me, come witli nic to the churchyard- 

 yard-yard);' and the bird is looked on by them as a j)roj>het foretelling death." Al- 

 though this s])ecies destroys some small birds, it is in the main deciiledly beneficial, 

 feeding mainly on mice ami other small rodents, and insects. 



The single other species of this peculiar genus is the spotted-owl, Athene hrama, 

 which is a well-known and abundant bird in India, where it replaces the little owl. 



In the extreme southwest of the United States, a tiny owl is found, which seems to 

 be somewhat nearly related to the several species already mentioned, although ]per- 

 haps equally near the ]iigniy-owls which follow. It is known as Whitney's owl, J/i- 

 craihene whitnei/i, and the first specimen was taken by Dr. J. G. Cooper at Fort 

 Mojave in the valley of the Colorado in 18G1. During the next dozen yeai-s only two 

 or three more specimens came to light, and it is only within the last three or four 

 years that it has been met with more abundantly, while it is still very rare in collec- 

 tions. It is undoubtedly the smallest known s])ecies of owl, and one of the very 

 smallest of all birds of jirey ; the only ones which ai)jiroach it at all being one or 

 two species of the jiigmy-owls (Glaticidium) and the finch-falcons (Ilierax). The 

 total length of large s])ecimeus seldom exceeds six inches, the average being ]n-obal)ly 

 about five and three-quarters inches. The tail measures between two and two and 

 one-quarter inches, while the wings, which are propoitionally longer than in most 

 owls, average about- four and one-quarter inches. 



Like all the owls thus far mentioned, it has no ' jilumicorns ' (ear-tufts), the legs 

 are l)ristly, being feathered but slightly below tiie heel joint, and the facial disk is im- 

 pei'fect. This last condition is in most owls found to accompany more or less diurnal 

 h.abits, but the present species seems to be pretty strictly nocturnal. One of its most 

 l)eculiar characteristics is seen in the claws, whicii, as Dr. Cones says, are "remarkably 

 small, weak, and little curved ; hardly more than insessorial instead of raptorial in 

 character." Its coloration is not easily described, but in general it is light brown 

 above, each feather with an angular dot of lighter color. There is an inilistinct 

 whitish collar about the neck, and a white stri])e along each shoulder. The under 

 parts are whitish, blotched and ini])erfectly barred with reddish-brown, and the wings 

 and tail are brown, barred with whitish. The face is mostly white, and the iris bright 

 yellow. The sexes seem to be exactly alike in size and color. 



This interesting little owl, so far .as now known, seems to be most abundant in 

 Arizona, where several collectors have met with it, and two s]>ecimens have also been 

 taken on Socorro Island, off the west coast of Mexico. ]VIr. F. Stephens recently 

 found it fairly common in the region about Tucson, Arizona, where he found the 

 females frequenting the giant cactuses, and breeding in holes of their stems, while the 

 males were more often met with in elder and willow thickets. The first s])ecimen was 

 discovered by accident, in cutting down a cactus to examine a woodpecker's hole. 



Mv. William Brewster has given an account of Mr. Ste].hens' collection, and pub- 

 lishes many field-notes on the birds observed. Among Mr. Stephens' notes is the 

 following account of the present sjiccics. "I was walking ]iast an dder-bush in a 

 thicket, when a sm.all bird started out. Thinking it had flown from its nest I stojiped, 

 and began examining the bush, when I discovered a Whitney's owl sitting on a branch 

 with its side towards mc, and one wing held uji, shield-fashion, before its face. I 



