BIRD NOTES AFIELD 



deserted tunnels of the prairie-dog in the great plains, and of 

 the ground-squirrel in California. It is distinguished from all 

 other owls by its greatly elongated and almost featherless feet, 

 enabling it to work in the earth with greater ease. We see it 

 abroad by day much more than other owls, and it may fre- 

 quently be observed in bare, open fields or on hill slopes, 

 sitting upon the mound at the opening to its burrow, or upon an 

 adjacent fence post. It is a comical sight to see the mother 

 with her fuzzy little ones sunning themselves near their hole, 

 and, at the approach of danger, scampering precipitately into 

 their retreat. , 



Tlie pygmy and elf owls are two very remarkable western 

 forms, being but little larger than a chunky sparrow. They 

 are without the ear tufts, characteristic of so many owls, and 

 fly about by day quite as much as at night. The little Califor- 

 nia pygmy owl is common in the more mountainous parts of the 

 state. Its back is reddish brown, dotted with fine white spots, 

 cuid the breast is white, banded and streaked with the color of 

 the back. 



We come next to the so-called Picarian birds, which have 

 been a stumbling-block to ornithologists for many years. The 

 most conmion type of land bird, of course, has three toes in 

 front and one behind. I may also add that the so-called leg is 

 only the foot greatly elongated, and that the knee is generally 

 concealed among the feathers of the body. Now in the groups 

 which next claim our attention the arrangement of the toes is 

 sometimes modified, two being directed forward and the other 

 one or two backward. This division embraces such dissimilar 

 birds as the cuckoos, the kingfishers, the woodpeckers, the goat- 

 suckers, swifts and humming-birds. 



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