PYGMY OWL. 197 



in the stomaclis. Insects, however, and especially grasshoppers, con- 

 stitute the greater part of its food when they can be obtained. When 

 the Owl is searching for these the smaller birds i^ay little attention to 

 it, even if it happens to alight near them." (Auk, vol. v, 1888, ]>. 140.) 



Capt. Bendire mentioned an individual at Fort Klamath which occu- 

 pied a willow branch over a stream for the purpose, he thought, of 

 watching for frogs, which were common at that spot. 



Mr. C. H. Townsend, speaking of this Owl and its food in northern 

 California, says: "It is rather diurnal in its movements and may be 

 seen long before sunset engaged in its search for small birds, upon which 

 it seems to subsist largely, iiying closely to the ground along the bor- 

 ders of tule marshes. It doubtless kills marsh wrens and small spar- 

 rows, as such birds were often noticed near the hunting grounds of the 

 owl. One Pygmy Owl which I shot had a freshly-killed snowbird {Junco 

 oregonus) in its claws." (Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. x, 1887, p. 204.) 



Very little is known of its nesting habits for, besides the nest men- 

 tioned by Mr. J. K. Lord, on Vancouver Island, which contained two 

 eggs, in the early part of May, three only have been found. One 

 of these was found by Mr. George H. Eeady, on June 8, 1876, near Santa 

 Cruz, Cal., and was situated in a woodpecker's hole in an isolated 

 poplar tree some 75 feet from the ground. It contained three eggs, 

 which were deposited on a mass of small dry twigs^and feathers, pre- 

 sumably an old nest of Parkman's wren. This nest was described 

 independently both by Capt. Bendire (Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., 

 vol. XIX, 1879, p. 132) and Mr. W. C. Cooper (BuU. Nutt. Ornith. Club, 

 vol. IV, 1879, p. 86). Another nest was found at Fort Klamath, Oregon, 

 June 10, 1883, by one of the soldiers, during the absence of Capt. 

 Bendire, who, on his return, June 25, had it examined and found four 

 young from a week to ten days old. As in the previous case, the cavity 

 couiaining the nest was a deserted woodpecker's hole, about 20 feet 

 from the ground, and in a tree standing within a few feet of the target 

 butt, which was in daily use. The cavity was well filled with feathers 

 and also contained a full-grown chipmunk (Trt/wms ?« /em/ /«) as food 

 for the young (Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, vol. viii, 1883, p. 242, and 

 Auk, vol. Y, 1888, p. 370). The third nest, like the other two, was 

 placed in an old woodpecker's hole, and was found in La Plata County, 

 Colo., by C. F. Morrison, in June, and contained three young (Orni- 

 thologist and Oologist, vol. xiii, 1888, j). 115). 



This little Owl is diurnal in its habits, feeding and flying about in 

 the bright sunshine, though it is more common in the early dusk and 

 morning. Mr. Henshaw says it is fond of taking its station early in 

 the morning on the top of an old stub, that it may enjoy the warmth 

 of the sun's rays. In most places it is more or less solitary, though in 

 New Mexico Mr. Henshaw found it extremely sociable, and in the fall 

 it was usually met with in companies. 



