396 LIFE HISTORIES OP NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



erable numbers in California, especially the southern portion of the State, 

 while in Arizona and Lower California it is somewhat rarer. It passes south, 

 thence into Mexico and Central America, 



A good deal of nonsense has found its way into print about the life 

 history of this Owl, and the sentimental story of its living in perfect har- 

 mony with prairie dogs and rattlesnakes, both of which inhabit a consid- 

 erable portion of the range occupied by these Owls, was for years accepted 

 as quite true and furnished the ground work for many an interesting tale. 

 Dr. Elliott Coues was perhaps the first naturalist who showed the fallacy of 

 this generally accepted fact in an interesting article on this species in his 

 "Birds of the Northwest." From an extended acquaintance with the habits 

 of the Burrowing Owl, lasting through a number of years' service in the 

 West, I can most positively assert, from personal experience and investigation, 

 that there is no foundation based on actual facts for these stories, and that 

 no such happy families exist in reality. I am fully convinced that the Bur- 

 rowing Owl, small as it is, is more than a match for the average prairie 

 dog, and the rattlesnake as well; it is by no means the peaceful and spirit- 

 less bird that it is generally believed to be, and it subsists to some extent 

 at least on the young dogs, if not also on the old ones. 



In California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, where I believe the true 

 prairie dog is not found, they occupy the burrows of the numerous sper- 

 mophiles (such as Douglas's, Townsend's, and Beechey's) infesting these States, 

 and which are the greatest pests the farmers have to contend against in 

 these regions. The birds enlarge these burrows to suit their needs and live 

 on both the old and young squirrels. Wherever they abound a colony of 

 these Owls is sure to be found also, but I doubt if they ever dig burrows 

 themselves. At Fort Custer, in southeastern Montana, where prairie dogs 

 are common, the young dogs furnish a considerable portion of their fare, as 

 it was found from examination of the stomachs of two specimens that both 

 had been feeding on such; and, judging from the ease with which they dis- 

 patch an adult ground squirrel, I have no doubt that a prairie dog would 

 stand but little chance to hold its own against one of these Owls. Their food 

 is quite varied, and consists principally of rodents, such as young prairie dogs, 

 the different species of ground squirrels already mentioned, chipmunks, pocket 

 gophers, mice, as well as shrews, small hares (cotton tails), frogs, fish, liz- 

 ards, snakes, and insects of different kinds, such as grasshoppers, the large 

 and exceedingly destructive black crickets (Anabus simplex) of the Great Basin, 

 beetles, and scorpions. Birds are also said to be caught by them, and such may 

 sometimes be the case, although I have never found any of their remains in 

 their burrows, and I have examined quite a number. 



East of the Rocky Mountains this little Owl is said to be a constant resi- 

 dent, even in some of the more northern portions of its range, in South Dakota, 

 for instance, 1 and while this may possibly be true in these regions, I do not 



1 Report on Bird Migration, Cooke, Bulletin No. 2, U. S. Department of Agriculture, 1888, p. 124. 



