THE ELF OWL. 413 



dozen of their stomachs, always with the same result, and am of the opinion 

 that they do not prey upon either birds or mammals, however small. In 

 dozens of excavations occupied by them I have failed to find a vestige of 

 fur or feathers. In the spring of 1885 I raised five of their young. When 

 I first took them they were little downy cottony things, blind, and not 

 larger than the end of an ordinary sized man's thumb. I kept them until 

 full grown and then sent three to the Zoological Garden in Philadelphia and 

 two to the one in Cincinnati. They were fed with raw meat and did well. 

 They are beautiful little creatures and perfectly harmless. I have taken 

 dozens out of their holes, and, so far as I can remember, but one snapped 

 its beak at me. When taken out they offer no resistance and make not the 

 least attempt to get away, but will lie in the closed hand apparently dead. 

 Release the grasp, however, but for one moment and they are gone. The 

 first hostile demonstration I saw one make was a few days ago. I had taken 

 two, a male and female, and placed them in a box, but shortly after, on 

 adding another, the male previously captured raised his feathers on end and 

 looking as wicked as it was possible for the little fellow to do, he began in 

 true Owl fashion to sway his body from side to side and kept it up as long 

 as I watched him. He so frightened the newcomer that it tried to escape, 

 but failing in this, huddled down in the opposite corner of the box in appar- 

 ent terror. This convinced me that notwithstanding their wonderful meek- 

 ness the little fellows fight among themselves. During the rainy season they 

 leave the sahuaras and take to the bush, at least none are found occupying 

 such burrows at that time of the year, as I have repeatedly looked for them, 

 but without success." 



Two stomachs of the Elf Owl, kindly sent by Mr. Brown and turned 

 over by me to Dr. C. Hart Merriam for examination, contained the follow- 

 ing remains of food: One, taken on March 30, 1890, the remains of twenty 

 beetles (Trimytis) and fragments of two ribs of a small mammal. Another, 

 taken April 20, 1890, the remains of nineteen beetles and one grasshopper. 



In southern Arizona nidification rarely begins before May 10, and lasts 

 through this month and the first week in June. The favorite nesting sites 

 of the Elf Owls are old Woodpeckers' holes in giant cactus, the sahuara of 

 the natives. These grow frequently to a height of 30 and 40 feet, and the 

 main trunk as well as the candelabra-like arms or branches are sometimes 

 fairly riddled with these holes, many of which are undoubtedly bored simply 

 for amusement, as they are easily excavated, and also furnish safe and cosy 

 homes, a fact which these little Owls seem to have found out. Some of these 

 holes are occasionally found as low as 4 feet, and again near the very tops 

 of these curious plants, but more often from 10 to 20 feet from the ground. In 

 very rare instances they nest in holes of trees, such as the mesquite and 

 cottonwood. 



As a rule only such cactus as grow along the lowlands of the river 

 bottoms and the table-lands bordering them are selected to breed in. Mr. 



