OWLS. 331 



and tail arc almost always so, and variations in the number, color, and form of the 

 tail-bars seem often to be of specific importance. The under parts, especially the sides 

 of the breast and belly, are often heavily streaked with a darker color than that which 

 is found elsewhere below, while between the chin and breast, which are light colored, 

 there is almost invariably a darker zone or band, which may be simply an aggregation 

 of spots or streaks, or a belt of uniform color. Equally constant is a narrow half- 

 collar or arc, of various tints in different species, which marks the division between the 

 plumage of the hind-neck and the back. It may consist simply of a few white or red- 

 dish feathers, or it may form a very distinct, single, double, or even triple-striped 

 band, but in any case contrasts strongly with the colors of neck and back which it 

 separates. 



In size the species vary considerably, the smaller, such as passerinum of Europe, 

 orpumilum of South America, being probably not far from six inches in length, while 

 the Himalayan cuculoides and the South African capense, which are among the 

 largest, have a length of about eleven inches. The sexes vary somewhat in size, the 

 female, of course, being the larger, and in some species there seem to be slight differ- 

 ences in color between the sexes. There is also not a little difference among species 

 in the degree of nakedness of the feet, for while most of them have the feet merely 

 bristly and the tarsi well feathered, one or two have the toes fairly feathered ; in others 

 they are but scantily provided with bristles, and in some the feathers of the lower 

 part of the tarsus are reduced almost to bristles. 



The Cuban pigmy-owl, G. siju, is said to differ from all others in that the nostril 

 opens at the edge of the cere instead of in its middle. Fair examples of the remaining 

 species are the two found in North America the Californian pigmy, G. passerinum, 

 and the red-tailed pigmy, G. ferrugineum. The normal plumage of the former is 

 chocolate or umber brown above, with numerous small, rounded spots of reddish white ; 

 below, pure white, with spots of brown and streaks of black, the wings with three, and 

 the tail with seven or eight incomplete white bars. The red plumage is very similar, 

 except that the umber brown is replaced everywhere, except on the tail, by a rusty 

 brown of varying intensity. The red-tailed pigmy, in normal plumage, is very differ- 

 ent. "With much the same general color above, the markings on the head are narrow 

 streaks of dirty white. There are no spots below, but the sides have long dashes of 

 brown. The wings have five rufous bars and some whitish spots, while the tail varies 

 from brownish-red to clear rufous, and is crossed with six or eight bars of dark brown. 

 The red plumage, which is of frequent occurrence, is very marked, often almost hiding 

 both the light markings of the upper parts and all the markings of wings and tail, the 

 black cervical collar alone remaining conspicuous. This species was taken by Mr. 

 Sennett in Texas, and by Captain Bendire in Arizona; but it is properly a more 

 southern bird, ranging from Mexico to Peru and Bolivia. Of its habits little seems to 

 be on record, but they probably do not differ much from those of allied species. 



The Californian pigmy is perhaps better known; but the records of this bird's 

 habits leave much to be desired. On Vancouver's Island Mr. J. K. Lord watched a 

 pair which had a nest in the hollow of an oak. He considered them strictly insectivo- 

 rous, but never saw them take insects on the wing. During the day they were more 

 or less on the alert for insects, but were especially active in the twilight of morning 

 and evening; yet Mr. Lord believed they did not hunt at all during the night. Two 

 eggs only were laid by these birds early in May, but more recently (June, 1883), 

 Captain Bendire found a nest at Fort Klamath, Oregon, which contained four young. 



