1912 lURDS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 53 



tiicoliis. It would sccni, therefore, that idahociisis has little claim to inclusion 

 in our California list." 



178. (375d) Bubo virginianus pacificus Cassin. Pacific Horned Owl. 

 Fairly common resident from the foothill and mesa region up to over 7000 



feet in the mountains, but becoming scarcer ever}- year. As the country set- 

 tles up, this bird is retreating to more sparsely settled sections and, in many 

 localities where it was formerly common, it is now rare or entirely absent. It 

 breeds mostly during the latter part of February and the first part of March. 

 J. P). Dixon took a set of two eggs near Escondido, San Diego County, Feb- 

 ruary 2, 1902. (Condor i\\ 1902, 46), and T took two eggs, advanced in incu- 

 bation, near Whittier, Los Angeles County, May 2, 1896. O. W. Howard saw 

 a Horned Owl on Santa Cruz Island. April 29, 1906. 



179. (378) Speotyto cunicularia hypogaea (Bonaparte). Burrow inc; 

 Owl. 



Common resident from the coast to the base of the mountains. Also found 

 on the larger islands of the Santa Barbara group. Breeds mostly in late April 

 and the month of May. I took ten fresh eggs near PTighlands, San Bernardino 

 County, April 3, 1897, and Antonin Jay took nine eggs, advanced in incuba- 

 tion, near Nigger Slough, Los Angeles County, June 8, 1902. 



180. (379) Glaucidium gnoma gnoma Wagler. I^gmy Owl. 

 Rather rare resident of the mountains and higher foothills. According to 



J. (irinnell. a number of specimens have been taken in winter in the moun- 

 tains north of I^asadena (Pub. 2, Pasadena Acad. Sci., 1898, 24). F. S. Dag- 

 gett has a female, shot at Fredalba Park, 5500 feet altitude in the San Bernar- 

 dino Mountains, June 26. 1899. O. W. Howard found a nest of the Pygmy 

 Owl near Carpinteria. Santa Barbara County, in the summer of 1895. It was 

 in a hollow in a sycamore tree, six feet from the ground, and contained newly 

 hatched young (Taylor, Xidiologist ii, 1895, 153). According to F". S. Dag- 

 gett, a pair nested for at least three seasons prior to 1896, in a deserted wood- 

 pecker's hole in a sycamore stub near Switzer's Camp in the Arroyo Seco, Los 

 Angeles County : and in the latter part of July. 1888, Antonin Jay found a nest 

 containing four nearly full-grown young in the same locality. H. J. Lelande 

 found a nest in the west fork of the San Gabriel Canon, Los Angeles County, 

 June 5. 1000. It contained four young about two weeks old ( Condor iv, 1902, 

 21). II. S. Swarth and W. B. Judson took an adult female and three juveniles 

 from a nest in a dead pine tree at Bear A^alley, 6750 feet altitude in the San 

 Bernardino mountains, June 28, 1894 (Condor xli, 1910, 109). C. S. Sharp 

 records the fact that a pair of Pygmy Owls were found nesting near Escondido, 

 San Diego County, by the late J. M. Hatch, in 1805 and 1896. The first year 

 the nest contained heavily incubated eggs, which were not disturbed. The 

 next year young birds were found (Condor ix, 1007, 87). 



181. (385) Geococcyx californianus (Lesson). Road-runner. 

 Common resident of the brush and cactus covered washes and mesas. 



Twenty years ago the Road-runner was abundant all through the Lower So- 



