196 



THE HAWKS AND OWLS OP THE UNITED STATES. 



Table allowing the results of examinaUons of S2 stoniaohs of the Burroiving Owl 

 (Speotyto cunieularia hypogwa) — Continued. 



,SijMMAEY. — Of 32 stomaclis examined, 3 contained small mammals ; 3, lizards ; 3, scorpions j 1, a cen- 

 tiped; 30, insects; and 1 was empty. 



PYGMY OWL. 



Glaucidium gnoma. 



The Pygmy Owls, with the exception of the .jOdttle Elf Owl, are the 

 smallest of all the North American species. Of these interesting 

 little birds there are two species and two geographical races. The 

 distribution of three is given below, and the other, the Ferruginous 

 Pygmy Owl, will be treated elsewhere under a separate head. 



The Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium gnoma) inhabits the western United 

 States (except the northwest coast), ranging east to Colorado and New 

 Mexico, and south to the highlands of Mexico. 



The California Pygmy Owl [Glaucidium g. californicum) inhabits the 

 heavy rainfaU area, occurring west of the mountains from British 

 Columbia south to San Francisco. 



Hoskin's Pygmy Owl [Glaucidium g. hosMnsii) inhabits the southern 

 part of the peninsula of Lower California. 



The Pygmy Owl is probably a resident wherever found, except that 

 it may leave the higher mountains and descend to the lower country 

 on the advent of cold weather. Its food consists mainly of insects, 

 though it also destroys small mammals, birds, reptiles, and batrachians. 

 It is surprising what comparatively large mammals and birds it wUl 

 sometimes seize. Capt. Bendire mentions that a comrade shot one 

 which had seized a large-sized pocket gopher, and, as elsewhere men- 

 tioned, he found a full-grown Say's ground squirrel in its nest, a mam- 

 mal fully twice the weight of the bird. 



Dr. J. C. Merrill gives the following relating to its food habits: "One 

 captured February 21 had just struck at a robin and was struggling 

 with it on the ground. It is said to be especially abundant in summer at 

 Modoc Point [20 miles south of Fort Klamath, Oregon], and to feed upon 

 a lizard that is common there ; I have also found fragments of field mice 



