i8 
THE CONDOR 
California Pygmy Owl in Lake Co., Cal. 
A bout 4 p. m. in the afternoon of 
Dec. 9, 1901, I secured a Califor- 
nia p}^gmy owl {Glaiicidium 
g 7 io 77 ia californiciini) at Hasting’s Ranch, 
Upper Lake. The bird, a female, is 
the first of the species I have seen here. 
When out with my small collecting 
gun, a 28 bore, a few days before the 
9th, I saw a couple ofcanvasback ducks 
in a pond near the northern end of 
Clear Lake. 
Thinking I might find a canvasback 
or some mallards in the pond if I paid it 
another visit. I took my lo-bore and re- 
visited the place on Dec. 9. Not a duck 
of any description was there. Coming 
out of the tules and into a fringe of 
white oaks growing on the hillside, I 
stood awhile looking around. A commo- 
tion among a flock of small birds in a 
mistletoe-covered oak attracted my at- 
tention. 
Suddenly a bird flew through the tree 
and to the ground carrying along with 
it in its talons a sparrow or other small 
bird. Being quite close to the two I 
saw at once that the bird was a pygmy 
owl. It crouched over its prey with its 
face turned full in my direction, and we 
gazed at each other a few moments be- 
fore I started to walk backwards to 
widen the distance between us. Un- 
fortunately I had cartridges loaded 
with a heavy charge of No. 4 shot, but 
I raised my gun and awaited a change 
of position on the owl’s part, fearing to 
damage its face if I fired at once. 
After a little it flew ofi" carrying the 
small bird and alighted in an oak, its 
flight being rapid and hawk-like and 
its long tail very noticeable as it flew. 
I tried a long shot, — too long in fact — 
and missed. The owl seemed more 
startled than frightened and contented 
itself w’ith a quick flight into a larger 
tree, dropping its prey en route. I fol- 
lowed, and getting a little nearer than 
before brought the bird down. Upon 
skinning the specimen I found that the 
I Vol. IV 
large shot had done considerable 
damage. 
A. W. Johnson. 
Upper Lake, Cal. 
^ m m 
Two Specimens of Nyctala From Marin 
County, California. 
O N December ii, 1901 I received 
a box from Thos. Irving, game 
keeper at Point Reyes Station, 
about ten miles from here, containing, 
besides a beautifully-marked partially 
albino western robin, a fine specimen 
in the flesh of saw-whet owl {Nyc- 
tala acadicap which proved to be an 
adult female. I was greatly surprised 
at this take partly because this bird has 
been but seldom recorded from this 
state and then mostly from the higher 
ranges, and also because I have never 
heard any bird sounds that would cor- 
respond to the published description of 
the notes of this owl. 
Since writing the above note I have 
received another specimen of Nyctala 
acadica, also a female, from the same 
party and locality, shot on Dec. 23. It 
is strange that two specimens should 
have been taken within a few days of 
each other when no former record has 
been made, nor the note of this bird 
heard or its presence even suspected in 
this county, as this species is not sup- 
posed to be a migrant. Both birds were 
fat, though the stomachs were empty. 
They had probably wandered in this 
direction in search of food, but in all 
likelihood from some not far distant lo- 
cality. Joseph Maieliard. 
Sa 7 i Gerottitno, Cal. 
^ m m 
The Elf Owl in California. 
I T may interest California ornitholo- 
gists to know that the National 
Museum possesses a specimen of the 
elf owl {Micropallas whihieyi) from Cali- 
fornia, the species being previously un- 
