FERRUGINOUS PYGMY OWL.
380. Glaucidium phalænoides. 7 inches.
This is very similar to the last, but in color is much more rufous on the upper parts, and the tail is of a bright chestnut color crossed by several bands of black. They live largely on the small rodents and birds which they secure during the daytime. They nest in hollow cavities of trees, from ten to forty feet from the ground, laying four glossy white eggs (1.10 × .90).
ELF OWL.
381. Micropallas whitneyi. 6 inches.
This odd little bird is the smallest of the family found in America. In plumage it may be described as being very like a small [Screech Owl], without the ear tufts, only with the pattern of the markings much finer. They are quite abundant in central Mexico and in southern Arizona, where they build their nests in deserted Woodpecker holes, or perhaps more frequently in the giant cactus. It differs from the preceding in being a bird of the night, rarely flying in daylight. They feed almost exclusively upon insects, and rarely a mole or field mouse. They lay from three to five white eggs, having a slight gloss (1.02 × .90).
THICK-BILLED PARROT—Family Psittacidæ.
382.1. Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha. 16 inches.