74 THE CONDOR I VoL. VII

the mountains instead of being bona fide residents. The horned owls, however, most evidently belong in the desert, as hereinafter noted. When we first arrived in Victorville we naturally enquired if there were many birds about the neighborhood. As is often the case we were assured that there were very few, possibly half a dozen kinds! We actually noted 7 2 varie- ties, as the following list shows. Anas boschas. Mallard. Mareca americana. Baldpate. Nettion carolinense. Green-winged Teal. Ducks were rather common along the Mojave River. The above three species were r6presented among those shot in the immediate vicinity of Victorville during our visit, either by ourselves or by local sportsmen. Fulica americana. American Coot. Numerous about lagoons in the river bottom. Gallinago delicata. Wiison Snipe. Snipe were present in small numbers along the river, according to local hunters. Specimens secured during our stay were examined by us. 0xyechus vociferus. Killdeer. Few along the river. Lophortyx californicus vallicolus. Valley Quail. One flock of quail was discovered in the river bottom a mile or so below Victorville. The birds obtained were of the above species, which has doubtless penetrated this far into the desert from the southward by the way of the Mojave River. The desert quail was not dtected here, but we were told of its occurrence on the desert twenty miles to the eastward. Accipiter velox. Sharp-shinned Hawk. Two were shot and others seen among the cottonwoods of the river bottom. One of those secured was in the act of slaughtering a Townsend solitaire. Accipiter c0operi. Cooper Hawk. Several were seen in the river bottom. Bute0 b0realis calurus. Western Red-tail. Fairly common along the cottonwoods. Palco mexicanus. Prairie Falcon. Two were seen flying over the desert. Palco sparverius. American Sparrow Hawk. Common. Noted among. the tree-yuccas far out on the desert as well as along the river bottom. Strix pratinc01a. American Barn Owl. Several were noted in the vicinity of the alfal'a patch in the river bottom below Victorxqlle. At dusk the owls emerged from the cottonwoods and began beating back and fourth over the fields on the hunt for meadow-mice. One bird was seen to plunge abruptly into the grass, and so intent was it upon its capture, that it was very dosely approached. There was every evidence that the owl had thrust its foot and leg far down a burrow in pursuit of the fleeing mouse. Nycta10ps wils0nianus. American Long-eared Owl. Two were obtained at the alfalfa patch. Their stomachs were full of the remains of meadow-mice (A/i- crotus calOrornics) and kangaroo rats (DOodomys merriami.) Asio magellanicus pallescens. Pallid Horned Owl. Horned owls were act- ually plentiful along the river bottom where they evidently obtained a ready live- lihood. The stomachs of those secured were eratamed with the remains of meadow- mice. The three spedmens captured agree in characters which distinguish them from the racepacficus of the coast region of southern California. They are re- markably pale throughout, the feet and legs dorsally being totally unbarred, and white predominates over the dark markings on most of the under surface. They measure as follows: