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The  cuckoo  and  the  gowk, 

The  laverock  and  the  lark, 

The  twire-snipe,  the  weather-bleak; 

How  many  birds  is  that? 

Ki.l.ll.-rli)  in.-.  17th  I  ,-Mfurj . 


55C873 


INTRODUCTION. 


FOLLOWING  is  a  list  of  jx>pular  and  local  names  applied  by 
English-speaking  people  to  birds  which  particularly  interest 
gunners :  including,  however,  only  those  species  which  are  found 
in  the  eastern  half  of  the  United  States ;  and,  again,  only  those 
birds  which  bear  aliases  to  a  confusing  degree. 

One  reason  that  these  non-scientific  titles  have  never  before 
been  so  thoroughly  brought  together,  is  a  belief  that  an  unravel- 
ling of  so  tangled  a  skein  was  practically  impossible :  so  many 
names  being  used  for  more  than  one  species,  and  so  many  hav- 
ing been  given  to  one  and  the  same  bird.  Ornithologists  have 
therefore  had  the  field  much  to  themselves,  giving  us  their  long 
lists  of  scientific  synonyms  with  little  rivalry  from  the  gunners' 
side  of  the  house. 

I  believe  that  the  following  pages  will  not  only  make  very 
conspicuous  the  difficulties  in  this  branch  of  our  nomenclature, 
but  will  show  to  a  great  extent  what  can  be  done  in  the  prem- 
ises towards  elucidation,  and  materially  simplify  the  confusion  of 
tongues  existing  among  book-makers,  pot-hunters,  and  sports- 
men. 

In  most  cases,  where  satisfactory  identification  of  species  has 
been  arrived  at,  the  names  given  by  early  as  well  as  later  writers 
are  quoted. 

When  assigning  a  name  to  a  locality  (without  further  com- 
ment) I  have  not  meant  to  imply  that  no  other  alias  of  the 
species  is  there  used,  nor  that  the  name  is  peculiar  to  the  place ; 
I  nit  simply  that  I  happen  to  know  of  its  use  in  that  quarter. 
Some  may  feel  that  I  have  been  over-particular,  or  unnecessarily 


vi  INTRODUCTION. 

explicit  in  assigning  names  to  individual  localities,  but  I  believe 
that  upon  a  more  mature  consideration  they  will  thank  me  for 
avoiding  the  temptation  to  smooth  my  text  by  generalizations. 
I  regret  that  from  one  cause  and  another  I  have  not  been  able 
to  be  thus  explicit  in  all  cases. 

The  principal  reasons  for  "this  multiplication  of  names  are 
obvious,  viz. :  differences  in  size,  shape,  and  color  between  males 
and  females;  periodical  changes  in  plumage;  mistaking  one 
variety  for  another ;  and,  more  particularly,  differences  of  opin- 
ion as  to  the  names  most  appropriate. 

Many  of  those  English  names  which  perhaps  we  all  ought  to 
adopt,  such  as  "Hooded  Merganser,"  "Hudsonian  Godwit," 
"Bartramian  Sandpiper,"  "Pectoral  Sandpiper,"  etc.,  are  used 
about  as  little  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  United  States  generally 
as  the  strictly  scientific  names ;  while  certain  appellations  given 
in  our  later  and  best  ornithological  works,  as  common  among 
gunners,  are  quoted  from  bird-books  belonging  to  a  period  when 
popular  names  were  to  some  extent  different  from  those  of  to- 
day. -But,  though 

"Use  may  revive  the  obsoletest  word, 
And  bauish  those  that  now  are  most  in  vogue," 

our  gunners  have,  as  a  rule,  proved  themselves  a  very  conserva- 
tive class,  continuing  the  bird  names  of  their  forefathers  persist- 
ently, despite  the  teachings  and  sneers  of  scientists  and  book- 
learned  sportsmen.  Many  of  these  names,  probably,  appear  now 
for  the  first  time  in  print,  yet  few  are  of  recent  origin ;  and 
though  some  may  be  a  little  time-worn,  they  are  time-honored, 
and  as  familiar  in  certain  localities  as  "  cow,"  "  dog,"  and  "  cat." 
I  would  remind  any  who  may  think  it  unwise,  or  idle,  to  record 
provincialisms  so  simple  and  apparently  unmeaning  as  some  of 
these,  that  such  a  view  of  the  subject  is  itself  a  provincialism 
most  unreasonable.  Names  which  appear  to  us  absurdly  gro- 
tesque and  outlandish  are  mediums  of  communication  between 
men  as  wise  as  ourselves,  though  educated  in  a  different  school, 
and  the  homely  nomenclature  of  those  who  shoot,  not  alone  for 


INTRODUCTION.  vji 

sport,  but  for  their  daily  bread,  should  command  respect  It  is 
just  now  painfully  popular  to  misrepresent  and  malign  the  so- 

3d  "  pot-hunters ;"  yet  these  dear  old  fellows  taught  us  pretty 
.uch  all  we  know  about  hunting,  and  from  them  ornithology 
has  gathered  its  most  important  contributions. 

I  have  tried  to  describe  the  species  in  as  simple  English  as 
possible,  because  I  think  this  freedom  from  technicalities  will  be 
grateful  to  many.  Few,  even  among  our  most  intelligent  col- 
lege-bred sportsmen,  can  form  a  very  clear  idea  of  a  bird's  ap- 
pearance from  the  "  shop-talk  "  of  scientists,  even  though  pro- 
vided with  a  glossary ;  and  it  may  be  broadly  stated,  with  quite 
a  showing  of  truth,  that  the  descriptions  commonly  encountered 
in  ornithological  works  (particularly  those  of  to-day)  are  only 
intelligible  to  those  who  do  not  need  them. 

To  further  avoid  obscurity.  I  will  say  that  the  term  "young,'' 
us  used  in  my  descriptions,  refers  not  to  the  downy  young  or 
the  fledglings,  but  to  those  birds  which  have  attained,  or  nearly 
attained,  adult  size,  and  which  differ  or  not,  according  to  their 
species  and  sex,  from  one  or  both  of  the  old  birds. 

I  will  also  explain  exactly  how  the  measurements  "length*' 
and  ••  extent"  are  obtained.  To  ascertain  the  first,  lay  the  bird 
on  its  back,  hold  tip  of  bill  even  with  edge  of  table  with  one 
hand,  pull  back  the  legs  with  your  other  hand,  and  note  the 
point  reached  by  end  of  longest  tail-feather.  To  ascertain  "  ex- 
tent," spread  the  wings  fully  out  (the  bird  still  on  its  back), 
holding  tip  of  one  wing  flush  with  edge  of  table  (or  other  start- 
ing-point), and  note  point  reached  by  the  other  wing-tip.  This 
measurement  has  nothing  to  do  with  how  far  the  bird  itself 
spread  its  wings,  but  shows  how  far  we  can  spread  them,  without 
interfering  in  the  least  with  construction  or  natural  possibilities. 

It  may  be  also  well  to  state  here,  that  the  colors  of  bills  and 
legs  given  are  those  of  life.  In  a  .short  time  after  death  (some- 
times in  a  few  hours)  these  colors,  particularly  those  of  the 
bills,  change  very  materially,  the  brighter  hues  giving  place  to 
a  more  and  more  uniform  and  duskv  tint. 


yiii  INTRODUCTION. 

The  illustrations  are  by  Mr.  Edwin  Sheppard,  of  the  Academy 
of  Natural  Sciences,  Philadelphia ;  and  the  scientific  titles  are 
those  adopted  by  the  American  Ornithologists'  Union,  and  pub- 
lished in  its  Check  List,  1886. 

I  have  thought  that  a  book  which  included  those  birds  only 
in  which  gunners  and  sportsmen  are  interested — pictures  of  the 
different  species  and  plumages,  descriptions  in  plain  English, 
full  lists  of  common  names,  as  well  as  book-names — would,  if 
decently  constructed,  be  a  peculiarly  intelligible  book  of  refer- 
ence for  those  who  go  gunning.  A  good  picture  is  worth  more 
for  the  purpose  of  identification  than  all  the  descriptions  ever 
written,  and  a  picture  in  simple  black  and  white  is  in  many  cases 
more  useful  than  a  colored  one,  that  is  to  say,  for  birds  whose 
plumages  are  entirely  different  at  different  seasons,  and  whose 
markings  and  colors  necessarily  pass  through  so  many  inter- 
mediate stages.  It  should  be  always  borne  in  mind  that  a  bird 
does  not  change  its  plumage  as  a  snake  does  its  skin ;  that  it  is 
impossible  to  describe  each  and  every  variation,  and  that  it  is 
better  to  leave  a  great  deal  to  the  intelligence  of  the  reader, 
than  to  run  the  risk  of  hopelessly  confusing  him  by  too  much 
detail. 

Many  will  be  surprised  at  the  large  number  of  names  col- 
lected, and  some  will  doubtless  wonder  why  I  have  omitted  this 
or  that  name  very  familiar  to  themselves.  I  certainly  cannot 
hope  to  have  gathered  all  the  names  of  any  species,  but  I  feel 
that  I  have  been  a  little  more  than  ordinarily  careful  to  keep  the 
lists  free  from  error  as  far  as  they  go. 

I  here  thank  collectively  the  Eastern  gunners  who  have 
helped  me  with  material  for  this  work,  particularly  those  living 
by  the  Great  Lakes,  and  along  our  Atlantic  coast,  with  whom  I 
have  spent  so  much 'time,  and  formed  so  many  pleasant  friend- 
ships during  the  past  four  years. 


NAMES  AND  PORTRAITS  OF  BIRDS. 


No.  1. 

Branta  canadensis. 

Head,  neck,  lull,  and  legs,  black;  patch  about  throat,  and 
feathers  above  and  below  tail,  white.  Upper  parts  of  plumage 
principally  brown,  this  fading  into  light  gray  beneath;  brown 
of  rump  and  tail  darker,  or  blackish. 

Length  a  little  over  three  feet ;  extent,  five  feet  or  more. 

Range,  as  given  in  A.  O.  U.  Check  List :  "  Temperate  North 
America,  breeding  in  the  northern  United  States  and  British 
Provinces;  south  in  winter  to  Mexico." 

CANADA  GOOSE:  COMMON  WILD  GOOSE :  BIG  GRAY  GOOSE: 
COMMON  GRAY  GOOSE— Early  writers  (Hutchins  and  Hearne) 
using  the  latter  name  for  this  fowl,  but  giving  that  of  "  Canada 
Goose"  to  No.  2,  a  very  similar  but  smaller  bird. 

Referred  to  not  infrequently  as  HONKER  or  OLD  HONKER 
in  recognition  of  its  hoarse  notes,  or  "honking."  At  More- 
head,  North  Carolina.  REEF  GOOSE  <  Xo.  2  being  known  there 
as  Marsh  Goose) ;  and  Dresser  writes  in  Birds  of  Southern 
Texas,  1865-66:  "The  shore  gunners  are  well  aware  of  the 
ditl'eivnee  between  this  [No.  1]  and  B.  /*»//<•/* /'//*//'  ,  No.  2],  calling 
the  former  the  BAY  GOOSE,  and  the  latter  the  Prairie  Goose." 

Early  authors  tell  of  its  being  known  at  Hudson's  Bay  as 
BUSTARD,*  and  Sir  John  Richardson,  in  Fauna  Boreal  i-Ameri- 

*  The  bustard  of  ornithologists  belongs  to  the  ostrich  family,  the  Great 
Bustard  ( Otis  tanlt)  being  the  largest  land  bird  of  Europe. 


BIRD  NAMES. 


[No.  1. 


cana,  1831,  speaks  of  its  arrival  in  the  fur  countries  as  "  hailed 
with  great  joy  by  the  natives  of  the  woody  and  swampy  dis- 
tricts, who  depend  principally  upon  it  for  subsistence  during 
the  summer.  .  .  .  One  goose,  which  when  fat  weighs  about  nine 
pounds,  is  the  daily  ration  for  one  of  the  Company's  servants 
during  the  season,  and  is  reckoned  equivalent  to  two  snow- 
geese,  or  three  ducks,  or  eight  pounds  of  buffalo  and  moose 
meat,  or  two  pounds  of  pemmican,  or  a  pint  of  maize  and  four 
ounces  of  suet." 


No.  1. 

In  appendix  to  Townsend's  Narrative  of  Journey  Across 
Eocky  Mountains,  etc.,  1839,  it  is  BLACK-HEADED  GOOSE;  a.nd 
some  writers  have  termed  it  CANADA  BRANT;  and  in  England 
it  has  been  called  the  CRAVAT  GOOSE  (Buffon's  L  Oie  d  cravate). 
Yarrell  speaks  of  its  being  entitled  to  a  place  in  his  British 
Birds,  specimens  being  so  frequently  shot  "which  do  not  exhibit 
either  in  their  actions  or  plumage  any  signs  of  having  escaped 
from  confinement." 


No.  Q. 

Branta  canadensis  hntchinsii. 

A  small  variety  of  our  common  wild  goose  No.  1,  and  in  ap- 
pearance (excepting  size)  like  it  in  all  respects. 

Length  about  twenty-seven  inches ;  extent  a  little  over  four 
feet. 

Not  common  on,  or  very  near  to,  our  Eastern  coast,  but  numer- 
ous in  the  West  during  migrations.  Breeds  in  Arctic  regions. 

HUTCHINS'S  GOOSE:  HUTCHINS'S  CANADA  GOOSE:  HUTCH- 
INS'S  BARNACLE  GOOSE  (the  liarnacle  Goose  proper,  lim,,t,i 
I,  tirnji.*!*,  "casual  in  Eastern  North  America,"  was  named  from 
an  early  belief  that  it  originated  in  the  shell  of  a  barnacle,  or, 
rather,  was  the  natural  fruit  of  a  little  crustacean):  HUTCHINS'S 
BRANT:  LESSER  CANADA  GOOSE:  SMALL  GRAY  GOOSE:  LITTLE 
WILD  GOOSE. 

Ilearne  writes,  referring:  to  this  variety  in  his  Journey  to 
Northern  Ocean,  published  1T95,  "CANADA  GOOSE,  or  PISK  A 
SISH,  as  it  is  called  by  the  Indians,  as  well  as  the  English  in 
Hudson's  Bay."  and  Richardson,  in  Boat  Voyage,  1851,  speaks 
of  its  being  called  ESKIMO  GOOSE  in  Rupert's  Land. 

In  Audubon's  Ornithological  Biography,  Vol.  III.,  1835,  we 
find  under  the  heading  of  Hutchins's  Goose,  the  following: 
"  In  the  first  article  in  this  volume,  that  of  the  Canada  Goose, 
...  I  had  occasion  to  allude  to  a  small  species,  called  by  the 
gunnel's  of  Maine  the  Winter  or  Flight  Goose,  which  they  de- 
scribed to  me  as  resembling  the  large  and  common  kind  in 
almost  every  particular  except  its  size.  Although  it  was  not 
my  £ood-fortune  while  there  to  meet  with  the  bird  spoken  of 
by  men  who  were  well  acquainted  with  it,  I  have  no  doubt  that 


4  BIRD   XAHES.  [No.  2. 

it  is  the  very  species  which  has  been  named  in  honor  of  Mr. 
Hutchins."  In  the  "  first  article,"  to  which  Audubon  refers,  we 
do  not  find  "Winter  Goose,"  but  the  other  name  is  introduced 
as  follows :  "  It  is  alleged  in  the  state  of  Maine  that  a  distinct 
species  of  Canada  Goose  resides  there,  which  is  said  to  be  much 
smaller  than  the  one  now  under  your  notice,  and  is  described 
as  resembling  it  in  all  other  particulars.  Like  the  true  Canada 
Goose,  it  builds  a  large  nest  which  it  lines  with  its  own  down ; 
sometimes  it  is  placed  on  the  sea-shore,  at  other  times  by  the 
margin  of  a  fresh-water  lake  or  pond.  That  species  is  distin- 
guished there  by  the  name  of  Flight  Goose,  and  is  said  to  be 
entirely  migratory,  whereas  the  Canada  Goose  is  resident." 
Linsley  says,  in  Catalogue  of  the  Birds  of  Connecticut,  1843 : 
"A.nser  hutckinsii,  it  is  believed,  is  not  unfrequently  taken  here 
in  the  spring,  and  is  called  Southern  Goose,  because  it  does  not 
winter  here."  Though  this  name  "  Southern  Goose  "  is  still  re- 
membered in  Connecticut,  at  Stratford,  where  Linsley  wrote, 
and  at  Milford  as  well,  the  descriptions  of  the  goose  to  which  it 
belongs,  as  given  by  the  different  gunners,  vary  very  materially ; 
they  all  agree,  however,  that  the  name  belongs  to  a  variety 
smaller  than  the  common  wild  goose,  and  very  rarely,  or  never, 
now  encountered. 

As  these  quotations  from  Audubon  and  Linsley  are  both  so 
worded  as  to  leave  at  least  some  little  room  for  doubt  concerning 
the  local  names  included,  it  seems  better  to  give  said  names  just 
as  they  appear  in  the  text,  without  using  a  more  emphatic  type. 

Giraud  writes  (1844):  "At  the  eastern  extremity  of  Long 
Island  this  species  is  not  uncommon.  At  Montauk  it  is  known 
by  the  name  of  MUD  GOOSE." 

In  an  article  about  common  names  of  wildfowl  in  Western 
States  (Forest  and  Stream,  May  27,  1886),  Mr.  J.  P.  Leach,  of 
Kushville,  Illinois,  states  that  the  gunners  include  this  with 
other  small  geese  under  the  general  term  "brant,"  and  that 
this  bird  is  "  further  distinguished  "  as  GOOSE  BRANT 

In  the  neighborhood  of  Morehead,  North  Carolina,  MARSH 
GOOSE,  and  on  the  coast  of  Texas,  PRAIRIE  GOOSE.  (Compare 
names  of  this  variety  with  those  of  No.  1.) 


No.  3. 

Branta  bernicla. 

Head  and  hill,  with  neck  all  around,  and  extreme  fore  part 
of  body  black ;  on  either  side  of  neck  a  group  of  white  scratches, 
as  indicated  in  picture.  The  back,  with  front  of  wings,  brown, 


the  feathers  paler  at  their  ends;  remainder  of  wings  black,  or 
nearly  so.  as  is  the  tail;  the  latter.  however,  being  almost  con- 
ceal, -d  by  covering  of  white  feathers  technically  known  as  tail 
-diverts."  ruder  parts  <>f  plumage  grayish  brown, the  ends  of 


Q  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  3. 

the  feathers  touched  with  white,  this  producing  transverse  bars. 
Under  parts  of  other  specimens,  more  correctly  described  as 
white,  shaded  beneath  black  of  fore-breast  and  along  the  sides 
with  ill-defined  bars  of  light  brown ;  in  all  cases  becoming  pure 
white  back  of  legs. 

Length  about  twenty-four  inches ;  extent  forty-six  to  forty- 
eight  inches.  Legs  blackish. 

Kange,  as  given  in  A.  O.  U.  Check  List,  northern  parts  of 
Northern  Hemisphere ;  in  North  America  chiefly  on  Atlantic 
coast ;  rare  in  the  interior,  or  away  from  salt  water. 

BRANT:  BRENT:  BRANT  GOOSE:  BRENT  GOOSE:  BRAND 
GOOSE:  COMMON  BRANT:  has  been  also  called  BLACK  BRANT, 
though  this  latter  name  is  generally  applied,  and  more  appropri- 
ately, to  Branta  nigricans,  a  similar  but  darker  bird,  rare  on  our 
Eastern  coast.  The  old  names  "  brant,"  "  brent,"  etc.,  refer  to 
the  dark  color :  it  is  burnt  or  branded  goose.  It  ranks  high  for 
table  use,  and  being  exceptionally  fine  when  shot  late  in  spring, 
the  term  "May  Brant"  has  long  had  a  momentous  meaning 
among  epicures. 

We  read  in  Yarrell's  British  Birds  that  "  in  Shetland  it  is 
called  HORRA  GOOSE,  from  the  numbers  that  frequent  Horra 
Sound,"  and  the  Kev.  Charles  Swainson  says,  in  his  Provincial 
Names  of  British  Birds,  1885 :  "  From  the  cry  of  this  bird,  which 
is  varied,  sounding  like  the  different  expressions  '  prott,'  '  rott,' 
and  'crock,'  are  derived  the  names  ROTT  GOOSE,  or  RAT  GOOSE: 
ROAD  GOOSE,  or  ROOD  GOOSE:  CLATTER  GOOSE  (East  Lothian): 
QUINK  GOOSE:  CROCKER."  Mr.  Swainson  also  mentions  Ilorra 
Goose,  and  HORIE  GOOSE  as  in  use  at  Shetland  Isles,  and  adds 
that  BARNACLE  is  "the  common  name  for  this  species  in  Ire- 
land— a  name  entirely  erroneous.  But  in  some  parts  the  true 
Barnacle  Goose  (£.  leucopsis}  and  the  Brant  are  distinguished  as 
the  Norway  Barnacle  and  the  WEXFORD  BARNACLE." 

(See  index  for  other  "  brant "  geese.) 


No.  4. 
Snow  Geese. 

Ail  nit.  White,  with  end  of  wing  black;  foreparts  of  plu- 
mage frequently  stained  with  reddish  brown,  this  generally  more 
noticeable  on  front  of  head.  Bill  commonly  light  purplish  red, 
l>ut  variable  from  a  more  dusky  tone  to  flesh-color,  with  black 


"grinning"  recess  along  its  sides.     Legs  deep  purplish  red, 

though  also  variable. 

}'«'//"/.  rpjier  parts  bluish  gray  or  lead-color,  more  or  less 
varied  with  white;  end  of  wing  (or  flight-feathers)  as  in  adult. 
Hill  and  legs  dusky. 


BIRD  NAMES.  [No- 4- 

o 

Two  varieties  are  recognized  by  ornithologists,  viz. :  Lesser 
Snow  Goose,  Chen  Jiyperborea,  and  Greater,  Chen  hyperlorea  m- 
valis,  these  being  practically  alike  in  form  and  coloration 

Measurements  of  smaller  bird  somewhere  about  as  follows: 
Length  twenty-five  inches ;  extent  fifty-two  inches.  The  larger 
variety  •  length  twenty-seven  to  thirty-one  inches  ;  extent  fifty- 
six  to  sixty-two  inches.  The  two  grading  towards  one  another 
confusingly. 

Another,  and  less  common  plumage  is  that  formerly,  or  at 
different  times,  regarded  as  belonging  to  a  bird  distinct  from 
either  of  the  preceding,  and  again  as  representing  simply  a 
stage  in  the  development  of  the  Snow  Goose  dress.  Birds  thus 
arrayed  have  been  labelled  Chen  ccerulescens.  This  name  is 


placed  in  the  "  Hypothetical  List "  of  the  new  Check  List,*  as 
"  possibly  "  representing  a  separate  variety.  These  birds  are  of 
the  same  shape  as  the  snow  geese,  and  are  surely  most  closely 
allied  to  them.  Head  and  upper  half  of  neck  white ;  remaining 
plumage  principally  grayish  brown  with  more  or  less  bluish  gray, 
the  feathers  ending  paler ;  edgings  of  white  to  back  portions  of 
plumage ;  tone  of  lower  neck  dusky ;  wings  plain  light  bluish 

*  Published  by  the  Am.  Ornithologists'  Union,  1886. 


No.  4.]  BIRD  NAMES.         .  9 

gray  with  their  flight-feathers  ("primaries"  and  "secondaries") 
black  or  nearly  so  ;  rump  light  gray  or  more  whitish  ;  coloration 
of  bill  and  legs  about  as  in  previously  described  snow  geese.* 

Names  of  the  whiter  birds,  as  follows  :  SNOW  GOOSE:  WHITE 
BRANT  <  latter  name  very  general  in  the  West)  :  WAVBY  or  COM- 
MON WAVEY  of  1  1  udson's  Bay  region.  J.  W.  Long,  in  his  Amer- 
ica n  Wild  Fowl  Shooting,  speaks  of  their  being  known  in  the 
West  somewhere  as  FISH  BRANT  (an  absurdly  inappropriate  and 
libellous  designation). 

Colonel  J.  II.  Powel  writes  me  from  his  home  in  Newport, 
II.  I.  :  "I  have  heard  it  called  MEXICAN  QOOSE  in  this  State  (I 
have  killed  several  here)."f  Baird,  Brewer,  and  Kidjrway  record 
RED  GOOSE  as  in  use  on  the  Jersey  coast  (a  name  mentioned  also 
in  Wilson,  1814),  suggested  I  suppose  by  color  of  bill  and  legs, 
and  the  reddish  stains. 

These  birds  visit  the  Delaware  regularly,  many  of  them 
congregating  near  Bay  Side.  (  umberland  Co.,  N.  J.,  the  species 
being  there  known  as  TEXAS  GOOSE. 


Names  of  Cfnn  r.irntescens,  as  follows:  BLUE  GOOSE: 
BLUE  SNOW  GOOSE:  BLUE  WAVEY:  BLUE  -WINGED  GOOSE: 
WHITE-HEADED  GOOSE  or  WHITE-HEAD:  BALD-HEADED  BRANT 
or  BALD  BRANT. 

Though  snow  geese  are  rare  in  most  of  our  Eastern  States, 
they  are  exceedingly  common  in  many  parts  of  the  West,  col- 
lectini:  in  countless  numbers  on  the  prairies,  or  transforming 
river  sandbars  into  islands  of  glistening  snow.  They  decoy  less 
readily  than  the  Canadian  and  Hutchins's  geese,  and  fly  much 
higher  while  passing  to  and  from  their  feeding-grounds. 

*  Since  writing  the  above,  I  have  lx?come  thoroughly  convinced  that  C. 
eafruletcens  is  n  species  by  itM-lf.  distinct  from  the  other  geese  herein  described. 

+  In  Howard  us's  Field,  Cover,  and  Trap  Shooting,  edited  by  Charles  J. 
Foster.  \\r  rr:id  of  thi-sr  birds,  \\ith  species  Nos.  2  and  5,  being  known  as 
"  Mi-v.r.iii  •_''  MC  "  in  portions  of  the  West,  this  terra  distinguishing  them 
collectively  from  the  "common  wild  goose,"  No.  1. 


No.  5. 
Anser  albifrons  gambeli. 

Adult.  Upper  parts  principally  warm  grayish  brown,  the 
broad  ends  of  the  feathers  narrowly  edged  with  brownish  white, 
the  pale  edgings  turned  to  pure  white  on  tail  and  certain  feath- 
ers of  the  wings ;  the  head  and  upper  neck  of  closer  mixture, 
or  nearly  plain  brown ;  extreme  front  of  head  (next  to  bill) 
white,  this  white  intensified  by  the  brown  just  back  of  it,  which 
is  of  a  deeper  tint,  or  blackish.  Breast,  in  high  state  of  plu- 


No.  5.    Adult. 


No.  5.] 


BIRD  NAMES. 


11 


mage,  blackish  brown  broken  only  by  a  few  pale  or  white  edgings 
t<»  tlif  feathers,  but,  as  more  often  seen,  a  blotchy  mixture  of 
I >lack  and  white;  the  feathers  of  rump,  and  those  beneath  tail, 
pure  white.  Color  of  bill  varying  with  different  specimens,  from 
Mesh  color  and  yellowish,  to  darker  and  more  reddish  tint;  the 
nail  at  end  white  or  nearly  so.  Legs  and  feet  orange,  the  webs 
lighter,  and  claws  white. 

}'<«//"/.     Front  of  head  deep  brown  instead  of  white.     No 
black  on  breast.     Bill  dull  in  tone,  with  nail  at  end  blackish. 


No.  6.    Young. 

I.rn.irth  twenty-seven  inches;  extent  sixty  inches. 

Its  range,  as  given  in  A.  O.  U.  Check  List,  is  "  North  Amer- 
ica, breeding  far  northward;  in  winter  south  to  Mexico  and 
Cuba." 

Though  a  familiar  species  to  a  majority  of  Western  gunners, 
it  is  one  which  we  in  the  East  know  but  very  little  about. 

WHITE -FRONTED  GOOSE,  or  AMERICAN  WHITE  -  FRONTED 
GOOSE  (the  latter  distinguishing  it  from  European  variety 
<  1  a*  /  ,,/f.ifron*):  LAUGHING  GOOSE:  HARLEQUIN  BRANT:  PIED 


]2  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  5. 

BRANT.  Known  in  various  parts  of  the  West  as  PRAIRIE  BRANT, 
SPECKLED  BELLY,  and  SPECKLED  BRANT,  and  very  commonly 
as  BRANT  simply,  this  being,  in  other  words,  the  brant  where 
hunters  are  unfamiliar  with  Eastern  bird,  Branta  bernicla  (No.  3.), 
or  with  Pacific  coast  variety,  B.  nigricans. 

In  a  letter  from  Mr.  A.  B.  Pearson,  of  San  Diego,  Cal.,  this 
species  is  referred  to  as  the  "YELLOW-LEGGED  GOOSE  or  GRAY 
BRANT,"  and  spoken  of  as  "  fairly  plentiful"  there  "from  [Novem- 
ber to  March." 


No.  6. 

Anas  boschas. 


A'?  »lt  imil'-  'in  "full"  plumage).  Head  and  upper  neck 
brilliant  green,  with  white  ring  just  below;  remainder  of  neck 
with  fore-breast  chestnut  or  chocolate  brown.  Upper  parts  of 
body  brown  and  gray;  around  tail  deep  black  with  greenish 


No.  6.    Adult  Male. 


gloss;  a  tuft  of  these  black  feathers  turning  forward  above 

tail  into  a  little  curl.  Sides  of  body  white,  waved  with  dusky 
lines;  belly  similar,  but  more  grayish  white,  and  very  minutely 
waved.  Wings  brownish  gray  with  iridescent  mark,  or  "spec- 


BIRD  NAMES. 


[No.  6. 


ulum,"  of  purplish  blue  bordered  with  white  and  black.     Bill 
greenish  yellow ;  legs  reddish  orange. 

'  Size  very  variable,  about  two  feet  in  length,  and  three  feet 
or  more  in  extent.  (One  old  drake  now  before  me  spreads  nearly 
forty  inches.) 

Female.  A  little  smaller  than  male,  with  similar  wings  and 
feet ;  bill  blotchily  marked  blackish  and  orange.  General  plu- 
mage of  upper  parts  dusky  brown  variegated  with  light  brown 
or  dead-grass  color,  this  latter  tint  paling  to  whitish  here  and 
there ;  markings  about  head  and  neck  fine  and  streaky ;  crown 


No.  6.    Female. 


of  head  dark ;  throat  plain  buff ;  under  surface  of  body  varying 
with  different  specimens  from  buff  to  grayish  or  soiled  white, 
and  spotted  with  dusky  brown. 

This  is  the  original  of  our  most  common  domesticated  duck. 
Though  usually  shy  and  suspicious,  I  have  found  them  feeding 
with  farm-yard  cousins  in  close  proximity  to  barns  and  dwell- 
ing-houses. They  are  peculiarly  ready  (male  and  female)  to 
mate  with  ducks  of  other  species,  and  hybrids  from  these  con- 
nections are  not  rare.  The  offspring  of  Mallard  (No.  6)  and 
Dusky -duck  (No.  7)  are  raised  in  large  numbers  at  Bellport, 


No.  6.]  BIRD  NAMES.  15 

Long  Island,  by  Capt.  R.  L.  Petty,  and  other  old  baymen.  The 
cross  was  originally  obtained  from  eggs  found  on  a  neighboring 
marsh,  and  hatched  under  a  hen.  The  birds  differ  greatly  in 
color,  the  mixed  parentage  showing  itself  in  numerous  combi- 
nations. The  female  is  astonishingly  savage  during  incubation, 
flying  at  one's  boot  like  a  mad  dog. 

Though  Mallards  visit  a  few  localities  in  New  England 
quite  regularly  (viz.,  Middleborough  Ponds,  Mass.,  vicinity  about 
mouth  of  Connecticut  River,  <fec.),  New-Englanders,  as  a  rule, 
have  few  opportunities  of  familiarizing  themselves  with  this 
wild  stock;  and  I  have  heard  many  gunners  tell  of  losing  or 
nearly  losing  good  shots  at  these  birds,  under  the  supposition 
that  they  were  the  property  of  a  neighbor,  so  closely  do  they 
resemble  the  l»arn-yurd  fowl. 

MALLARD:  GREEN-HEAD:  WILD  DRAKE:  WILD  DUCK:  COM- 
MON WILD  DUCK  In  English  works  that  treat  of  wildfowl, 
the  name  DUCK  al<mo  distinguishes  it,  other  varieties  being 
referred  teas  "  Widgeon."  -  IWhanl."  "  Scaup-duck,"  etc. 

At  Wilmington.  X.  C. ;  Charleston,  S.  C. ;  Savannah,  Ga. ; 
and  in  Florida  at  St.  Augustine,  and  Sanford,  ENGLISH  DUCK: 
and  in  Louisiana  FRENCH  DUCK. 

The  female  (believed  l»y  many  a  distinct  species)  is  known  to 
inarketmen  and  others  at  Detroit,  to  the  "punters"  of  St.  Clair 
Flats,  at  Point  Pelee  (near  head  of  Lake  Erie),  West  Barn- 
stat.le.  Mass..  a:.d  in  Atlantic  Co.,  New  Jersey,  as  GRAY  DUCK,* 


*  Though  as  a  rule  "  Gray  Duck  "  stands  in  New  England  for  female  No.  13 
(see  both  9  and  13),  the  name  is  occasionally  borrowed  for  this  less  common 
species,  that  is  to  say,  when  the  latter  appears  unattended  by  full-feathered 
drake.  The  two  fcinak-s  look  near  enough  alike  to  IK-  mistaken  for  each  other 
by  careless  observers,  and  it  may  be  noted  that  Mr.  F.  C.  Browne,  in  a  list  of 
"  "tinners'  names"  (Forett  and  Stream,  Nov.  9, 1876),  gives  the  Mallard's  name 
"English  Duck  "  as  locally  applied  at  Plymouth  Bay  to  No.  13.  I  was  told  at 
West  Barnstable  that  their  "  Gray  Duck  "  looked  "  exactly  like  a  common  tame 
one,"  and  always  had  "a  bright  blue  spot  on  its  wing."  Desiring  more  evi- 
dence, I  asked  that  the  first  one  killed  might  be  sent  me,  and  a  few  weeks 
later  received  a  gray  Mallard,  it  being.  I  was  told,  one  of  three  seen. 


16  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  6. 

this  name  being  used  in  like  manner  on  the  Niagara  by  some  of 
the  gunners,  though  applied  more  commonly  there  to  No.  13. 

In  Baltimore,  the  female  is  GRAY  MALLARD,  the  marketmen 
furnishing  their  patrons  with  three  varieties  of  mallard,  as  fol- 
lows.: "green-head,"  "gray  mallard,"  "black  mallard,"  the  last- 
named  variety  being  Anas  obscura,  No.  7.  The  name  "  gray 
mallard  "  is  also  commonly  used  (for  No.  6)  at  Washington,  D.  C., 
and  Alexandria,  Ya,,  though  generally  in  these  localities  to  in- 
clude the  full-plumaged  drake  as  well. 

The  species  is  several  times  referred  to  by  Lewis  and  Clarke, 
1814,  as  DUCKINMALLARD.  If  this  word  occurred  but  once  it 
might  be  considered  a  typographical  error,  but  it  certainly  seems 
to  have  been  so  printed  intentionally.  Old  writers  commonly 
referred  to  this  fowl  as  the  "  duck  and  mallard."  Bartram,  for 
example,  in  his  Travels  through  North  and  South  Carolina, 
etc.,  1791,  speaks  of  "the  great  wild  duck,  called  duck  and  mal- 
lard ;"  not  meaning  duck  or  mallard  (though,  as  previously  stated, 
the  single  word  "  duck "  sometimes  distinguishes  this  from  all 
other  species)  but  duck  and  drake — mallard  being  derivatively 
male.  The  above  queer  name  is  therefore  believed  to  have  grown 
from  this  old  custom. 

At  Hudson's  Bay,  according  to  Fauna  Boreali  -  Americana, 
1831,  STOCK  DUCK;  and  we  find  the  following  in  Eev.  Charles 
Swainson's  Provincial  Names  of  British  Birds,  1885:  "MIRE 
DUCK  (Forfar);"  "MOSS  DUCK  (Renfrew,  Aberdeen);"  "MUIR 
DUCK  (Stirling) ;"  and  two  names  already  mentioned,  as  follows : 
"  Gray  Duck  (Lancashire,  Dumfries) ;"  "  Stock  Duck  (Orkney 
Isles)." 


No.  7. 
Anas  obscnra. 

Prevailing  color  blackish  brown,  of  lighter  shade  below ; 
head  and  neck  also  lighter  and  more  grayish  in  tone.  Wing- 
mark,  or  "  speculum,"  purplish  blue  changing  to  green,  and  bor- 
dered with  black ;  lining  of  wings  white. 

Size  very  variable,  but  about  that  of  species  immediately 
preceding,  and  of  same  general  shape. 

Bill  greenish  yellow,  with  black  nail  at  end.  Legs  orange 
red,  the  webs  dark. 


No.  7. 

Found  chiefly  in  Eastern  North  America;  "  "West  to  Utah  and 
Texas  ;"  North  to  Labrador. 

DUSKY  DUCK:  DUSKY  MALLARD:  very  generally  known  in 
New  England  and  Middle  States  as  BLACK  DUCK  (see  Nos.  28, 
29).  As  we  move  westward,  and  farther  south,  we  hear  BLACK 
MALLARD;  and  reaching  South  Carolina  or  Georgia,  BLACK 
ENGLISH  DUCK,  latter  title  continuing  into  Florida  (though  the 
name  Black  Mallard  is  also  heard  in  the  far  South). 
2 


No.  8. 
Anas  americana. 

Adult  male.  Forehead  and  crown  white,  or  nearly  so ;  re- 
mainder of  head,  with  upper  neck,  pale  buff,  profusely  speckled 
with  black  or  greenish  black ;  a  large  patch  of  glossy  green 
beginning  at  the  eye  and  sweeping  backward ;  the  speckling  of 
head  breaking  into  this  green,  or  blending  with  it  to  greater  or 
less  extent ;  the  throat  nearly  plain  buff,  though  dusky  imraedi- 


ately  back  of  bill ;  lower  neck  (all  around),  sides  of  body,  and 
shoulder  feathers  light  brownish  red,  with  more  or  less  pinkish 
cast ;  this  color  almost  uniform  about  front  and  sides  of  neck, 
waved  with  dusky  lines  on  sides  of  body,  more  grayish  and 
waved  also  with  dusky  lines  at  back  of  neck  and  on  the  shoul- 
der feathers.  Back  gray,  waved  minutely  and  obscurely  with 


No.  8.] 


BIRD  NAMES. 


19 


lighter  lines,  this  coloration  turning  to  a  more  distinct  pattern 
of  dusky  and  white  lines  over  base  of  tail ;  the  tail  itself  chiefly 
brownish  gray.  Fore  part  of  wing,  with  broad  field  of  white ; 
back  of  this  white,  a  glossy  green  wing-mark,  or  speculum,  bor- 
dered with  black;  the  lower  halves  of  inner  secondaries  (long 
feathers  starting  at  first  joint  from  body)  black ;  remainder  of 
wing  chiefly  brownish  gray,  with  a  few  feathers  edged  or  tipped 
with  white.  Breast  and  belly  continuously  pure  white;  the 
feathers  immediately  beneath  the  tail  black,  this  black  continued 
upward  a  little  over  root  of  tail,  the  white  of  lower  parts  being 
likewise  continued  upward  at  sides  of  rump.  Bill  light  bluish 
«:r:iy  with  bhu-k  tip.  Le«rs  and  feet  bluish  #ray  with  darker  webs. 
We  often  find  these  drakes  with  green  head-patch  very  im- 
perfect, with  little  or  no  greenish  gloss  to  speculum;  the  latter 
showing,  instead,  as  a  deep  brown  or  blackish  space;  top  of  head 
considerably  speckled ;  white  of  wings  pervaded  to  greater  or 
less  extent  by  gray,  and  brownish  red  at  sides  of  body,  with  very 
few  of  the  wavy  markings  above  mentioned. 


NO.S.    Female. 


tie.  Head  and  neck  streakily  speckled  with  dark  brown 
and  grayish  white,  changing  to  brown  and  light  yellowish  brown 
on  lower  neck,  fore-breast,  and  sides  of  body ;  the  darker  brown 
markings  becoming  less  positive  and  almost  disappearing  along 


20  BIRD  NAMES. 

the  sides.  Upper  parts  chiefly  grayish  brown ;  the  feathers  of 
back  and  shoulder  region  edged  with  light  brownish  buff;  wmg- 
mark,  or  speculum,  blackish,  with  slight  greenish  gloss,  and  bor- 
dered in  front  with  white.  Under  surface  of  body  nearly  white , 
the  feathers  immediately  beneath  the  tail  deep  brown, 
legs  much  as  in  the  male. 

Young  male  (before  beginning  to  assume  dress  of  old  drake), 
very  similar  to  female  just  described. 

Length  eighteen  to  twenty -one  inches;  extent  thirty  to 
thirty-four  and  a  half  inches ;  bill  (measured  along  the  side)  one 
and  five  eighths  to  one  and  three  quarter  inches. 

Found  throughout  the  whole  country  during  migrations. 

WIDGEON  (see  Nos.  9,  12,  13,  17,  31) :  more  correctly  the 
AMERICAN  WIDGEON  (distinguishing  it  from  Old  World  widg- 
eon, A.  penelope) :  BALD-PATE  (see  No.  29) :  GREEN-HEADED 
WIDGEON. 

I  find  the  name  "Widgeon"  in  common  use  at  North 
Scituate,  Mass.  ;*  on  Long  Island  at  Moriches,  Bellport,  and 
Seaford  (Hempstead) ;  throughout  New  Jersey;  at  Norfolk,  Va. ; 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Chicago,  and  at  Ilennepin  on  the  Illinois 
Kiver. 

We  also  hear  "  Bald-pate  "  at  Chicago,  and  at  Havre  de  Grace, 
Md. ;  and  BALD-HEAD  at  Hennepin,  and  at  Savannah.  Ga. 

In  Massachusetts  (when  encountered)  it  is  known  at  Province- 
town  as  SOUTHERN  WIDGEON;  at  North  Plymouth  as  CALI- 
FORNIA WIDGEON;  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Edgertown  as  WHITE- 
BELLY.  This  latter  name  is  a  familiar  one  also  to  the  older 
gunners  of  Milford,  Conn. 

To  some  of  the  gunners  of  Detroit  it  is  the  POACHER,  being 
so  called  from  its  well-known  habit  of  foraging  upon  the  food 
for  which  other  ducks  have  dived. 

At  Washington,  D.  C.,  Alexandria, Va.,  and  Morehead,  N.  C., 
BALD-FACE  (not  recognized  in  latter  locality  by  any  other  name). 

*  It  is  not  a  common  duck  in  New  England,  and  I  do  not  remember  hear- 
ing it  referred  to  by  any  local  name  in  Maine  or  New  Hampshire. 


No.  8.]  BIRD  A'AM£&  21 

Lawson,  in  his  New  Voyage  to  Carolina,  1709,  says :  "  The 
bald,  or  white  faces  are  a  good  fowl ;  they  cannot  dive,  and  are 
easily  shotten." 

At  Oisfield,  Md.  (east  shore  of  Chesapeake),  and  Wilming- 
ton, N.  C.,  BALD-CBOWN:  at  St.  Augustine,  Fla.,  BALD-FACED 
WIDGEON. 

Dr.  David  Crary,  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  tells  me  that  while 
shooting  in  Benton  Co.,  Oregon,  in  1885,  he  found  this  species 
in  enormous  flocks  on  the  wheat-fields,  and  that  it  was  there 
called  the  WHEAT-DUCK. 

Robert  Kennicott  (cited  by  Baird,  Brewer,  and  Ridgway) 
speaks  of  its  being  known  to  voyayeurs  throughout  the  Fur 
Countries  as  8MOKING-DUCK,*  and  Pennant,  in  his  Arctic  Zo- 
ology, 1785,  tells  of  its  being  "sent  from  New  York,  under  the 
M.I  me  of  the  Pheasant  Duck;"  but  the  latter  name  (as  others 
have  suggested)  was  probably  applied  by  mistake. 

*  Probably  localise  its  note  was  thought  to  resemble  the  puffing  sound 
made  while  smoking. 


No.  9. 
Anas  strepera. 

Adult  male.  Head  and  neck  pale  buff  gray,  freckled  with 
grayish  brown ;  crown  and  hind  neck  darker ;  lower  neck  and 
breast  dark  slaty -brown,  with  scale  pattern  of  nearly  white 


No.  9.    Adult  Male.      ,J  fXXXvi    V*  '-* 

lines.  Union  between  lighter  neck  and  darker  plumage  beneath 
commonly  more  or  less  abrupt,  and  sometimes  at  this  juncture 
there  is  a  well-defined  black  ring ;  this  ring,  though  seldom  per- 
fect, is  found  in  various  stages  of  imperfection.*  Belly  white, 

*  I  have  found  this  ring  nicely  developed  upon  three  or  four  different 


No.  9.] 


BIRD  NAMES. 


23 


with  faint  touches  of  gray;  feathers  immediately  beneath  tail 
black.  Fore  part  of  back  and  sides  of  body  slaty-brown,  pen- 
cilled with  wavy  linos  of  dull  white;  lower  part  of  back  darker, 
and  becoming  black  on  rump  and  above  tail.  Certain  of  the 
long  feathers  sweeping  back  from  shoulder  region  tinged  with 
pale  yellowish  brown ;  tail  feathers  and  much  of  wing  brownish 
gray.  Speculum  (i  e.,  outer  end  of  feathers  growing  from  second 
bone  of  wing)  white,  an  edging  beneath  and  broad  patch  in 
front  of  speculum  black ;  in  front  of  this  black  a  patch  of  ma- 
roon, or  dull  mahogany  color. 

Bill  blackish,  about  one  and  seven  eighth  inches  long.     Legs 
dull  orange  yellow. 


female.    Head  and  neck  much  like  male,  though  a  little 
more  distinctly  spotted ;  the  finer  markings  of  neck  mingling 

with  those  of  breast  without   abruptness.     Speculum  and  black 

drakes,  two  of  which  I  sent  to  the  United  States  National  Museum  for  Mr. 
Ridgway's  inspection.  He  kindly  writes  me  (Dec.  5,  1885):  "It  is  proba- 
ble that  they  represent  an  '  individual '  variation  of  plumage,  probably  a  very 
high  state  of  plumage.  I  find  indications  of  the  black  collar  in  specimens  be- 
longing to  our  collection,  but  in  none  is  it  so  strongly  marked  as  in  your  speci- 
mens.*' I  have  found  no  reference  whatsoever  to  this  marking  in  ornithologi- 
cal works. 


24  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  9. 

next  it  also  similar  to  drake;  but  the  black  more  limited,  and 
the  maroon  tint  but  slightly  indicated  or  absent.  Under  surface 
of  body  white,  spotted  more  or  less  completely  with  brown. 
Breast  and  all  remaining  parts  of  plumage  (excepting  certain 
plain  brown  wing  feathers)  mottled  with  dusky  grayish  brown 
and  light  yellowish  brown.  Legs  pale  yellow.  Bill  dusky 
brown  above,  with  edges  and  under  part  yellow. 

Length  about  twenty-two  inches  ;  extent  thirty-four  to  thirty- 
five  inches. 

"Nearly  cosmopolitan.  In  North  America  breeds  chiefly 
within  the  United  States"  (A.  O.  U.  Check  List). 

GADWALL  (spelled  also  "  Gad  well,"  "  Gad  wale,"  etc.) :  GRAY 
DUCK  (see  Nos.  6, 13).  These  two  are  its  book  names.  The  first 
mentioned,which  is  pre-eminently  "booky,"  I  find  used  at  Chicago 
even  by  marketmen  and  gunners ;  and  the  latter  name  at  Chi- 
cago, on  the  Illinois  Kiver,  and  by  some  at  Savannah,  Ga. 

Though  rather  a  rare  visitant  on  Long  Island,  it  is  known 
(when  it  does  appear)  at  Moriches  as  SPECKLE-BELLY,  and  at  Sea- 
ford  (Ilempstead)  as  CREEK  DUCK;  the  latter  being  a  common 
name  also  at  Morehead,  N.  C.,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Savannah. 

On  the  coast  of  New  Jersey,  at  Barnegat,  Tuckerton,  and 
Atlantic  City,  it  has  long  been  known  as  the  BLATEN  DUCK 
(blatant, or  bleating,  like  " strepera"  from  its  obstreperousness) ; 
and  Giraud  (1844)  speaks  of  its  being  called  "WELSH  DRAKE  or 
GERMAN  DUCK"  at  Egg  Harbor.  I  have  made  numerous  in- 
quiries for  these  last  two  names  among  the  Jersey  coast  duckers, 
but  have  found  no  one  who  remembered  having  heard  either  of 
them. 

At  Wilmington,  N.  C.,  and  at  Savannah,  WIDGEON  (see  our 
widgeon  of  the  books,  No.  8  ;  also  Nos.  12,  13,  17,  31).  Called 
also  at  Savannah  GRAY  WIDGEON  (see  No.  13);  four  aliases 
being  used,  therefore,  in  this  locality  :  Gray  Duck,  Creek  Duck, 
Widgeon,  and  Gray  Widgeon. 

I  am  told  by  S.  E.  Topping,  of  Moriches,  that  this  duck  is 
known  in  Mobile  as  the  "  Chickcock ;"  and  Captain  Eobert  L. 
Petty,  of  Bellport,  tells  of  hearing  it  called  "  Chickacock "  at 


No.  ».]  BIRD  NAMES.  £5 

New  Orleans ;  two  forms  of  one  and  the  same  name,  doubtless. 
These  two  Long  Island  baymen  are  not  only  thoroughly  reliable, 
but  they  are  peculiarly  well  acquainted  with  our  water-fowl ;  and 
my  only  reason  for  not  using  more  emphatic  type  is  my  igno- 
rance concerning  the  orthography. 

Though  occasionally  met  with  in  New  England,  I  have  heard 
no  local  name  applied,  and  indeed  have  nowhere  found  the  Gad- 
wall  common  on  the  Eastern  coast. 

Though  abundant  in  certain  interior  localities,  this  is  not 
(taking  the  country  through)  a  numerous  species,  as  compared 
with  other  varieties. 

Since  writing  the  above,  Rev.  Charles  Swainson's  Provincial 
Names  of  British  Birds  has  appeared,  and  in  it  we  find  "SAND 
WIDGEON  (Essex),"  and  the  name  EODQB  with  no  locality 


No.  10. 

Anas  carolinensis. 

Adult  male.  Above  principally  grayish ;  most  of  head  and 
upper  neck  rich  reddish  brown,  or  "  chestnut  bay ;"  a  green 
patch,  blackened  at  lower  border,  surrounding  eye,  and  sweep- 
ing backward  and  downward  to  black  tufty  feathering  of  nape ; 
at  lower  edge  of  patch,  and  beneath  the  eye,  an  indistinct  brown- 


No.  10.    Adult  Male. 


ish  white  line ;  bill  black,  or  nearly  so.  Keck,  beneath  its  red- 
dish brown  portion,  with  much  of  upper  plumage  and  sides  of 
body,  delicately  waved  with  lines  of  white  and  black.  Iri- 
descent wing-mark,  or  «  beauty  spot,"  green,  framed  with  black, 
buff,  and  white ;  and  above  this  a  few  feathers  (starting  at  inner 
frame-work  of  wing)  marked  lengthwise  with  black  and  line  of 


No.  10.] 


BIRD  NAXES. 


27 


white.  Breast  light  buff,  with  blackish  spots;  at  either  side  of 
breast  a  white  bar ;  belly  white,  though  often  with  buff  tinge ; 
feathers  beneath  tail  black,  with  light  buff  patch  at  each  side. 
Legs  bluish  gray,  tinged  with  flesh  color. 

/••  male.  Principally  dark  brown  and  light  yellowish  brown 
or  buff ;  the  lighter  color  noticeable  upon  edges  of  the  feathers, 
but  more  closely  mixed  in  a  streakily  speckled  manner  about 
neck  and  head ;  crown  of  head  and  streak  running  back  through 
eye,  dark;  throat  pale  buff;  on  lower  fore  neck,  breast,  and 


No.  10.    Female 

along  upper  sides  of  body  the  buff  tint  predominating,  and  of  a 
rather  deeper  shade,  and  the  dark  markings  more  spotty.  Under 
surface  of  body  white,  with  dusky  markings  back  of  legs.  Wings 
nearly  as  in  male. 

Length  about  fourteen  inches ;  extent  twenty-two  to  twenty- 
four  inches.  Bill  narrow,  and  nearly  same  width  throughout. 

Range,  North  America  at  large. 

GREEN -WINGED  TEAL,  or  GREEN -WING,  simply,  so  called 
vn-y  «:»'iirr;illy  :  AMERICAN  GREEN-WINGED  TEAL,  distinguish- 
ing it  particularly  from  European  Green-wing,  Anas  crecca, 
which  strays  to  us  occasionally ;  and  termed  likewise  by  certain 


28 


BIRD  NAMES.  [Xo.  10. 


early  writers,  the  AMERICAN  TEAL  *  and  LEAST  GREEN-WINGED 
TEALf 

At  Bath,  Me.  (to  the  older  gunners  at  least),  MUD  TEAL;  at 
Moriches,  Long  Island,  WINTER  TEAL  (see  No.  31) ;  at  More- 
head  N.  C.,  RED-HEADED  TEAL.  No  other  name  for  the  species 
is  recognized  in  latter  locality,  so  far  as  I  can  discover  (1884), 
and  this  is  certainly  a  more  distinctive  appellation  than  that  of 
"  Green-wing."  Audubon  says  :  "  Its  general  name,  however,  is 
the  '  Green-wing ;'  and  a  poor  name  in  my  opinion  it  is,  for  the 
bird  has  not  more  green  on  its  wings  than  several  other  species 
have."  And  he  adds :  "  Very  many  birds  are  strangely  named, 
not  less  in  pure  Latin,  than  in  English,  French,  and  Dutch." 

*  Latham.  f  Bartram. 


No.  11. 

Anas  discors. 

Adult  male.  Crown  of  head  and  chin  black ;  a  white  black- 
edged  crescent  between  bill  and  eye ;  remainder  of  head,  with  a 
little  of  the  neck  adjoining,  bluish  lead  color,  with  lavender 
tinge ;  bill  black.  Upper  plumage  principally  dark  brown  with 
black,  and  spots,  bars,  and  streaks  of  buff;  front  of  wing  sky 


Nail.    Adult  male. 

blue ;  blue  also  on  some  of  the  longer  shoulder-feathers ;  wing- 
mark,  or  speculum,  green,  with  white  band  between  it  and  above- 
mentioned  blue,  and  a  narrow  line  of  white  on  opposite  border 
of  speculum. 

Lower  plumage  light  brown  or  reddish  buff,  thickly  speckled 
with  black;   this  marking  changed  to  waved  bars  upon  the 


a()  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  11. 

flanks ;  at  either  side  of  tail  (upon  the  rump)  a  patch  of  white ; 
feathers  immediately  beneath  tail  black.    Legs  dull  yellow. 

Female.  Quite  differently  dressed  from  drake,  excepting 
wing,  which  is  similar.  Most  of  upper  parts  dark  brown,  with 
narrow  pale  buff  edgings  to  the  feathers ;  crown  of  head  and 
streak  running  back  of  eye  dark  brown ;  sides  of  head  and  upper 


No.  11.    Female. 

neck  finely  and  streakily  speckled  with  dusky  brown  upon  a  white 
ground •;  throat  white.  Lower  neck  and  breast,  with  sides  of  body, 
pale  buff,  mottled  with  brown ;  the  buff  tint  fading  to  dingy 
white  on  belly,  where  the  markings  are  smaller  and  less  distinct. 

Length,  fifteen  to  sixteen  inches ;  extent,  twenty-six  to  thirty 
inches. 

Kange,  North  America  at  large,  principally  east  of  Rocky 
Mountains. 

BLUE -WINGED  TEAL,  or  BLUE -WING  simply;  so  termed 
generally :  also  known  as  SUMMER  TEAL.  This  latter  name  is 
common  at  Moriches,  Long  Island,  and  I  am  inclined  to  believe 
that  I  have  heard  it  among  the  gunners  of  other  localities,  but 
this  is  the  only  note  I  have. 

Called  by  early  writers  WHITE-FACED  TEAL,  and  WHITE- 


No.  11.]  BIRD  NAMES.  31 

FACED  DUCK;  and  Dr.  "Woodhouse,  in  Sitgreaves'  Expedition — 
Zuni  and  Colorado  Rivers,  1853,  calls  it  COMMON  BLUE-WINGED 
TEAL;  thus  distinguishing  it  from  "Western  blue-winged  teal," 
Anas  cyanoptera;  the  latter,  however,  being  better  known  as 
"  Cinnamon  Teal." 


No.  12. 
Aix  sponsa. 

Adult  male.  Head  and  plume  principally  dark  green  and 
purple,  the  green  predominating  above,  the  throat  white ;  a  line 
of  white  running  back  from  bill  over  eye,  another  behind  the 
eye ;  both  these  white  streaks  continued  along  the  crest ;  white 


No.  12.    Adult  Male. 


of  throat  branching  upward  as  shown  in  picture.  Lower  neck 
and  the  breast  purplish  chestnut,  or  maroon,  with  triangular 
white  spots.  Belly  white.  Sides  delicately  waved  with  fine 
lines  of  straw  color  and  black,  and  separated  from  maroon  of 


No.  12.]  BIRD  2TAXE8.  33 

breast  by  conspicuous  white  and  black  bar ;  the  feathers  cover- 
ing flanks  barred  at  their  ends  with  white  and  black,  and  a  patch 
of  purplish  chestnut  at  either  side  of  rump.  Upper  parts  gener- 
ally dark,  of  brownish  and  brownish  gray  tone,  varied  with  vel- 
vet black,  brightened  with  greenish  bronze ;  the  wings  broadly 
glossed  here  and  there  with  purplish  blue  and  other  iridescence, 
and  narrowly  edged  behind  (on  ends  of  the  broad  blunt  feath- 
ers) with  white ;  hairy  filaments,  varying  in  tint,  at  either  side 
of  tail.  Bill,  with  ridge,  tip,  and  under  part,  black ;  its  sides 
red  near  head,  and  whitish  farther  forward.  Eyes  red.  Legs 
yellow. 

J'\miile.    A  rather  quietly  attired,  principally  grayish  and 


No.  11    Female. 

slaty -brown  duck,  though  with  considerable  iridescence.  Bill 
dusky;  a  narrow  edging  of  white  next  it.  Crest  slight  and 
scarcely  noticeable.  Throat,  patch  around  eye,  and  the  belly, 
whit<>.  I'.ivast  tan  brown,  streakily  marked  with  pale  buff; 
sides  also  brown,  with  spots  of  dull  white.  Legs  yellowish 
brown. 

Length  eighteen  to  nineteen  inches ;  extent  twenty-eight  to 
twenty-nine  inches. 

"  Temperate  North  America,  breeding  throughout  its  range  " 
(A.  O.U.  Check  List). 
3 


34.  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  12. 

WOOD  DUCK  (see  No.  22):  SUMMER  DUCK:  widely  known 
by  one  or  both  of  these  titles,  and  commonly  conceded  to  be  the 
most  beautiful  of  our  water-fowl.  It  may  be  added  that  as  a 
table  bird  it  stands  also  very  high. 

At  East  Haddam,  Conn.,  it  is  the  WIDGEON.*  "A  good 
many  here  call  it  Wood  Duck,"  said  a  local  gunner,  "  because  it 
builds  its  nest  in  trees,  but  most  of  us  know  that  its  real  name 
is  Widgeon."  Farther  down  the  Connecticut  River,  we  hear 
WOOD  WIDGEON:  "Always  called  it  so,"  said  an  Essex  ducker, 
"until  Clark  told  us  its  right  name."  Mr.  John  K  Clark,  of 
Saybrook,  near  by,  being  the  authority  referred  to. 

At  Pocomoke  City  (Worcester  Co.),  Maryland,  and  in  the 
vicinity  of  Charleston,  S.  C.,  ACORN  DUCK.  Mentioned  in  Bel- 
knap's  History  of  New  Hampshire,  1784,  as  CRESTED  WOOD 
DUCK:  and  Latham  writes.  Synopsis,  1785 :  "  By  some  called  TREE 
DUCK  (see  No.  22).  Our  "  Tree-ducks  "  proper,  met  with  along 
southwestern  border  of  the  United  States  and  southward,  be- 
long to  the  genus  Dendrocygna. 

*  See  our  Widgeon  of  the  books,  No.  8 ;  also  Nos.  9,  13,  17,  31. 


No.  13. 

Dafila  acuta. 

Adult  male.  Head  and  upper  neck  rich  brown  with  copper- 
red  reflections ;  portions  of  hind  neck  black ;  lower  hind  neck, 
front  of  back,  and  sides  of  body  evenly  waved  with  dusky  gray 
and  white ;  much  of  wing  plain  gray  and  grayish  brown ;  wing- 


No  13.    Adult  Mala. 


mark,  or  speculum,  green,  changing  to  copper -red,  and  edged 
with  white,  cinnamon,  and  black ;  the  tapering  feathers  starting 
at  inner  framework  of  wing,  and  sweeping  along  the  lower  back, 
are  black  centrally,  with  broad  gray,  white,  or  brownish  margins. 


36 


BIRD  NAMES. 


[No.  13. 


Tail  gray,  with  black  about  its  roots,  its  elongated  central  feath- 
ers black,'  or  nearly  so.  Front  of  neck,  and  under  parts  gener- 
ally, white,  tinged  more  or  less  with  yellowish  or  rusty  stain ;  the 
white  of  neck  branching  into  the  dark  color  above,  as  shown  in 
picture.  Bill -black,  turning  to  bluish  gray  along  its  sides.  Legs 
and  feet  bluish  gray. 

Measurements  about  as  follows :  length  twenty-nine  inches 
(but  governed,  of  course,  greatly  by  variable  development  of 
central  tail-feathers);  extent  thirty -six  inches;  bill,  measured 
along  top  (from  feathering  at  base)  two  to  two  and  three- 
sixteenth  inches,  and  narrow,  with  sides  nearly  parallel. 


No.  13.    Female. 


Adult  female.  Plumage  very  different  from  full -dressed 
drake  :  a  quietly  clothed  "  gray  duck."  Central  feathers  of  tail 
projecting  but  slightly  beyond  those  next  them.  Upper  plu- 
mage principally  dark  grayish  brown,  variegated  with  cream 
color,  the  latter  tint  deepening  here  and  there  into  tan,  or  paling 
into  white ;  variegations  closer  about  lower  neck ;  throat  pale 
buff ;  remainder  of  neck  (all  around)  and  most  of  head  marked 
with  dusky  streaks  and  dots  upon  a  buff  or  pale-brown  ground  ; 
top  of  head  darker ;  iridescence  of  speculum  very  imperfect, 


No.  13.]  BIRD  NAMES.  37 

often  scarcely  discernible.  Under  parts  of  plumage  pale  buff,  or 
dull  white,  with  obscure  spots  or  freckles.  Bill  uniformly  dusky. 
Legs  and  feet  bluish  gray. 

Length  twenty-two  and  a  half  to  twenty-three  inches:  ex- 
tent nearly  that  of  drake. 

Young  (both  sexes).     Closely  resembling  adult  female. 

"  Northern  Hemisphere.  In  North  America  breeds  from  the 
northern  parts  of  the  United  States  northward,  and  migrates 
south  to  Cuba  and  Panama"  (A.  O.  U.  Check  List). 

I  have  heard  no  local  name  applied  from  Calais,  Me.,  to  Bath, 
though  between  these  points  I  have  interviewed  many  duckers. 
The  bird  is  certainly  not  common  enough  here  to  require  often 
a  name  of  any  kind,  and  it  may  be  added  that  nowhere  upon 
our  coast  is  the  species  so  numerous  as  in  the  interior.  From 
Bath  to  the  State  of  Connecticut  the  name  GRAY  DUCK  (see 
Nos.  6,  9)  is  usually  given  it  (I  find  that  I  have  thus  lumped  the 
matter  in  notes  relating  to  this  portion  of  the  coast),  but  no 
other  name  has  troubled  me  so  much  as  this  one.  It  can  be  ap- 
propriately applied  to  many  species,  and  is  too  comprehensive, 
too  adaptable  a  title  to  remain  as  unwaveringly  attached  to  a 
single  species  as  do  duck-names  usually.  It  is  very  liable  to  be 
brought  into  play  when  a  grayish  duck  of  any  kind  is  shot  that 
the  gunners  are  unfamiliar  with.  Though  I  have  met  the  name 
in  a  large  majority  of  the  places  visited,  I  have  only  been  able 
to  record  its  exact  local  use  in  a  comparatively  few  instances. 
Referring  to  its  general  application  in  New  England  to  the 
present  species,  Mr.  Brewster  writes  (Bull.  Nutt.  Orn.  Club,  July, 
1883) :  "  Much  confusion  has  been  caused  by  the  assumption 
that  the  Gray  Duck  (i.e.,  Gad  wall)  of  the  books  is  the  same  wit  h 
the  '  Gray  Duck '  of  New  England  gunners  and  sportsmen."  I 
have  heard  this  name  popularly  applied  to  the  species  now  in 
hand,  on  the  Niagara  (see  No.  6) ;  in  Connecticut,  at  Essex,  Mil- 
ford,  and  Stratford ;  at  Bellport,  Long  Island ;  Washington,  D.  C. ; 
and  Alexandria,  Va. ;  and  very  commonly  in  these  localities,  as 
elsewhere,  to  designate  only  the  females,  and  the  males  in  gray 
attire,  (iiraud  says,  in  his  Birds  of  Long  Island,  1844,  referring 
3* 


gg  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  13. 

to  this  fowl :  "  The  young  and  females  are  mistaken  by  many 
persons  for  a  distinct  species,  which  they  call  Gray  Duck." 

Some  of  the  duckers  of  Seaford  (Hempstead),  Long  Island, 
include  full-plumaged  drake  under  above  title,  while  others  dis- 
tinguish the  latter  as  PIED  GRAY  DUCK  (see  note  to  No.  23, 
concerning  use  of  "  pied  "  on  Long  Island). 

In  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  and  St.  Augustine,  these  young 
birds  and  females  are  also  called  Gray  Duck,  and  in  the  latter 
locality  GRAY  WIDGEON  (see  No.  9) ;  latter  name  likewise  used 
more  or  less  at  Essex,  Conn.,  where  the  species  goes  by  the 
name  of  SEA  WIDGEON  as  well. 

Also  known  (including  or  not  the  gray  birds)  on  the  Ni- 
agara ;  about  Lake  St.  Clair ;  in  Massachusetts  at  Salem,  North 
Scituate,  North  Plymouth,  and  West  Barnstable,  as  PIN-TAIL 
(see  No.  31),  and  at  Salem  and  West  Barnstable  as  SPLIT- 
TAIL.  At  Buzzard's  Bay,  Mass.;  in  Connecticut,  at  Essex  and 
Stratford;  in  New  Jersey,  at  Barnegat,  Tuckerton,  Pleasant- 
ville  (Atlantic  Co.),  and  Atlantic  City;  at  Baltimore,  Wash- 
ington, Alexandria,  Norfolk,  and  at  Morehead,  N.  C.,  SPRIG  - 
TAIL ;  this  being  sometimes  shortened  to  SPRIG.  At  Chicago, 
SPIKE -TAIL,  and  less  commonly  PIKE -TAIL;  at  Milford,  Conn., 
PICKET -TAIL;  this  being  probably  the  original  form  of  a  Long 
Island  name,  which  I  find  spelled  "  Picketail "  in  my  note  book, 
and  which  Giraud  gives  as  "  Picitail "  in  the  index  to  his  Birds 
of  Long  Island.  Several  old  duckers  conversed  with  at  Shinne- 
cock  Bay,  Moriches,  Bellport,  etc.,  consider  this  a  corruption  of 
peaked-tail,  but  I  imagine  they  are  a  little  off  the  track. 

To  the  older  gunners  about  Milford,  this  is  the  PHEASANT 
DUCK  or  PHEASANT;  and  similar  names  by  which  the  species 
has  been  known  are  SEA  PHEASANT  and  WATER  PHEASANT. 
For  other  water-fowl  to  which  the  name  "pheasant"  is  applied, 
see  Nos.  20,  21,  22. 

In  New  Jersey,  at  Manasquan  (Monmouth  Co.),  SMEE;  at 
Tuckerton,  SMEES;  while  others  at  Tuckerton  refer  to  it  as 
SMETHE.  Though  these  are  doubtless  forms  of  one  and  the 
same  name,  I  have  thought  best  to  make  no  choice  between 
them,  but  to  give  the  three  equal  prominence.  The  species  has 


No.  13.]  BIRD  NAMES.  39 

been  so  termed,  it  appears,  for  a  very  long  time.  "  Most  of  us," 
said  a  venerable  hunter,  "  call  it  Sprig-tail,  but  I  suppose  its  real 
name  is  Smees."  Josselyn,  in  his  Voyages  to  New  England, 
published  1674,  mentions  "Smethes"  among  other  of  our  birds, 
but  to  what  species  he  referred  we  can  only  guess.  It  is  inter- 
esting also  to  recall  the  fact  that  the  Smew  or  White  Nun, 
Mergus  atbdlu*  (no  longer  included  in  our  fauna),  has  been  called 
both  "  Smee"  and  "  Smeath." 

At  Pleasant ville  and  Atlantic  City  we  hear  LONG -NECK, 
and  at  Charleston  and  Savannah  SPRIG -TAILED  WIDGEON; 
while  in  Charleston  markets  and  to  some  of  the  local  gunners  it 
is  the  WIDGEON  simply.  (See  our  Widgeon  of  the  books,  No.  8 ; 
also  Nos.  9,  12,  17,  31.)  At  St.  Augustine  the  full -feathered 
drake  is  the  KITE -TAILED  WIDGEON. 

Other  aliases  gathered  from  various  sources,  but  that  I  do 
not  remember  having  heard  in  common  use,  are  WINTER  DUCK 
(Nuttall— See  No.  25);  CRACKER  (Fleming's  British  Animals); 
8PREET-TAIL,  PILE -START  (both  in  Giraud's  Birds  of  Long 
Island);  PIGEON-TAIL  (Herbert's  Field  Sports);  SHARP-TAIL 
(I hillock's  Gazetteer,  and  Long's  American  Wild  Fowl  Shoot- 
ing); SPINDLE -TAIL  (Water  Birds  of  North  America).  And 
Rev.  Chas.  Swainson,  in  Provincial  Names  of  British  Birds, 
1885,  gives  "LADY  BIRD  (Dublin  Bay),"  and  "HARLAN  (Wex- 
ford),"  recording  also  a  name  previously  mentioned,  as  follows : 
"Sea  Pheasant  (Hants;  Dorset)." 


No.  14. 
Spatula  clypeata. 

Adult  male.  Head  and  upper  neck  of  a  very  dark  greenish 
tone,  with  purple  reflections ;  lower  neck  and  breast  white ;  belly 
and  flanks  rich  chestnut  brown ;  front  part  of  wings  conspicu- 
ously blue,  of  light  shade,  but  vivid;  back  of  this  blue,  a  green 
wing-mark,  or  speculum,  bordered  with  white  and  black;  feath- 


ers  striped  with  white,  sweeping  backward  from  inner  region  of 
wings;  back  dusky  brown;  rump,  and  above  and  below  tail, 
black  with  greenish  gloss  ;  at  either  side  of  tail  a  white  patch. 

Audubon  wrote :  "  We  have  no  duck  in  the  United  States 
whose  plumage  is  more  changeable  than  that  of  the  male  of  this 
beautiful  species."  The  species  can  nevertheless  be  quickly 


No.  14.]  BIRD  NAMES.  41 

recognized  in  any  plumage  by  its  broad,  soft,  and  yielding  bill, 
twice  as  wide  at  its  rounded  end  as  at  its  base,  with  fringe  of  fine 
tooth-like  processes  exposing  themselves  on  either  side. 

I  have  never  had  the  good-fortune  to  kill  a  drake  in  above 
splendid  attire,  and  have  taken  my  description  mainly  from  three 
stuffed  specimens  shot  near  Savannah,  Ga.  The  bills  of  these  are 
black,  but  the  colors  of  bills  and  legs  before  death  I  can  only 
determine  through  the  testimony  of  others.  According  to  sev- 
eral ornithological  works,  the  bills  (accompanying  this  or  similar 
plumage)  are  black,  or  nearly  so;  the  legs  reddish  orange,  or 
vermilion. 


Mali.    Female. 

I  have  shot  many  of  this  species  in  the  late  fall  and  early 
winter  in  Southern  and  Western  States,  but  they  were  either 
dr;il«'s  in  imperfect  plumage,  or  birds  in  female  apparel.  This 
latter  dress  is  a  simple  mixture  of  warm  brown  and  light  buff, 
lim-  and  streaky  on  head  and  upper  neck;  the  throat  plain  buff. 
Lower  neck  (all  around)  and  general  upper  plumage  brown,  the 
tV:i  there  edged  with  light  buff  which  pales  to  white  on  broader 
feathers  growing  from  shoulder  regions,  or  inner  region  of 
wings;  the  feathers  covering  sides  of  body  marked  in  nearly 
like  manner.  Forward  portion  of  wings  brownish,  with  light 


49  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  14. 

markings  near  front  edge  (no  blue) ;  speculum  greenish,  bor- 
dered before  and  very  narrowly  behind  with  white,  and  often 
very  dull,  with  little  or  no  lustre.  Lower  surface  of  body  vary- 
ing from  buff  to  nearly  pure  white,  mottled  about  vent  and  be- 
neath tail  with  warm  brown. 

Length  about  twenty  inches ;  extent  thirty  inches  or  more. 

Bill,  as  I  have  commonly  observed  it  on  freshly  killed  birds, 
but  as  I  have  never  seen  it  described :  upper  division  (or  upper 
mandible)  olive  brown,  with  bright  orange  edge,  the  surface 
dotted  with  black  as  though  fly-specked ;  lower  division  bright 
orange  ;*  these  colors  changing  rapidly  after  death. 

Many  imperfectly  plumaged  drakes  that  I  have  seen  have 
dark  head  and  neck,  finely  speckled  with  white;  snowy  white 
and  dark  markings  about  breast  and  back ;  front  of  wing  blue 
to  greater  or  less  degree,  and  dull  brownish  leather  color  on 
belly. 

I  have  always  found  this  duck  fine  eating.  Audubon  says  : 
"  The  sportsman  who  is  a  judge  will  never  pass  a  Shoveller  to 
shoot  a  Canvas-back." 

Eange,  "Northern  Hemisphere.  In  North  America  breed- 
ing from  Alaska  to  Texas  "  (A.  O.  U.  Check  List). 

SHOVELLER:  BLUE-WING  SHOVELLER  (Catesby's  Nat.  Hist, 
of  Carolina,  etc.) :  RED-BREASTED  SHOVELLER  (Pennant's  Brit- 
ish Zoology). 

Along  the  coast  from  New  Brunswick  to  Connecticut  this 
species  is  too  rare  to  bear  a  well-established  name  among  gun- 
ners. It  is  known  at  Lake  St.  Clair;  the  Detroit  River;  Chi- 
cago ;  Long  Island ;  in  New  Jersey  at  Red  Bank  (Monmouth 
Co.),  Barnegat,  Atlantic  City,  and  Sommers  Point;  in  Mary- 
land at  Havre  de  Grace  and  Baltimore ;  in  Virginia  at  Alex- 


*  Catesby,  1731,  describes  bill  as  "reddish  brown,  spotted  with  black" 
(his  specimen  being  in  brown  plumage,  with  front  of  wing  blue);  and  in 
Water  Birds  of  North  America  (Baird,  Brewer,  and  Ridgway),  bill  colors  of 
adult  female  are  thus  described :  "  bill  brown,  mandible  orange ;"  but  no 
mention  is  made  of  the  black  dots. 


No.  14.]  BIRD  NAMES.  43 

andria  and  Norfolk ;  at  Morehead,  N.  C.,  and  Savannah,  Ga.,  as 
SPOON-BILL*  (see  No.  31). 

At  Tuckerton,  N.  J.,  and  Crisfield,  Md.,  it  is  the  SHOVEL- 
BILL,  and  in  Putnam  County,  Illinois,  the  BROADY. 

The  name  BROAD-BILL,  given  in  Yarrell's  British  Birds, 
Coues's  Key,  etc.,  though  eminently  appropriate,  seems  to  have 
been  very  thoroughly  taken  up  in  our  country  by  other  species. 

Another  name  at  Norfolk,  and  one  which  has  rapidly  grown 
into  favor,  is  BUTLER  DUCK,  the  bird  being  so  called  because  of 
its  spoon-like  bill,  and  with  reference  to  a  well-known  general  in 
the  civil  war.  J.  W.  Long  also  records  this  name  in  his  descrip- 
tions of  wildfowl  shooting  in  the  West. 

Another  odd  title,  of  much  less  recent  origin,  encountered  at 
Morehead,  N.  C.,  is  COW-FROG.  Though  no  one  attempts  to  give 
a  reason  for  the  term,  the  oldest  inhabitants  tell  of  hearing  it  in 
use  from  early  childhood. 

Though  known  at  Savannah,  as  previously  stated,  as  the 
Spoon-bill,  I  have  heard  it  oftener  referred  to  there,  and  at  St. 
Augustine,  as  SPOON-BILLED  WIDGEON;  and  it  is  commonly 
called  in  the  markets,  and  by  the  market-gunners  of  Savannah, 
the  SPOON-BILLED  TEAL.  This  termination  "  teal,"  though  a 
peculiarly  marketable  one,  is  not  applied  in  this  case  from  mer- 
cenary motives  alone,  as  many  of  the  resident  sportsmen  as  well 
as  market  gunners  believe  in  two  varieties  of  Spoon-bill;  the 
Spoon  -  billed  Widgeon  being  the  larger,  and  having  "darker 
bill  and  legs." 

The  only  time  I  remember  to  have  heard  the  name  Shoveller 
in  actual  use  among  gunners  (and  this,  according  to  scholarly 
usage,  is  its  correct  name)  was  at  Baltimore.  The  bird  is  known 
however  as  the  MUD-SHOVELLER  at  Sanford,  Fla. 

In  Lawson's  New  Voyage  to  Carolina,  1709,  we  read  about 
the  SWADDLE-BILL  as  follows :  "  A  sort  of  an  ash-colored  duck, 
which  have  an  extraordinary  broad  bill,  and  are  good  meat; 

*  Our  Roseate  Spoonbill,  allied  to  the  herons,  and  known  to  ornithologists 
by  the  weird  and  double-barrelled  title  Ajoja  ojaja,  will  not,  it  is  hoped,  get 
mixed  in  the  mind  of  any  one  with  the  duck  kind. 


44  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  14. 

they  are  not  common  as  the  others  are."  As  Pennant  remarks 
in  his  Arctic  Zoology,  1785,  referring  to  the  above  (but  without 
naming  Lawson) :  "  We  must  therefore  join  it,  for  the  present, 
to  this  species." 

In  Swainson's  Provincial  Names  of  British  Birds,  1885,  we 
find  SHOVELARD  (Norfolk);  MAIDEN  DUCK  (Wexford);  SHEL- 
DRAKE and  WHINYARD  (Waterford) ;  "whinyard"  being  "the 
name  for  a  knife  like  the  Shoveller's  bill  in  shape."  Mr.  Swain- 
son  also  states  that  the  name  Whinyard  is  given  in  Wexford  to 
the  European  Pochard  Fuligula  ferina. 


No.  15. 

Aythya  vallisneria. 

Adult  Malt.  Head  and  greater  part  of  neck  brownish  red 
or  mahogany  color ;  top  of  head  and  about  bill  of  deeper  tint,  or 
blackish;  reddish  tone  extending  farther  down  neck  than  in 
species  No.  16  (sometimes  confounded  with  No.  15),  and  ap- 
proaching less  nearly  a  true  red ;  remainder  of  neck,  fore  part 


of  body,  and  rump  blackish  brown ;  wings  principally  gray. 
Back,  shoulder-feathers,  sides,  and  about  vent  white,  delicately 
dotted  and  lined  in  wavy  pattern  with  dusky  gray  ("wrapt  in 
pencilled  snow  ") ;  front  of  wings  with  wavy  markings  in  similar 
fashion.  Under  parts  of  body,  not  previously  described,  pure 


BIRD  NAMES. 


white.  Bill  high  at  base,  greenish  black  throughout  ;  its  length 
from  corner  of  mouth  two  and  a  half  to  two  and  three-quarter 
inches,  and  greatest  width  about  thirteen  sixteenths  of  an  inch. 
Legs  bluish  gray. 

Female.  Head,  neck,  and  fore  part  of  body  dull  brownish 
buff  or  brownish  tan  ;  wings  nearly  plain  grayish  brown  ;  upper 
parts  of  body,  with  sides,  and  rump  all  around  grayish  brown 
minutely  sprinkled  with  wavy  dull  white.  Belly  white,  tinged 
here  and  there  with  yellowish  and  grayish  tints.  Bill  and  legs 
as  in  male. 


Length  twenty-one  to  twenty-two  and  three-quarter  inches : 
extent  thirty-three  and  a  half  to  thirty-six  inches  or  a  little  more. 

Another  way  of  distinguishing  it  from  No.  16  is  by  the 
rather  flat  manner  in  which  the  forehead  continues  the  upper 
line  of  the  bill ;  the  forehead  of  No.  16  being  more  arched  and 
intellectual-looking. 

In  many  waters  of  the  West,  this  bird,  whose  range  is  sup- 
posed to  include  the  greater  part  of  the  country,*  is  found  in 

*  "Breeds  from  the  northern  tier  of  states  northward,  in  the  Rocky  Moun- 


No.  15.]  BIRD  NAMES.  47 

goodly  numbers,  but  it  is  not  a  common  species  anywhere  near 
our  Eastern  coast  north  of  Delaware ;  and  in  New  England  it  is 
rare. 

A  friend  who  has  spent  much  time  at  Norfolk,  Va.,  informs 
me  that  a  majority  of  the  Norfolk  epicures  consider  this  bird 
better  eating  when  it  first  arrives  from  the  North  than  it  is  at 
any  other  time.  This  is  antagonistic  with  the  popular  belief 
that  the  "  wild  celery  "  of  the  Chesapeake  region  does  so  much 
to  improve  the  bird's  flavor. 

Wilson,  who  first  described  this  species  (scientifically),  tells 
us  (1814)  of  its  being  called  CANVAS-BACK  on  the  Susquehanna, 
WHITE-BACK  on  the  Potomac,  and  SHELDRAKE  (see  Nos.  20, 
•J 1 .  -1-1}  on  the  James.  Jefferson,  in  his  Notes  on  Virginia  (ed. 
1788),  mentions  "Sheldrach,  or  Canvas-back;"  and  the  name 
••  White-back"  is  still  a  familiar  one  to  duckers  on  the  Potomac, 
at  least  to  those  about  Washington  and  Alexandria. 

Wilson  tells  us  also  of  a  wheat-laden  vessel  wrecked  near 
Great  Egg  Harbor,  N.  J.,  and  how  the  floating  grain  attracted 
vast  numbers  of  these  birds,  which,  being  unknown  to  the  local 
gunners,  were  denominated  "  sea-duck  "  simply ;  and  Ord  adds, 
in  his  reprint  of  Wilson,  that  in  the  neighborhood  of  Phila- 
delphia hunters  were  in  the  habit  of  supplying  the  market  with 
this  duck,  under  the  name  of  "Red-head,"  or  "Red-neck"  (see 
No.  16),  and  that  "  their  ignorance  of  its  being  the  true  Canvas- 
l>ack  was  cunningly  fostered  by  our  neighbors  of  the  Chesa- 
peake, who  boldly  asserted  that  only  their  waters  were  favored 
with  this  species."  Audubon  speaks  of  Southern  epicures  send- 
ing to  Baltimore  for  Canvas-back,  not  knowing  that  they  could 
be  obtained  near  home.  "  I  well  remember,"  he  writes,  "  that  on 
my  jointing  out  to  a  friend,  now  alas,  dead,  several  dozens  of 
these  birds  in  the  market  of  Savannah,  he  would  scarcely  believe 
that  I  was  not  mistaken,  and  assured  me  that  they  were  looked 
upon  as  poor,  dry  and  fishy."  But  now,  this  "  over-rated  and 

tains  further  south,  and  in  upper  California;  winters  in  the  United  States, and 
southward  to  Guatemala." — Couct. 


48  S1RD   NAMES.  [No.  15. 

generally  under-done  bird,"  as  Dr.  Coues  nicely  puts  it,  is  recog- 
nized as  the  "Canvas-back"  almost  everywhere.  It  may  be 
added  that  in  ducking  parlance  the  abbreviation  CAN  is  some- 
times used ;  I  should  not  emphasize  this  fact  had  not  the  abbre- 
viation crept  into  print  occasionally  as  a  distinct  name,  without 
apology  or  explanation. 

Known  to  many  gunners  about  Morehead,  N  C.,  and  on  New 
River,  Onslow  Co.,  same  state,  as  BULL-NECK  (see  No.  31),  and 
in  last-named  locality,  as  EED -HEADED  BULL-NECK 


No.  16. 

Aythya  americana. 

Adult  male.  Head  and  upper  neck  mahogany  colored ;  head 
large  with  full  puffy  feathering ;  remainder  of  neck,  fore  breast, 
and  around  on  extreme  forward  part  of  back  continuously  black 
or  blackish.  Plumage  of  back  and  sides  finely  zigzagged  with 
dull  white  and  slaty  black;  the  lower  back  and  tail  grayish 


brown;  and  immediately  about  tail  blackish.  "Wings  princi- 
pally two  shades  of  bluish  gray,  their  under  surfaces  grayish 
and  white.  Under  surface  of  body  white,  shading  darker  with 
brownish  gray  towards  tail.  Bill  pale  blue  (in  life)  with  black 
end ;  length  of  bill,  measured  along  edge  from  corner  of  mouth, 
4 


50 


BIRD  NAMES. 


[No.  16. 


two  to  two  and  a  quarter  inches;  its  greatest  width  thirteen 
sixteenths  to  fourteen  sixteenths  of  an  inch.  Legs  bluish  gray. 
Female.  Bill  similar  to  drake's,  but  darker  m  color;  head 
and  upper  neck  drab  or  grayish  brown;  immediately  about  bill 
and  throat  lighter  grayish  buff.  Lower  regions  of  neck,  upper 
parts  of  body,  and  the  sides  brown  and  slaty  brown ;  edges  of 
the  feathers  paler,  the  pale  edging  more  noticeable  about  lower 
neck  region  and  sides.  No  zigzag  markings  anywhere  (or  with 
barest  suggestion  of  them).  Wing  much  as  in  male.  Under 


parts  white,  shading  darker  and  brownish  gray  behind.  Legs  as 
in  male. 

Length  twenty  to  twenty-one  inches:  extent  about  thirty- 
three  inches. 

Kange,  North  America  in  general,  breeding  from  Maine  and 
California  northward. 

RED-HEAD,  or  RED-HEADED  DUCK:  very  generally  known  as 
such  in  the  books,  and  by  gunners.  It  has  been  also  called 
the  POCHARD  from  its  resemblance  to  European  Pochard  (with 
which  it  was  at  one  time  considered  identical),  and  more  cor- 
rectly the  AMERICAN  POCHARD. 


No.  16.]  BIRD  NAMES.  51 

At  Seaford  (Hempstead),  L.  I.,  it  is  the  RED-HEADED  BROAD- 
BILL.  Upon  the  coast  north  of  Long  Island  this  species,  though 
occasionally  killed,  is  certainly  far  from  a  familiar  sight  to 
gunners. 

From  Pamlico  Sound  to  South  Carolina  commonly  known 
as  the  RED-HEADED  RAFT-DUCK. 

In  King's  Sportsman  and  Naturalist  in  Canada,  1866,  called 
GRAY-BACK  (see  No.  17) ;  and  in  Schoolcraft,  1820,  and  Tan- 
ner's Narrative,  1830,  PALL  DUCK. 

Another  name,  too  interesting  to  be  omitted,  is  found  in 
Avifauna  Columbiana  (Coues  and  Prentiss,  1883),  i.  <?.,  WASH- 
INGTON CANVAS-BACK,  accompanied  by  the  following  remarks : 
"  One  of  the  commonest  market  ducks,  passing  about  half  the 
time  for  Canvas-back,  and  equally  available  for  promoting  Con- 
gressional legislation." 


No.  17. 

Aythya  marila  nearctica. 

Adult  male.  Head,  neck,  fore  part  of  breast,  and  front  of 
back  black ;  the  gloss  about  head  chiefly  greenish.  Lower  part 
of  back,  the  long  wing-feathers,  and  tail  mostly  brownish  black. 
Wing-mark,  or  speculum,  white.  Middle  of  back,  sides  of  body, 
and  flanks  beautifully  pencilled  with  black  and  white  zigzag 


No  17.    Adult  Male. 


lines,  the  same  extending  on  to  wings,  but  less  conspicuously. 
Under  surface  of  body  principally  white,  though  pencilled  like 
flanks  on  lower  belly,  and  blackish  beneath  tail.  Bill  broad,  and 
of  light  bluish  lead  color  with  black  nail  at  end.  Legs  and  feet 
gray,  with  blackish  webs.  Eyes  yeUow. 


[No.  17. 


BIRD  NAMES. 


53 


Female.  Dark  brown  in  those  parts  which  are  black  in  male, 
though  with  front  of  head  immediately  around  base  of  bill 
white.  The  zigzag  markings  much  less  distinct.  Bill  less  blue, 
more  dusky,  and  often  with  dull  olive  tinge.  In  other  respects 
resembling  drake. 


No.  IT.    Female. 

"Total  length  about  eighteen  to  twenty  inches;  extent 
twenty-nine  and  a  half  to  thirty-five  inches."* 

Range,  North  America  in  general;  "breeding  far  north" 
(A.  O.  U.  Check  List). 

Concerning  the  edibleness  of  this  and  following  species,  No. 
18,  doctors  disagree,  as  in  many  similar  cases ;  quality  of  flesh 
depending  so  much  upon  feeding-ground.  My  own  experience 
has  led  me  to  agree  with  Wilson,  that  "  their  flesh  is  not  of  the 
most  delicate  kind." 

AMERICAN  SCAUP  DUCK :  GREATER  SCAUP  DUCK    «  Scaup," 


*  Having  omitted  to  take  measurements  myself,  I  quote  Water  Birds  of 
North  America  (Baird,  Brewer,  and  Ridgway). 


54  BIRD  NAMES.  No.  17.] 

according  to  Willoughby,  is  a  term  applied  to  broken  shell-fish ; 
and  Yarrell,  treating  of  British  Birds,  says :  "  Beds  of  oysters 
and  mussels  are  in  the  north  called  '  oyster-scaup '  and  '  mussel- 
scaup,'  and  from  feeding  on  these  shell-covered  banks  the  bird 
has  obtained  the  name." 

It  is  impossible  to  separate  clearly  the  names  of  this 
from  those  of  the  following  species,  No.  18,  the  two  being 
enough  alike  to  travel  very  commonly  under  one  and  the  same 
name. 

Along  the  coast  from  New  Brunswick,  until  approaching 
Long  Island  Sound,  duckers  do  not  usually  remark  a  difference 
between  them ;  and  I  had  better  state  here,  once  for  all,  that  the 
following  names,  which  are  not  specially  remarked  upon  as  ap- 
plied to  this,  the  greater  scaup,  alone,  may  be  regarded  as  belong- 
ing to  both  species. 

Known  in  Maine  at  Jonesport,  Frenchman's  Bay,  Ash  Point 
(near  Rockland),  Portland,  and  Pine  Point,  and  in  Massachusetts 
at  Salem,  Barnstable,  Fairhaven,  and  Falmouth,  as  BLUE  BILL.* 
This  is  the  popular  appellation  in  the  West  also.  I  have  met  it 
in  common  use  on  the  Niagara  and  Illinois  Rivers,  at  Chicago, 
and  about  Lake  St.  Clair ;  and  Mr.  J.  P.  Leach,  of  Rushville,  111., 
writes  me  concerning  this  and  No.  18  in  his  part  of  the  country, 
that  they  are  "  almost  invariably  known  as  '  blue-bills ;'  the  terms 
'  broad-bill,'  '  scaup,'  '  black-head,'  etc.,  rarely  being  used  except 
by  men  from  the  East." 

We  hear  "  blue-bill "  also  (among  other  names)  in  New  Jersey 
at  Pleasantville  (Atlantic  Co.)  and  Cape  May  City ;  and  infre- 
quently used  at  Jacksonville,  Fla. 

This,  the  larger  scaup,  is  distinguished  in  the  vicinity  of 
Detroit  and  Lake  St.  Clair,  as  LAKE  BLUE-BILL,  and  this  name 
is  recorded  as  "  local "  in  the  Revised  List  of  Birds  of  Central 
New  York,  1879  (Rathbun,  Fowler,  and  others). 

Again  at  Falmouth,  Mass.,  and  to  native  duckers  at  New- 
port, R.  I.,  WIDGEON  (see  our  Widgeon  of  ornithologists,  No.  8, 
also  Nos.  9, 12, 13,  31):  in  Boston  markets  BLUE-BILLED  WIDG- 

*  Given  at  Machias  Port,  Me.,  to  Ruddy  Duck,  No.  31. 


[Xo.  17.  BIRD  NAMES.  55 

EON:  at  North  Plymouth,  same  state,  AMERICAN  WIDGEON* 
(to  some  at  least) ;  and  Mr.  F.  C.  Browne  gives  TROOP-FOWL  in 
his  list  of  "gunners'  names"  at  Plymouth  Bay  (Forest  and 
Stream,  Nov.  9,  1876). 

Another  title  at  Chicago  is  GRAY-BACK  (see  No.  16),  and 
certain  gunners  about  Detroit  prefer  BLACK-NECK  to  the  more 
common  Western  term  "  blue-bill." 

In  Connecticut  at  Stonington,  mouth  of  Connecticut  River, 
Stony  Creek,  and  Stratford,  BROAD-BILL  (this  being  monopolized 
at  Bath,  Me.,  and  Newport,  R.  I.,  by  Ruddy  Duck,  No.  31 ;  see 
also  No.  14).  I  find  latter  name  in  like  use  in  New  Jersey  at 
Barnegat,  Tuckerton,  Pleasantville  (Atlantic  Co.),  and  Cape  May 
City,  and  in  Virginia  at  Richmond. 

The  greater  scaup  is  distinguished  on  Long  Island  at  Shin- 
necock  Bay  and  Moriches  as  BAY  BROAD-BILL,  and  again  at 
Shinnecock  Bay  as  DEEP-WATER  BROAD-BILL;  at  Bellport  as 
WINTER  BROAD-BILL;  and  at  Manasquan,  N.  J.,  as  SALT-WATER 
BROAD-BILL.  Another  name  once  common  about  Shinnecock 
Bay,  but  now  seldom  heard,  is  MUSSEL-DUCK. 

Again  at  Pleasantville,  N.  J.,  and  at  Crisfield,  Md.,  FLOCK- 
DUCK;  Crisfield  duckers  frequently,  however,  distinguish  the 
greater  scaup  as  GREEN-HEAD  (see  No.  6,  to  which  this  name 
is  usually  applied). 

At  the  mouth  of  the  Susquehanna,  very  commonly  on  the 
Chesapeake,  by  some  at  Cape  May  C.  H.,  at  Eastville  and 
Cobb's  Island,  Va.,  and  at  Charleston,  S.  C.,  BLACK-HEAD;  the 
greater  being  particularized  on  the  Chesapeake  as  BAY  BLACK- 
HEAD. I  have  heard  the  term  "black-head"  as  far  south  as 
St.  Augustine,  though  SEA-DUCK  and  RAFT-DUCK  are  names 
better  understood  by  St.  Augustine  natives;  the  latter  name 
being  equally  popular  at  Savannah  and  Jacksonville. 

At  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  Alexandria,  Va.,  BAY-SHUFFLER. 

At  Morehead,  N.  C.,  and  Wilmington,  same  state,  BLACK- 

*  The  American  Widgeon  of  the  books,  No.  8,  being  locally  known  as 
"California  Widgeon."  Scaups  are  not  common  enough  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Plymouth  to  require  often  a  name  of  any  kind,  and  No.  8  is  rare. 


56  BIRD  NAMES.  No.  17.] 

HEADED  BAFT-DUCK;  this  being  applied  only  to  greater  scaup 
in  first-named  locality.  By  others  at  Wilmington,  BULL-NECK 
(see  Nos.  15,  31). 

It  may  be  added  that  the  words  "  big  "  and  "  large  "  as  pre- 
fixes to  "  blue-bill,"  "  broad-bill,"  etc.,  frequently  distinguish  this 
from  the  following  scaup. 


No.  18. 

Aythya  affinis. 

In  appearance,  excepting  size,  like  No.  17 ;  gloss  about  head, 
however  (when  discernible),  having  more  of  a  purplish  than 
greenish  cast. 

"  Length  fifteen  and  a  half  to  seventeen  inches ;  extent  under 
thirty  inches."  * 

Range,  "  North  America  in  general ;  breeding  chiefly  north 
of  the  United  States"  (A.  O.  U.  Check  List). 

See  No.  17  for  names  shared  in  common  with  this  species, 
but  not  repeated  here. 

This,  the  LESSER  SCAUP  DUCK,  though  often  found  in  com- 
pany with  preceding  species,  is  certainly  more  partial  to  inland 
water,  or  rivers,  creeks,  and  ponds.  I  find  it  locally  designated 
as  follows: 

In  the  vicinity  of  Lake  St.  Clair,  RIVER  BLUE-BILL;  at 
Chicago,  LITTLE  BLUE-BILL  (adjectives  "little"  and  "small" 
being  naturally  more  or  less  used  in  many  localities  by  those 
who  recognize  Nos.  17  and  18  as  distinct);  in  Revised  List  of 
Birds  of  Central  New  York,  1879,  MARSH  BLUE-BILL  (given  as 
"local");  at  Pleasantville,  Atlantic  Co.,  New  Jersey,  MUD  BLUE- 
BILL. 

At  Stratford,  Connecticut,  and  Seaford  (Hempstead),  L.  L, 
RIVER  BROAD-BILL;  at  Shinnecock  Bay,  L.  L,  and  Tucker- 

*  Having  quoted  measurements  of  greater  scaup,  No.  17, 1  prefer  to  quote 
these  also,  this  time  from  Dr.  Coues's  Key,  1884.  By  comparing  quotations, 
and  taking  into  account  that  the  plumages  are  practically  alike,  it  will  be  seen 
that  under  certain  conditions  the  two  ducks  are  not  easily  separated. 


58  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  18. 

ton,  K  J.,  CREEK  BROAD-BILL;  and  Giraud  in  his  Birds  of 
Long  Island,  1844,  mentions  this  name  as  "  well-known  to  the 
bay  gunners." 

Again,  at  Bellport,  L.  L,  MUD  BROAD-BILL;  and  in  New 
Jersey,  at  Barnegat,  FRESH -WATER  BROAD -BILL;  at  Cape 
May  C.  II.,  GOSHEN  BROAD-BILL  (the  cove  at  Goshen,  same 
county,  being  a  favorite  resort  of  this  smaller  species) ;  in  Ab- 
bott's catalogue  of  New  Jersey  Birds,  1868,  POND  BROAD-BILL. 

Many  duckers  of  the  Chesapeake  know  it  as  CREEK  BLACK- 
HEAD; and  in  Virginia  at  Eastville  and  Cobb's  Island  it  is  the 
FLOCK  DUCK;  and  Audubon  speaks  of  its  being  known  in  Ken- 
tucky as  FLOCKING-FOWL. 

At  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  Alexandria,  Va.,  RIVER  SHUF- 
FLER; and  in  Newberne  and  Morehead,  K  C.,  SHUFFLER, 
simply;  the  latter  name  being  never  intentionally  applied  in 
the  vicinity  of  Morehead,  at  least,  to  greater  scaup. 


No.  19. 

Aythya  collaris. 

Adult  male.  Bill  dark  slate  color  with  blackish  tip  and 
bands  of  pale  blue,  a  narrow  band  at  base,  and  broader  one  near 
end.  A  brownish  red  or  mahogany  colored  ring  around  neck.- 
Head  and  neck  above  ring  black,  with  slight  iridescence,  and 
white  chin-mark.  Neck  below  ring,  fore-breast,  and  plumage  of 
upper  parts  blackish.  Wings  slaty  brown ;  the  wing-mark,  or 


; 


speculum,  bluish  gray.  Sides  of  body  finely  waved  with  white 
and  blackish  lines.  Under  parts  white,  with  dusky  markings 
towards  rear,  and  black,  or  nearly  black,  beneath  tail.  Legs 
gray. 

Female.    Xo  ring  around  neck,  and  no  wavy  lines  any- 
where.   Bill  much  less  plainly  marked.     Dark  parts  of  plumage 


60 


BIRD  NAMES. 


[No.  19. 


brownish  ;  the  front  of  head  about  base  of  bill  whitish,  this  face- 
marking  purer  white  on  chin,  and  mixed  more  or  less  with 
brown  on  forehead.  Wings  marked  with  bluish  gray  as  in 


No.  19.    Female. 

male.  Lower  surface  of  body  grayish  white,  freckled  with 
brown  or  grayish  brown,  and  becoming  more  uniformly  brown 
behind. 

Length  sixteen  to  eighteen  inches ;  extent,  say  from  twenty- 
five  to  twenty-seven  inches.  A  much  less  numerous  species  than 
either  No.  17  or  18. 

Eange,  North  America  in  general;  breeding  north  of  the 
United  States.  Though  found  along  the  coast,  oftener  met  Avith 
in  the  interior. 

RING-NECKED  DUCK:  RING-NECKED  SCAUP:  RING-NECKED 
BLACK-HEAD:  TUFTED-DUCK  of  Wilson. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Lake  St.  Clair  MARSH  BLUE-BILL  (see 
No.  18),  a  name  given  also  by  Mr.  Seton  in  his  Birds  of  Western 
Manitoba  (Auk,  April,  1886). 

At  Chicago  RING-BILL;  and  Audubon  speaks  of  hearing 
the  latter  name  in  Kentucky. 


No.  19.]  BIRD  NAMES.  61 

In  Putnam  Co.,  111.,  BLACK-JACK;  this  being  heard  also  at 
Chicago,  though  less  commonly ;  and  Mr.  J.  P.  Leach,  of  Rush- 
ville,  111.,  writes  that  this1  name  is  "  generally  applied  along  the 
Illinois  River." 

In  Porter's  Spirit  of  the  Times,  Oct.  25th,  1856,  it  is  reported 
as  travelling  in  the  vicinity  of  Cincinnati,  under  "  the  euphonious 
but  unmeaning  "  title  of  BUNTY ;  and  Mr.  Long,  in  his  American 
"Wild  Fowl  Shooting,  1874,  gives  GOLDEN-EYES  as  a  "  very  com- 
mon "  name  in  the  West  (see  No.  23,  to  which  "  Golden-eye " 
is  usually  applied). 

Giraud  writes  (referring  to  this  duck)  in  his  Birds  of  Long 
Island,  1844:  "By  our  gunners  generally  it  is  considered  a 
hybrid,  and  familiar  to  them  by  the  name  of  BASTARD  BROAD- 
BILL." 

At  the  mduth  of  the  Susquehanna  commonly  known  as 
RING-BILLED  BLACK-HEAD,  though  many  of  the  local  gunners 
regard  the  female  as  a  distinct  species,  and  term  it  CREEK  RED- 
HEAD, because  of  its  resemblance  to  female  No.  16. 

At  Newberne,  N.  C.,  and  Wilmington,  same  state,  RING- 
BILLED  SHUFFLER;  and  I  am  told  by  two  well-informed  gun- 
ners, viz.,  Alonzo  Nye,  of  Chatham,  Mass.,  and  William  Hint, 
of  Lyme,  Conn.,  of  its  being  known  to  certain  South  Carolina 
duckers  as  the  MOON-BILL. 


No.  2O. 

Merganser  americamis. 

Bill  rather  cylindrical  in  shape,  hooked  at  point,  and  fur- 
nished with  very  positive  teeth,  entirely  unlike  what  is  under- 
stood as  a  duck  bill ;  see  outline  drawings  under  No.  21. 

Adult  Male.  Head  and  upper  neck  dark  green,  or  blackish 
with  green  gloss ;  a  slight,  scarcely  noticeable  crest.  Eyes  and 
bill  red;  the  latter,  however,  having  its  ridge,  and  "nail"  at 


No.  20.  Adult  Male.    <^    / 

end  black.  Lower  neck  all  around,  and  under  parts  of  body 
white,  more  or  less  deeply  tinged  (in  life)  with  buff.  Sides  of 
rump  faintly  waved  with  gray.  Tail,  and  lower  part  of  back, 
gray ;  remainder  of  back  black.  Wings  white  and  black,  as 
indicated  in  picture.  Legs  red. 

Female.    Head  and  upper   neck,   including   crest,  reddish 


No.  20.) 


BIRD   NAMES. 


63 


brown ;  the  crest  more  fully  developed  than  in  male.  Throat, 
lower  neck,  and  marking  on  wing  (as  shown  in  picture),  white. 
Upper  parts,  generally,  and  sides  slaty  gray.  Under  surface  of 
body  cream  colored  (in  life).  Legs,  bill,  and  eyes  much  as  in 
male,  but  less  bright. 


Measurements  about  as  follows:  Male:  length  twenty-six 
to  twenty -seven  inches;  extent  thirty-six  inches.  Female: 
length  twenty-four  inches ;  extent  thirty-five  inches. 

Though  this  bird  is  found  in  both  salt  and  fresh  water,  it 
belongs  much  more  to  the  inland  than  following  merganser  No. 
21.  It  is  a  thoroughly  cold- weather  creature,  remaining  on 
lakes,  ponds,  etc.,  as  long  as  a  single  "  breathing-hole  "  is  left  in 
the  ice,  and,  having  been  forced  to  depart,  it  returns  at  the  very 
first  show  of  open  water,  ascertaining  the -fact  immediately  in 
an  altogether  marvellous  manner. 

Range,  North  America  in  general ;  breeding  from  northern 
border  of  United  States,  northward. 

GOOSANDER  fa  name  commonly  regarded  as  from  goose  and 


64-  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  20, 

gander;  "a  goosey -goosey -gander"  sort  of  name):  MERGAN- 
SER (diver-goose,  Latin  mergus  and  anser) :  AMERICAN  MER- 
GANSER (distinguishing  it  from  European  species,  Merganser 
merganser):  DUN-DIVER  of  Pennant  (relating  to  dun  color  of 
female  plumage;  see  No.  31):  SPARLING  FOWL  of  Latham 
(a  good  name  for  this  fish -eating  fowl,  "sparling"  being  an 
old  English  name  for  the  smelt):  BUFF -BREASTED  SHEL- 
DRAKE:* BUFF -BREASTED  MERGANSER:  AMERICAN  SHEL- 
DRAKE. 

In  Maine  at  Eastport  and  Milbridge,  and  in  Massachusetts 
at  Pigeon  Cove  and  Salem,  SHELDRAKE,  f  indiscriminately 
with  No.  21 ;  the  present  species  monopolizing  said  title  at 
Kowley,  Mass.,  on  the  Niagara  Eiver,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Chicago,  at  Hennepin  and  Snachwine,  111.,  and  Morehead,  N.  C. 

At  Ellsworth,  Me.,  and  in  Massachusetts  at  North  Plymouth, 
Buzzard's  Bay,  and  West  Barnstable,  POND  SHELDRAKE  (see 
No.  22). 

At  Bath  and  Kennebunk,  Me.,  and  Portsmouth,  N.  H., 
WINTER  SHELDRAKE;  at  Pine  Point,  Me.,  GREAT  LAKE  SHEL- 
DRAKE; and  at  West  Barnstable,  Mass.,  SWAMP  SHELDRAKE 
(as  well  as  Pond  Sheldrake.  See  No.  22  for  name  Swamp  Shel- 
drake as  used  on  Long  Island). 

At  Falmouth,  Mass.,  and  in  New  Jersey  at  Barnegat  and 
Tuckerton,  FRESH-WATER  SHELDRAKE;  and  in  latter  state,  at 
Pleasantville  (Atlantic  Co.),  Atlantic  City,  and  Somers  Point, 
RIVER  SHELDRAKE;  and  at  Pleasantville  again,  NORTH  CARO- 
LINA SHELDRAKE.  It  may  add  interest  to  note  in  this  con- 
nection, as  well  as  farther  on,  that  the  term  "  Carolina  "  is  also 

*  The  name  Sheldrake  is  probably  from  provincial  English  sheld,  meaning 
variegated  or  pied,  and  drake. 

Yarrell  says  of  the  Old  World  Sheldrake:  "I  have  found  the  stomach  of 
this  species  filled  with  very  minute  bivalve  and  univalve  mollusca  only,  as 
though  they  had  sought  no  other  food ;  a  predilection  which  may  have  given 
rise  to  the  name  of  Shell-drake;  or  it  may  be  so  called  because  it  is  parti- 
colored ;  and  the  term  Shield-drake  may  have  had  its  origin  in  the  frequent 
use  made  of  this  bird  in  Heraldry." 

t  See  odd  use  of  this  name  under  No.  15. 


No.  20.]  BIRD  NAMES.  65 

employed  at  Pleasantville  for  the  Hudsonian  Godwit,  No.  61 ; 
the  latter  bird  being  locally  known  as  the  Carolina  Willet. 

On  Buzzard's  Bay,  from  New  Bedford  to  Barney's  Joy  Point, 
BREAKHORN ;  at  Stonington,  Conn.,  BRACKET  SHELDRAKE,  or 
BRACKET  simply.  The  meaning  of  these  two  names,  Breakhorn 
and  Bracket,  I  cannot  give,  and  I  think  that  the  latter  has  been 
introduced  in  Stonington  since  I  learned  to  shoot  there  thirty- 
five  years  ago. 

On  Long  Island  at  Moriches,  WEASER  SHELDRAKE ;  at  Bell- 
port  and  Seaford  (Hempstead),  WEASER.  The  term  "shel- 
drake," that  is  to  say,  being  more  commonly  omitted  in  latter 
localities.  I  have  given  the  spelling  of  Giraud,  who  refers  to 
this  name  in  his  Birds  of  Long  Island,  }S44.  Another  form  of 
it,  or  I  should  say  a  name  that  immediately  suggests  the  other, 
is  heard  at  Shinnecock  Bay  (designating  same  species),  viz. : 
TWEEZER.  I  can  hardly  believe  that  this  last  is  the  original 
form,  though  the  bird's  beak  is  easily  likened  to  a  pair  of 
tweezers.  My  idea  is  that  early  settlers  on  the  Island  associated 
our  "  fresh- water  sheldrake  "  with  the  German  river,  and  got  to 
calling  it  in  consequence  the  Weser  sheldrake. 

Though,  as  previously  mentioned,  the  name  "  sheldrake  "  at 
Milbridge,  Me.,  commonly  includes  next  species,  No.  21,  some  of 
the  older  gunners  there  distinguish  No.  20  as  the  PHEASANT;  the 
latter  distinction  being  general  at  Machias  Port  and  Jonesport, 
same  state;  and  we  read  in  Wilson,  Vol.  VIII.,  1814,  of  this 
species  (No.  20)  being  "  called  by  some  the  WATER-PHEASANT." 
(For  other  water-fowl  to  which  the  name  "  pheasant "  is  attached 
see  Nos.  13,  21,  22.) 

At  Milford  and  Stratford,  Conn.,  VELVET-BREAST;  and  to 
some  Atlantic  City  gunners,  MOROCCO-HEAD. 

Other  names  by  which  our  three  mergansers  (Nos.  20,  21,  22) 
have  been  more  or  less  loosely  known,  are  FISH-DUCK,  FISHING- 
DUCK,  FISHERMAN,  and  SAW-BILL.  The  names  Fisherman  and 
Fishing-duck  are,  however,  monopolized  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Morehead,  N.  C.,  by  No.  21. 
5 


No.  21. 

Merganser  serrator. 

Adult  male.  Head,  long  hairy  crest,  and  a  little  of  reck 
black,  with  greenish  gloss ;  the  neck  beneath  this,  white ;  lower 
neck  and  fore-breast  a  rather  light  chestnut  brown,  speckled 
streakily  with  black.  Front  of  back  and  the  wings  black  and 


No.  21.     Adnlt  Male. 

white,  as  in  picture ;  this  black  connected  with  that  of  head  by 
black  line  on  back  of  neck;  remainder  of  back  and  sides  of 
body  a  wavy  pattern  of  narrow  white  and  black  lines.  Under 
parts  white.  Bill  and  legs  red,  the  former  dusky  on  top. 

Female.    Head  and  upper  part  of  neck  principally  reddish 


No.  21.]  BIRD  NAMES. 


-  -».  -r  ^ 
Nan. 


brown  (of  duller  tint,  commonly,  than  in  female  No.  20),  the 
upper  part  of  head  darker,  of  grayish  tone ;  a  streak  of  this  gray 
running  back  along  by  eye  from  bill,  the  throat  paling  to  white, 
remainder  of  neck,  back,  sides,  and  tail  brownish  gray,  with  pale 
edgings  to  the  feathers ;  wing  chiefly  dark  brown,  marked  with 
white  as  in  picture.  Under  parts  white.  Bill  and  legs  of  duller 
tint  than  in  adult  male. 

Length  twenty-two  to  twenty-four  inches ;  extent  thirty -two 
to  thirty-four  inches. 

A  very  common  water-fowl.  Range,  as  given  in  A.  O.  U. 
Check  List :  "  Northern  portions  of  northern  hemisphere ;  south, 
in  winter,  throughout  the  United  States." 

The  female  of  this  species  is  easily  confused  with  that  of  No. 
20.  Note  difference  in  line  of  feathering  at  base  of  bill,  and 
position  of  nostrils,  on  following  page. 

Our  mergansers,  all  three  of  them,  are  much  better  eating 
than  commonly  supposed ;  though,  as  is  the  case  with  numerous 
species,  they  are  less  desirable  in  some  localities  than  in  others. 
Once,  while  at  Lane's,  on  Shinnecock  Bay,  L.  I.,  I  had  the  fun 
of  watching  a  gentleman,  who  regarded  fowl  of  this  sort  with 
holy  horror,  ravenously  devour  a  bird  of  the  present  species. 


68 


BIRD  NAMES. 


[No.  21. 


He  was  charmingly  ignorant,  of  course,  of  what  he  ate,  but 
when  informed  a  short  time  after,  he  not  only  succeeded  in  re- 
taining his  food,  but  confessed  like  a  man  that  Shinnecock  shel- 
drakes, at  least,  were  a  success. 


Bill  of  No.  21. 


RED-BREASTED  MERGANSER.  RED-BREASTED  GOOSANDER 
of  Edwards's  Natural  History  of  Birds, Vol.  II.,  1747. 

Very  generally  known  as  SHELDRAKE  from  Eastport,  Me., 
to —  I  can  only  say,  lower  waters  of  Chesapeake,  as  I  have 
no  note  of  hearing  it  used  for  the  species  farther  south  than 
Eastville,  Northampton  Co.,  Va.  (See  No.  20,  a  bird  sometimes 
confounded  with  this ;  and  also  odd  use  of  "  Sheldrake  "  under 
No.  15.)  Certain  names  more  especially  distinguishing  this  from 
"  Sheldrakes "  Nos.  20  and  22,  and  other  exceptions  to  above- 
mentioned  general  use  of  the  name,  are  noted  as  follows : 

At  Bath,  Me.,  SPRING-SHELDRAKE ;  at  Kowley,  Mass.,  SEA- 
ROBIN,  or  ROBIN  simply;  at  Stonington,  Conn.,  though  the 
name  Sheldrake  is  more  or  less  used  for  both  sexes,  many  gun- 
ners distinguish  the  female  as  SHELDUCK,  and  this  latter  form 
is  common  for  both  sexes  in  New  Jersey  at  Pleasantville  (At- 
lantic Co.),  Cape  May  C.  H.,  and  Cape  May  City. 

At  Essex,  Conn.,  LONG  ISLAND  SHELDRAKE;  at  Barnegat 


No.  21.]  BIRD  NAMES.  QQ 

and  Tuckerton,  N.  J.,  SALT-WATER  SHELDRAKE;  and  Giraud 
writes,  Birds  of  Long  Island,  1844,  "called  by  our  gunners 
PIED  SHELDRAKE"  (see  No.  23  for  use  of  "pied"  on  Long 
Island). 

At  Crisfield,  Md.,  PHEASANT.  (For  other  water-fowl  to 
which  the  word  "pheasant"  is  attached,  see  Nos.  13,  20,  22.) 

At  Morehead,  N.  C.,  FISHERMAN  and  FISHING-DUCK.  These 
last  two  names,  though  used  at  Morehead  for  this  bird  only,  are 
sometimes  loosely  applied  to  the  three  mergansers  (Nos.  20,  21, 
22).  We  also  hear  FISH-DUCK  and  SAW-BILL  thus  indiscrimi- 
nately applied ;  and  William  F.  Davis,  of  the  Thimble  Islands, 
Conn.,  tells  of  hearing  the  name  OAR-BILL  used  for  mergansers 
in  general,  "  by  visiting  sportsmen  "  from  parts  unknown. 

Captain  Bob  Petty,  of  Bellport,  L.  I.,  informs"  me  that  this, 
the  Red-breasted  Merganser,  is  known  "  to  all  the  gunners  about 
Mobile"  (Ala.)  as  the  SEA  BEC-SCIE  (this  l>eing  an  English- 
French  combination,  meaning  sea  "  saw-bill "). 

In  a  Notice  of  the  Ducks  and  Shooting  of  the  Chesapeake, 
by  Dr.  J.  T.  Sharpless,  Cabinet  of  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  III.,  1833,  the 
present  species  is  referred  to  as  HAIRY-CROWN,  a  name  remind- 
ing us  of  that  similar  one,  Hairy-head,  belonging  to  Hooded  Mer- 
ganser, No.  22. 

De  Kay,  in  New  York  Zoology,  1844,  mentions  "Whistler" 
among  other  names,  as  given  to  this  species  in  New  York  State. 
He  elsewhere  records  the  title  as  applied  in  same  state  to  the 
Hooded  Merganser.  I  do  not  feel  like  giving  special  emphasis 
to  these  applications  of  a  term  so  commonly  used,  then  as  now, 
for  the  Golden-eye,  No.  23. 

We  find  the  following  in  Rev.  Charles  Swainson's  Provincial 
Xames  of  British  Birds,  1885 :  SAWNEB  (Aberdeen) :  SAWBILL 
WIDOEON  (Gal way) :  HERALD  (Shetland  Isles) :  HERALD  DUCK 
(Forfar  and  Shetland  Isles) :  HARLE  or  HARLE  DUCK  (Orkney 
Isles):  EARL  DUCK  (East  Lothian):  LAND  HARLAN  (Wexford): 
BARDRAKE  (Down),  "from  the  brown  and  ash  colored  streak 
on  the  rump;"  this  name  being  mentioned  elsewhere  by  the 
author  as  applied  in  Ireland  to  Tadorna  comuta,  the  common 
Sheldrake  of  the  Old  Country:  SCALE  DUCK  (Strangford 


70  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  21. 

Lough):  GRAY  DIVER  (Islay)  "applied  to  the  female:"  POP- 
PING WIDGEON  (Drogheda  Bay);  and  Mr.  Swainson  tells  of 
this  latter  name  being  used  in  same  locality  ("  Drogheda  Bay  ") 
for  the  European  Golden-eye,  "as  it  pops  down  and  up  so 
suddenly." 


NO.  22. 

Lophodytes  cncullatus. 

Adult  male.  Bill  nearly  black,  shorter  than  in  preceding 
mergansers,  and  differing  slightly  in  other  respects,  yet,  never- 
theless, a  *'  saw-bill."  Crest  black  in  front,  and  white  behind 
with  black  bordering.  Head,  neck,  and  much  of  upper  plumage 

.s^.;t-3*te^^  »•*.-•  I 


tU^L SA<3L^vvaje/u 

black,  with  some  brown,  and  occasional  greenish  reflections; 
loose  black  feathers  striped  with  white,  growing  from  elbow 
region,  and  seeming  (while  wings  are  closed)  to  belong  rather  to 
the  plumage  of  the  lower  back ;  wing-mark,  or  speculum,  white, 


-2  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  22. 

with  black  bars.  Sides  of  body  cinnamon  brown,  finely  waved 
with  dark  lines;,  breast  and  belly  white,  the  white  of  breast 
and  black  of  upper  parts  sweeping  into  each  other,  and  forming 
crescent-like  bars  in  front  of  wings.  Legs  yellow  brown.  Eyes 

yellow. 

Female.    A  little  smaller  than  male.     Upper  parts  brownish, 
with  no  pure  black;   crest  rusty  brown,  with  no  white,  and 


No.  22.    Female. 

smaller  than  drake's ;  front  of  breast  grayish,  and  without  the 
crescent  bars ;  throat  and  under  parts  white  or  nearly  so.  Bill 
blackish  above  and  orange  below  (similar  in  shape  to  that  of 
male). 

Young.    Practically  like  adult  female. 

Length  seventeen  to  eighteen  inches ;  extent  about  twenty- 
five  inches. 

These  birds  are  very  partial  to  fresh  water,  and  when  near 
the  sea  are  met  with  usually  in  small  rivers,  creeks,  and  ponds. 
They  are  peculiarly  sportive  and  agile,  and  easily  decoved  by 
anything  resembling  a  duck.  The  beautiful  fan-like  crest  is 
lifted  or  lowered  at  will. 

Range,  North  America  in  general ;  breeding  here  and  there 
throughout  the  United  States  and  northward. 


No.  22.]  BIRD  NAMES.  73 

HOODED  MERGANSER:  HOODED  SHELDRAKE:  ROUND-CREST- 
ED DUCK  (Catesby's  Nat.  Hist.  Carolina,  Fla.,  etc.,  1731) :  PAN- 
CRESTED  DUCK  (Barton's  Fragments  Nat.  Hist.,  Penn.,  1799). 

At  Bath,Me.,PICKAXE  SHELDRAKE  (the  bill  being  the  pointed 
end  of  the  pickaxe,  I  suppose;  the  crest,  its  wide  transverse  edge) : 
known  also  at  Bath,  to  some  of  the  gunners,  and  at  Essex,  Conn, 
as  POND  SHELDRAKE  (see  No.  20) :  and  Mr.  Everett  Smith  states 
in  his  Birds  of  Maine,*  that  it  is  "  locally  known  as  the  LITTLE 
SHELDRAKE." 

At  Stonington,  Conn.,  WOOD  SHELDRAKE;  at  Essex,  same 
state,  SUMMER  SHELDRAKE.  Neither  this  name  Summer  Shel- 
drake, nor  that  of  Pond  Sheldrake  is  often  required  here,  as  the 
bird  is  but  infrequently  found,  and  it  may  be  added  that  this  is 
not  a  common  species  along  our  coast  north  of  New  Jersey, 
though  met  with  sometimes  in  fair  numbers. 

On  Long  Island  at  Shinnecock  Bay,  Moriches,  and  Bellport, 
SWAMP  SHELDRAKE  (see  No.  20). 

On  the  Niagara  River,  Lake  St.  Clair,  and  about  Chicago, 
LITTLE  SAW-BILL  and  FISH-DUCK;  the  latter  name  being  com- 
mon also  in  Putnam  Co.,  111.  (See  No.  21  for  this  last  name,  and 
Fisherman,  Fishing-duck,  Saw-bill,  and  Gar-bill,  as  sometimes 
indiscriminately  applied  to  mergansers  in  general ;  a  loose  style 
of  expression,  however,  that  belongs  more  to  "  sportsmen  "  and 
the  like  than  to  "  gunners.") 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  in  the  neighborhood  of  Niagara 
Falls  the  book-name,  Hooded  Merganser,  is  met  with  in  common 
use.  Just  think  of  it!  a  live  gunner  with  that  name  on  his 
lips. 

In  Connecticut  at  Milford  and  Stratford,  SAW-BILL  DIVER. 
I  am  here  reminded  of  how  easily  names  get  twisted.  I  have 
seen  this  one  conspicuously  printed  "Swan-bill  Diver,"  and  an 
old  gunner  at  Stratford  always  refers  to  the  bird  as  "  Saw-mill 
Diver ;"  the  last  being  not  so  bad,  as  the  bird  is  so  frequently 
encountered  in  and  about  mill-ponds. 

On  Long  Island  at  Seaford  (Hempstead),  SAW-BILL  simply ; 

*  Forett  and  Stream,  1883-83. 


74.  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  22. 

a  name  distinguishing  it  here  from  other  mergansers,  but,  as 
elsewhere  stated,  sometimes  loosely  employed  to  designate  the 
three  (Nos.  20,  21,  22)  collectively. 

In  Abbott's  catalogue  of  New  Jersey  birds,  1868,  we  read  of 
the  present  species  being  "  generally  known  inland "  as  POND 
SAW-BILL. 

At  Detroit,  SPIKE-BILL.  Nowhere  in  western  localities  men- 
tioned have  I  heard  the  name  "  sheldrake  "  applied  to  it. 

At  Newport,  R.  I.,  SMEW.  The  Hooded  Merganser  is  about 
the  size  of  the  true  Smew,  Mergus  albellus,  and  the  drake  of  the 
latter  species,  when  his  crest  is  erected,  looks  considerably  like 
our  bird ;  very  much  as  our  bird  might  look  in  a  state  of  partial 
albinism.  The  Smew  proper  is  no  longer  included  in  our  fauna, 
and  it  is  doubtful  if  it  ever  should  have  been.  Though  Wilson 
tells  us  that  it  was  "  frequently  observed "  in  his  time  "  in  the 
ponds  of  New  England,"  etc. 

At  Manasquan,  N.  J.,  WATER-PHEASANT;  at  Morehead, 
N.  C.,  PHEASANT  DUCK,  and  more  commonly  PHEASANT* 
simply.  Lawson  writes,  in  his  New  Voyage  to  Carolina,  1709 : 
"  The  water-pheasant  (very  improperly  called  so)  are  a  water- 
fowl of  the  duck  kind,  having  a  topping  of  pretty  feathers  which 
sets  them  out."  (For  other  water-fowl  to  which  "  pheasant "  is 
attached,  see  Nos.  13,  20,  21.) 

In  New  Jersey  at  Barnegat,  Tuckerton,  Pleasantville  (At- 
lantic Co.),  Atlantic  City,  and  Somers  Point,  COCK-ROBIN,  and 
less  commonly  COCK-ROBIN  DUCK;  at  Somers  Point,  Cape  May 
C.  H.,  and  Cape  May  City,  and  at  Eastville,  Va.,  Wilmington, 
N.  C.,  and  St.  Augustine,  Fla.,  HAIRY-HEAD. 

At  Crisfield,  Md.  (east  shore  of  Chesapeake),  SNOWL ;  a  name 
as  weird  as  some  of  those  in  Alice's  Wonderland,  and  the  only 
one  by  which  the  bird  is  known,  so  far,  at  least,  as  I  could  dis- 
cover in  1885. 

To  the  darkies  of  Charleston,  S.  C.,  and  its  vicinity,  MOSS- 

*  The  Ruffed  Grouse,  No.  41,  generally  known  by  this  name  in  the  South, 
is  not  met  with  in  this  section,  and  when  referred  to  is  termed  "Mountain 

Pheasant." 


No.  22.]  BIRD  NAMES.  75 

HEAD.  The  colored  women  often  use  a  large  bunch  of  "  Florida 
Moss,"  Tittandtia  vmeoidee,  as  a  cushion  for  the  heavy  loads 
thev  carry  upon  their  heads,  and  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that 
"  Moss-head  "  was  suggested  by  this  practice,  rather  than  by  any 
direct  resemblance  to  moss  in  the  bird's  crest. 

I  find  also  in  my  memorandum- book  the  name  TOW-HEAD 
for  this  species,  but,  unfortunately,  with  no  note  of  locality  ac- 
companying it.  I  remember  distinctly,  however,  that  the  name 
was  heard  in  one  of  our  Southern  States. 

Another  name  (than  that  of  "  Hairy-head")  commonly  heard 
among  the  "crackers"  of  St.  Augustine  is  TADPOLE;  the  bird 
having  been  thought  particularly  fond  of  polliwogs,  I  suppose. 

While  examining  specimens  in  the  Smithsonian  (Washington, 
D.  C.),  I  was  surprised  to  find  the  name  WOOD-DUCK  (see  No. 
12)  printed  on  this  bird's  label.  But  Mr.  Ridgway  told  me  that 
he  had  heard  "  Wood-duck,"  and  also  TREE-DUCK  (again  see  No. 
12)  commonly  applied  to  this  species,  in  lower  or  more  southern 
portions  of  the  Wabash  valley,  111.  and  Ind.  The  application 
of  "  Wood-duck "  to  a  "  Saw-bill,"  though  a  little  shocking  at 
first,  is  natural  enough,  of  course,  as  the  Merganser  breeds  in 
woods,  nesting  in  the  hollow  of  a  tree  like  the  u  Wood-duck  "  of 
people  generally ;  and  Mr.  George  A.  Boardman,  of  Calais,  Me., 
once  witnessed  a  lively  and  long-continued  fight  between  a  bird 
of  the  latter  species  and  a  Hooded  Merganser  for  the  possession 
of  a  hole  in  a  tree  to  which  both  laid  claim. 

I  have  previously  quoted  Captain  Petty,  for  the  Red-breasted 
Merganser.  The  captain  adds  that  the  present  species  is  known 
to  all  about  Mobile,  as  BEC-SCIE ;  this  (the  French  for  "  Saw- 
bill  ")  distinguishing  it  from  the  Sea  Bec-scie,  No.  21. 


No.  23. 

Grlaucionetta  clangula  americana. 

Adult  male.  Head  and  upper  neck  black  (or  of  very  deep 
tone);  richly  glossed  with  green ;  a  roundish  spot  of  white  be- 
tween bill  and  eye.  Eemainder  of  neck,  with  lower  parts  of 
body,  pure  white  excepting  a  few  brownish  gray  mottlings 
about  vent  and  sides  of  belly.  Back,  wings,  and  tail  practi- 


No.  23.    Adult  Male. 

cally  black  (here  and  there  blackish-brown),  with  white  mark- 
ings as  shown  or  sufficiently  indicated  in  picture.  Bill  black  or 
nearly  so ;  eyes  bright  yellow ;  legs  and  toes  yellow  or  orange, 
with  dusky  webs. 

Female.    Considerably  smaller  than  male ;  head  plain  brown  ; 
neck  m  front  and  at  sides  white  faintly  touched  with  gray  ;  be- 


No.  23.]  BIRD  NAMES.  77- 

hind  brownish  gray.  Lower  part  of  neck,  with  fore-breast,  and 
upper  parts  generally,  gray,  the  feathers  pale  at  edges ;  wings 
darker,  with  white  markings  as  indicated  in  picture.  Under 
parts  white,  the  color  of  upper  plumage  continued  down  about 


No.  23.    Female. 

the  legs  and  behind  them.  Eyes  as  in  male.  Bill  dull  yellow- 
ish, or  yellowish  olive,  shaded  unevenly  with  blackish  brown. 
I^gs  and  toes  dull  yellow  with  dusky  shading,  the  webs  chiefly 
black. 

Length  seventeen  to  twenty  inches ;  extent  twenty-seven  to 
thirty-one  inches. 

A  duck  more  or  less  common  in  winter  throughout  the 
country,  making  its  appearance,  as  Giraud  says,  "about  the 
same  time  that  a  majority  of  its  tribe  are  compelled  to  quit 
the  'great  nursery'  at  the  North  for  our  more  temperate 
climate." 

AMERICAN  GOLDEN-EYE:  COMMON  GOLDEN-EYE.  As  the 
first  name  marks  this  bird  as  different  from  European  variety, 


Yg  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  23. 

so  the  second  distinguishes  it  from  Barrow's  Golden-eye,*  a 
species  of  our  own  which  is  not  "  common,"  to  Eastern  gunners 
at  least. 

MORRILLON  (Arctic  Zoology,  1785) :  GARROT,  another  Old 
World  title  early  applied  to  our  bird:  CONJURING -DUCK: 
SPIRIT-DUCK.  Kichardson,  1831,  speaks  of  these  last  two  names 
as  given  in  the  fur  countries  to  both  this  species  and  No.  24,  be- 
cause of  their  instantaneous  disappearance  "  at  the  flash  of  a 
gun  or  the  twang  of  a  bow." 

"  Sometimes  called  by  our  gunners  the  BRASS-EYED  WHIST- 
LER" (Nuttall's  Water  Birds,  Boston,  1834).  BRASS-EYE,  men- 
tioned by  DeKay,  Zoology  of  New  York,  1844. 

From  Eastport,  Me.,  to  Falmouth,  Mass.,  on  the  Niagara 
Eiver,  at  Chicago,  along  the  Connecticut  coast,  and  at  Shinne- 
cock  Bay,  L.  I.,  WHISTLER. 

At  Milford,  Conn.,  and  Shinnecock,  the  adult  drake,  though 
recognized  by  all  as  of  the  same  species  with  the  rest,  is  com- 
monly referred  to  as  the  "  pied  Whistler."f 

At  Niagara  Falls,  Chicago,  Newport,  R.  I.,  and  Alexandria, 
Va.,  WHISTLE-WING;  at  Cape  May  C.  II., N.  J.,  WHISTLE  DUCK; 
and  we  find  this  latter  form  in  Beesley's  Birds  of  Cape  May, 
1857. 

Another  and  very  pretty  name,  heard  at  Lyme,  Conn.,  but 
almost  exclusively  among  the  old  people,  is  MERRY- WING.  A 
disagreement,  however,  exists  concerning  its  use,  whether  it  right- 
fully belongs  to  this  fowl  or  the  following,  No.  24.  Having  ob- 
tained equally  reliable  testimony  on  both  sides  I  record  the  name 
in  both  lists. 


*  The  Barrow's  Golden-eye,  or  Eocky  Mountain  Garret,  is  very  similar  in 
general  appearance  to  the  present  species,  but  the  adult  drake  has  the  white 
patch  between  the  bill  and  eye  crescent-shaped,  and  the  species  are  in  other 
ways  distinguishable. 

t  The  word  "pied"  is  peculiarly  popular  on  Long  Island,  where  the  gun- 
ners prefix  it  to  local  names  to  designate  the  "  full  dressed "  male  of  any 
species  whose  plumage  is  pied  or  showily  variegated,  and  when  I  asked,  an 
old  ducker  if  he  did  not  think  the  present  species  particularly  handsome,  he 
said,  "Yes,  the  pied  ones  are  very  handsome." 


No.  23.]  BIRD  NAMES.  79 

At  Plymouth,  Mass.,  though  "  Whistler "  is  the  more  com- 
mon appellation,  we  occasionally  hear  that  of  GOLDEN-EYE,  * 
and  this  latter  name  is  the  common  one  at  Detroit,  and  we  meet 
with  it  (among  other  names)  at  Chicago. 

At  Seaford  (Hempstead),  L.  I.,  GREAT-HEAD  ;f  in  New 
Jersey  at  Barnegat,  Tuckerton,  Pleasantville  (Atlantic  Co.), 
Atlantic  City,  and  Somers  Point,  CUB-HEAD ;  at  Cape  May  C.  H., 
COB-HEAD,  the  last  name  being  monopolized,  however,  by  the 
young  birds,  which  are  regarded  as  a  species  distinct  from  the 
"Whistle-ducks."  At  Havre  de  Grace,  Md.,  BULL-HEAD;  at 
Morehead,  N.  C.,  IRON-HEAD.  The  name  Cob -head  is  again 
heard  at  Cape  May  City,  where  the  species  is  also  very  generally 
known  as  CUR;  a  name  that  may  have  come  from  likening  the 
bird's  note  to  that  of  a  dog.£  But  whatever  the  origin,  this  rather 
contemptuous  title  certainly  has  the  charm  of  brevity,  and  is, 
in  this  respect  at  least,  preferable  to  "  Glaucionetta  clangula 
americana" 

At  Pleasantville  (before  mentioned"),  JINGLER;  at  Baltimore 
and  on  the  Patapsco  River,  WHITFLER;  at  Crisfield  (Somerset 
Co.),  Md.,  KING  DIVER. 

*  See  No.  19  for  "  Golden-<ye»." 

tGiraud  writes,  Birds  of  Long  Island,  1844,  "by  some  it  is  called  Great 
Head." 

}  Since  writing  the  above,  I  have  found  that  in  portions  of  Great  Britain 
the  name  "  Curre  "  is  given  to  the  Golden-eye  C.  clangula  ;  and  Swainson  says, 
in  his  Provincial  Names  of  British  Birds,  that  this  is  "  from  the  bird's  croak- 
ing cry." 


No.  24. 

Charitonetta  albeola. 

Adult  male.  Head  very  dark  or  blackish,  richly  glossed 
with  purple  and  green,  a  field  of  white  from  the  eye  backward. 
Back  black,  fading  to  pale  gray  near  tail ;  wings  and  shoulder 
feathers  principally  white  and  black,  as  in  picture;  the  long 
wing-feathers  and  the  tail  gray.  Neck,  continuously  with  under 


parts  of  plumage,  white,  the  latter  shaded  a  little  about  legs  and 
tail  with  pale  brown.  Bill  leaden  blue,  the  nail  and  about  base 
dusky.  Legs  and  feet  very  light  flesh  color  with  lavender  tinge. 
Female.  Considerably  smaller  than  male,  and  without  the 
full  fluffy  feathering  of  head.  Plumage  of  upper  parts  brown, 


No.  24.]  BIRD  XAMES.  gj 

shading  on  fore-breast  and  sides  to  gray  or  grayish  brown ;  spot 
on  side  of  head  and  wing-mark  white.  Lower  parts  white, 
though  with  some  dusky  shading  about  the  legs  and  back  of 


X<».  24.     Female* 

them.  Bill  more  dusky  than  in  male.  Legs  bluish  gray  with 
lavender  tinge,  the  webs  dusky. 

Length  twelve  and  three  quarters  to  fifteen  inches ;  extent 
twenty-two  to  twenty-five  inches. 

This  is  a  common  species,  visiting  most  parts  of  the  country 
during  winter,  and  the  full-dressed  drake  is  one  of  our  most 
beautiful  birds. 

BUFFLE-HEAD,  or  BUFFEL'S  HEAD  DUCK  as  Catesby  gives 
it  (Nat.  Hist.  Carolina,  Florida,  etc.,  1731):  BUFFLE  DUCK: 
BUFFALO -HEADED  DUCK:  LITTLE  BROWN  DUCK,  the  female 
being  described  under  this  latter  title  in  another  part  of  Cates- 
by's  work :  SPIRIT,  or  SPIRIT-DUCK:  Edwards,  in  Nat.  Hist.  Birds, 
Part  II.,  1747,  describes  the  drake  as  LITTLE  BLACK  AND  WHITE 
DUCK,  and  speaks  of  its  being  known  to  Newfoundland  fisher- 
men as  "  Spirit :"  CONJURING-DUCK,  see  Conjuring  and  Spirit 
Duck,  No.  23. 

Yery  generally  known  from  Eastport,  Me.,  to  Falmouth, 
Mass.,  as  DIPPER ;  *  though  at  certain  points  along  this  coast  it 

*  This  and  other  names  mentioned  farther  along  are  considerably  mixed 
6 


g2  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  24. 

is  too  rare  to  bear  a  name  of  any  kind.  Having  been  told  at 
Kennebunk,  Me.  (1885),  that  a  very  handsome  but  strange  duck 
had  recently  been  killed,  I  walked  a  long  distance  out  of  my 
way  to  see  it,  and  was  considerably  disappointed  to  find  the 
Tar  a  avis  nothing  more  wonderful  than  a  male  of  the  present 
species.  Again,  while  at  Provincetown,  Mass,  (same  year),  I 
was  called  to  pronounce  upon  another  cock  Dipper,  as  the  bird 
was  unknown  to  the  local  gunners  (see  "  Dipper  "  of  Province- 
town,  No.  31). 

I  will  note  here  that  the  Water  Ouzel,  Cinclus  inexicanus, 
also  bears  the  name  of  "  Dipper "  in  books  and  elsewhere,  but 
there  is  little  chance  of  confusion  arising  therefrom,  the  Water 
Ouzel  being  about  the  size  of  a  blue-bird,  and  belonging  to  the 
far  West. 

The  Buffle-head  is  again  the  "Dipper"  on  the  Connecticut 
coast,  and  continues  to  be  so  recognized,  very  generally,  as  far 
as  the  southern  part  of  North  Carolina. 

At  Bath,  Me.,  and  Xorth  Scituate,  Mass.,  ROBIN-DIPPER;  at 
Buzzard's  Bay,  Mass.,  DAPPER  (see  No.  31).  Mr.  Browne,  in  his 
list  of  gunners'  names,  at  Plymouth  Bay,*  gives  both  "  Dipper  " 
and  DOPPER  (see  Xo.  31). 

DIE-DIPPER  (see  foot-note  to  name  "Dipper,"  page  81): 
MARRIONETTE :  these  two  names  being  mentioned  by  Audubon, 
that  of  Marrionette  belonging  to  the  state  of  Louisiana. 

"  Devil-diver  "  and  "  Hell-diver  "  have  also  appeared  in  print 
once  or  twice  as  aliases  of  this  bird,  but  I  do  not  feel  like  em- 
phasizing the  fact ;  I  have  never  heard  either  of  them  used  by  a 
gunner  for  any  bird  but  a  grebe,  and  I  think  they  have  probably 
been  credited  to  the  present  species  inadvertently. 


with  those  of  the  Ruddy  Duck,  No.  31,  and  with  the  Grebes,  particularly  the 
Pied-billed  Grebe,  Podilymbm  podiceps,  that  lively  little  nuisance,  familiar  to 
us  all,  under  one  or  more  of  the  following  titles :  Hen-bill,  Hen-bill  Diver, 
Hell-diver,  Devil-diver,  Water-witch,  Dab-chick,  Dob-chick,  Dop-chick,  Dip- 
chick,  Die-dapper,  Die-dipper,  Dipper.  I  do  not  mean,  however,  that  the 
same  name  is  applied  in  any  one  locality  to  more  than  a  single  species. 
*  Forest  and  Stream,  Nov.  9,  1876. 


No.  24.]  BIRD  NAMES.  g3 

At  Niagara  Falls,  Lake  St.  Clair,  Chicago,  Snachwine  (Put- 
nam Co.),  111.,  "Washington,  D.  C.,  Charleston,  S.  C.,  and  Savan- 
nah, Ga.,  BUTTER-BALL  (see  No.  31) ;  and  in  last-named  city, 
BUTTER-DUCK  (see  No.  31).  The  name  Dipper,  which  is  much 
more  commonly  used  for  this  species  at  Washington,  is  given  to 
the  Pied-billed  Grebe  in  the  western  localities  mentioned. 

Bartram,  in  Travels  through  North  and  South  Carolina,  etc., 
IT'.'l,  speaks  of  the  Buffle-head  being  "called  BUTTERBACK." 
Wilson  writes:  "Usually  known  by  the  name  of  the  BUTTER- 
BOX,  or  Butter-ball,"  and  Nuttall  gives  "Butter-box"  as  used 
"  in  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey." 

In  New  Jersey  at  Pleasantville  (Atlantic  Co.),  Cape  May  C.  II., 
and  Cape  May  City,  DIVER;  to  some  at  Norfolk,  Va.,  and  Cur- 
rituck  region,  WOOL-HEAD ;  at  Wilmington,  N.  C.,  SCOTCH-DUCK, 
SCOTCHMAN,  SCOTCH-DIPPER,  and  SCOTCH -TEAL;  the  latter 
name  being  a  favorite  with  hucksters,  "Teal"  being  always  in 
demand. 


No.  25. 

Clangula  hyemalis. 

Adult  male  in  winter.  Markings  as  in  picture,  and  practi- 
cally brownish  black  and  white  ;  the  patch  about  eye  dove  gray, 
and  the  dark  patch  next  this  tint  (on  side  of  neck)  blackish  above 
and  brown  below ;  the  blackish  breast  tinged  more  or  less  deeply 
with  chocolate ;  the  feathers  which  sweep  acutely  backward  from 
shoulders  grayish  white ;  the  long  and  slender  pair  of  central 


^ 


No.  25.    Adult  Mnle  in  winter.       0^-0^    AxO 


tail-feathers  having  an  outward  and  slightly  upward  curve.  Bill, 
from  head  half-way  to  tip,  and  nail  at  end  black,  the  remainder 
light  rose  pink.  Legs  and  toes  light  bluish  gray,  with  joints 
dusky  and  webs  blackish. 

Adult  male  in  summer.  In  the  spring,  before  this  bird 
leaves  us  for  the  North,  its  summer  dress  is  more  or  less  fully 
assumed.  A  drake  shot  April  12th,  at  Stony  Creek,  Conn.,  whose 


No.  25.]  BIRD  NAMES.  85 

nuptial  plumage  was  complete,  or  very  nearly  so,  was  dressed  as 
follows:  Head,  neck,  breast,  and  upper  parts  generally,  deep 
chocolate  brown  intensified  to  pure  black  here  and  there:  an 
irregularly  outlined  space  of  light  mouse  gray  on  each  side  of 
head,  from  bill  backward  to  include  the  eye ;  the  eye  itself  irregu- 
larly bordered  with  white ;  a  patch  of  bright  tan-colored  feath- 
ers with  black  centres  just  behind  neck  on  front  of  back,  and 
feathers  similarly  colored  sweeping  from  shoulder  regions  along 
the  sides  of  the  back.  Under  parts  and  sides,  from  the  dark 
breast  backward,  white,  this  white  tinged  with  pearly  gray  upon 
the  sides,  and  meeting  abruptly  the  deep  tint  of  breast  and  upper 
plumage.  Bill,  legs,  and  long  tail-feathers  as  in  winter  male, 
though  light  color  of  bill  better  described,  perhaps,  in  this  case 
as  salmon  pink  *  (a  delicate  tint  that  darkened  in  a  few  hours  to 
reddish  purple).  Weight  two  pounds. 


No.  SB.    Female  In  winter. 

Adult  female  in  winter.    Head  and  most  of  neck  white, 

*  As  this  light  color  is  not  given  as  I  describe  it,  in  any  of  the  books  acces- 
sible to  me  at  this  writing,  I  will  state  that,  so  far  as  both  bill  and  legs  are 
concerned,  my  notes  were  made  (in  this  case  and  in  that  of  the  winter  drake) 
within  ten  minutes  after  the  bird  was  shot. 


gg  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  25. 

with  top  of  head  and  patch  on  each  cheek  blackish ;  also  black- 
ish or  dusky  at  chin,  this  chin-marking  continued  narrowly  and 
imperfectly  downward  to  lower  neck ;  the  lower  neck  and  ex- 
treme fore  part  of  body  chiefly  dusky  gray  or  brownish  gray, 
this  deepening  in  tint  or  blackening  rather  suddenly  immediately 
below  the  white  of  the  neck,  producing  a  collar-like  marking  in 
some  cases.  Upper  parts  of  body  including  wings  chiefly  dark 
or  blackish  brown,  variegated  at  neck,  sides  of  breast,  and  on  scap- 
ulars (shoulder-feathers)  with  gray  and  reddish  brown.  Lower 
surface  and  sides  of  body  broadly  white.  Bill  olive  gray  with 
dusky  shading  (the  olive  tint  not  always  noticeable).  Legs  and 
feet  as  in  male. 

Young  female.  Similar  to  adult  female  just  described,  but 
with  upper  parts  more  uniformly  dark. 

Young  male.  When  this  youngster  first  comes  to  us  from 
the  North  he  is  in  general  appearance  much  like  the  winter 
female  (tail,  color  of  bill,  and  all) ;  but  he  is  a  bigger  bird,  and 
while  passing  from  this  stage  to  that  of  adult  drake  his  varia- 
tions are  altogether  too  complicated  for  description. 

Having  omitted  to  note  with  sufficient  care  summer  plumage 


No.  25.    Female  in  summer. 


No.  25.]  BIRD  NAMES.  87 

of  female,  I  will  quote  Audubon,  who  was  familiar  with  the 
species  in  its  breeding  -  ground :  "  The  head  is  dark  grayish 
brown  with  a  patch  of  grayish  white  surrounding  the  eye,  but 
not  extending  to  the  bill ;  there  is  a  larger  patch  of  the  same 
color  on  the  side  of  the  neck,  the  hind  part  of  which  is  similar 
to  the  head,  the  fore  part  grayish  brown,  the  feathers  broadly 
margined  with  whitish.  All  the  upper  parts  are  of  a  dark  gray- 
ish brown,  the  two  lateral  tail-feathers  edged  with  white ;  the 
lower  parts  white,  the  feathers  under  the  wings  slightly  tinged 
with  gray." 

Measurements  about  as  follows :  Male :  with  tail  fully  de- 
veloped, length  twenty-three  and  a  half  inches;  extent  thirty 
inches.  Female :  length  fifteen  to  sixteen  inches ;  extent  twenty- 
eight  inches. 

This  bird  is  not  popularly  regarded  as  very  desirable  for  table 
use,  though  it  is  relished  by  many  gunners,  and  I  have  myself 
found  it  as  good  as  some  of  the  Canvas-backs  which  I  have  killed 
on  prairie  ponds  and  tried  to  eat.  Its  flight  is  peculiarly  swift, 
irregular,  and  very  swallow-like ;  it  is  a  crafty  and  enduring 
diver,  a  lover  of  cold  weather,  and  eminently  a  sea-duck,  though 
found  on  certain  inland  waters  as  indicated  in  list  of  local  names. 

Its  range  is  given  in  Ridgway's  Manual,  1887,  as  "  Northern 
portions  of  northern  hemisphere ;  in  America,  south  in  winter, 
to  nearly  across  the  United  States." 

LONG-TAILED  DUCK,  of  early  as  well  as  late  authors :  LONG- 
TAILED  HARELD  *  (Selby's  Illust.  Brit.  Orn.) :  SWALLOW-TAILED 
DUCK,  so  termed  at  Hudson's  Bay  (Fauna  Boreali- Americana, 
1831) :  NOISY  DUCK,  because  of  its  "  reiterated  cries  "  (Audubon) : 
HOUND,  a  name  applied  in  Newfoundland  (the  musical  gabble 
of  a  flock  being  likened  to  the  cry  of  hounds). 

Known  all  along  the  New  England  coast  as  OLD  SQUAW,  the 
full-feathered  drake  being  sometimes  distinguished,  as  at  "West 
Barnstable  and  Fairhaven,  Mass.,  Stonington  and  Essex,  Conn., 
as  OLD  INJUN. 

*  Harekl  is  the  same  as  //«•</</.  an  Icelandic  name  for  the  species. 


88 


BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  25. 


On  Long  Island  we  find  the  name  Old  Squaw  dividing 
honors  with  that  of  OLD  WIFE,  the  latter  continuing  in  more  or 
less  general  use  to  the  sea-coast  of  Maryland.  South  of  this,  to 
Eastville,  Va.  (I  have  no  note  of  meeting  with  the  species  farther 
south),  and  on  Chesapeake  Bay,  it  is  the  SOUTH  SOUTHERLY, 
frequently  pronounced  Sou'  Southerly,  and  a  corruption  of  this, 
viz.,  SOU'  SOUTHERLAND,  is  also  common.  The  names  Old 
Squaw  and  Old  "Wife  are  very  rarely  heard  on  this  latter  piece 
of  coast. 

At  Crisfield,  Md.  (east  shore  of  Chesapeake),  SOUTHERLY, 
and  at  Eastville,  Va.,  SOUTHERLAND. 

Not  one  of  the  three  old  duckers  conversed  with  at  Seaford 
(Hempstead),  L.  I.  (1881),  had  heard  any  of  these  "  southerly  " 
names,  and  at  Crisfield,  Md.  (same  year),  I  could  find  no  one 
who  had  heard  "  Old  Squaw."  I  remember  that  while  learning 
to  shoot,  at  Stonington,  Conn.,  some  thirty-five  years  ago,  I  was 
more  familiar  with  the  name  South  Southerly  and  its  elongated 
form,  SOUTH-SOUTH  SOUTHERLY,  than  with  any  other. 

Wilson  says  (Vol.  VIII.,  1814),  "  This  duck  is  very  generally 
known  along  the  shores  of  the  Chesapeake  Bay  by  the  name  of 
South  Southerly,  from  the  singularity  of  its  cry,  something  imi- 
tative of  the  sound  of  these  words,  and,  also,  that  when  very 
clamorous  they  are  supposed  to  betoken  a  southerly  wind ;  on 
the  coast  of  New  Jersey  they  are  usually  called  Old  Wives." 

I  am  told  that  in  Stonington,  Conn.,  the  words  "  John  Con- 
nolly "  were  popularly  used,  about  fifty  years  ago,  in  imitation 
of  this  bird's  gabble,  and  they  can  be  so  repeated  as  to  produce 
a  better  imitation,  I  think,  than  the  words  now  in  use  at  Stony 
Creek,  same  state,  viz.,  "  Uncle  Iluldy,"  and  "  my  Aunt  Huldy." 

In  New  Jersey,  at  Pleasantville  (Atlantic  Co.),  and  Somers 
Point,  OLD  MOLLY;  at  Atlantic  City  and  Somers  Point,  OLD 
GRANNY,  and  GRANNY  simply ;  at  Cape  May  City,  MOMMY;  the 
drake  being  distinguished  at  Pleasantville  as  OLD  BILLY. 

On  the  Niagara  Eiver,  and  about  Lake  St.  Clair,  COWEEN; 
and  Mcllwraith  writes,  in  his  Birds  of  Ontario,  1886,  "Vast  num- 
bers of  'cowheens'  (as  these  birds  are  called  here)  spend  the 
winter  in  Lake  Ontario."  Known  also  to  French  Canadians  and 


No.  25.]  BIRD  NAMES.  §9 

others  at  Detroit  and  St.  Clair  Flats,  and  to  the  people  of  Ken- 
nebunk,  Me.,  as  COCKAWEE ;  this  (differently  spelled)  being  re- 
ferred to  in  Fauna  Boreali- Americana  as  follows :  "  The  peculiar 
cry  of  this  duck  is  celebrated  in  the  songs  of  the  Canadian  voy- 
ageurs,  by  the  epithet  of  caccdwee?  and  Mr.  William  Brewster 
speaks  of  "cock-a-wee"  as  everywhere  applied  to  the  species  on 
the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  (1883). 

Two  other  odd  names  met  with  among  old  New  England 
gunners  are  8COLDENORE,  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  and  QUANDY, 
at  North  Scituate  and  Plymouth,  Mass.  We  hear  at  Plymouth 
also,  SCOLDER,  a  term  much  more  easily  understood. 

To  some  at  Lake  St.  Clair  and  Chicago  this  is  the  WINTER- 
DUCK  (see  No.  13),  while  others  at  Chicago  are  more  familiar 
will i  the  New  England  title  Old  Squaw. 

The  following  names  are  found  in  Swainson's  Provincial 
Names  of  British  Birds,  1885:  SHARP-TAILED  DUCK:  SWALLOW- 
TAILED  SHELDRAKE :  CALOO,  or  CALAW  (Orkney,  Shetland  Isles) : 
DARCALL:  COAL  AND  CANDLE -LIGHT  (Orkney  Isles):  COL- 
CANDLE-WICK  (Fife) :  COLDIE  (Forfar) :  MEALY  BIRD  (Norfolk), 
"  the  young  are  so  called :"  NORTHERN  HARELD  (Aberdeen). 


No.  26. 
Histrionicus  histrionicns. 

Adult  male.  Prevailing  color  bluish  slate  with  more  or  less 
purplish  tinge,  becoming  brownish  beneath ;  the  head  and  neck 
purplish  black ;  plumage  fantastically  slashed  and  spotted  with 
white,  as  picture  shows  better  than  any  written  description  can ; 
the  white  markings  intensified  here  and  there  by  edging  of  pure 
black ;  at  either  side  of  crown  (or  top  of  head)  a  stripe  of  ma~ 


.Nu.  20.    Adult  Male. 

hogany  red,  and  a  broad  patch  of  the  same  color  on  either  flank. 
Bill  yellowish  olive  with  tip  lighter.  Legs  and  toes  light  bluish 
gray,  with  blackish  webs. 

Female.  A  very  different  looking  fowl,  nearly  all  grayish 
brown ;  side  of  head  marked  with  dull  white,  and  white  mixing 
with  the  lower  plumage  and  producing  a  dull  freckled  belly. 
Bill  and  legs  dull  bluish  gray. 


No.  28.]  BIRD   NAMES, 


~*-. 


Y'»tng.    Practically  like  adult  female. 

Length  sixteen  and  a  half  to  seventeen  and  a  half  inches ; 
extent  twenty-four  and  a  half  to  twenty-seven  inches  :  bill  much 
narrower  towards  end;  length  on  top  one  inch  or  a  trifle  more 
(from  feathers  to  tip). 

The  range  of  this  species  includes  the  northern  part  of  North 
America.  It  is  found,  in  winter,  as  far  south  as  Massachusetts, 
and  cm  very  rare  occasions  a  little  farther  south.  In  many  places 
along  the  Maine  coast  it  is  a  common  and  well-known  bird. 

HARLEQUIN  DUCK  of  authors  generally:  PAINTED  DUCK 
and  MOUNTAIN  DUCK  of  "  Hudson's  Bay  residents,"  according 
to  Fauna  Boreali- Americana,  1831 :  known  about  Mud  and  Seal 
Islands,  Yarmouth  Co.,  Nova  Scotia,  as  EOCK  DUCK,  so  says  Eev. 
J.  H.  Langille,  in  Our  Birds  in  their  Haunts,  1884. 

Along  the  coast  from  New  Brunswick  to  Salem,  Mass.,  LORD 
AND  LADY;  farther  south  than  this  the  species  is  rare,  and  I 
have  no  note  of  hearing  gunners  name  it.  Known  also  as 
SQUEALER  at  Machias  Port,  Me.,  and  as  LORD  simply,  at  Jones- 
port,  same  state.  Edwards,  in  Natural  History  of  Birds,  Part  II., 
1747,  speaks  of  this  "the  Dusky  and  Spotted  Duck"  being  sent 
from  Newfoundland,  where  the  "fishers  call  it  the  Lord." 


No.  27. 
Somateria  dresseri. 

Adult  male.  Chiefly  black  and  white  as  shown  in  picture, 
the  black  having  a  brownish  cast  here  and  there,  and  the  white 
tinged  more  or  less  upon  the  breast  with  buff  yellow ;  black  of 
head  glossed  with  purplish  blue  and  divided  behind  by  white ; 
on  hinder  part  of  head  and  along  the  lower  edge  of  the  black 


No.  27.     Adult  Male. 


marking  a  wash  of  sea  green.  Bill  extending  back  peculiarly 
upon  the  forehead,  this  extension  (in  life)  of  a  yielding,  leathery 
character,  divided  or  forked  behind  into  two  broad  branches,  or 
lobes,  with  roundish  ends,  these  lobes  sweeping  to  right  and  left 
upon  sides  of  forehead ;  measurements  (taken  from  a  single  speci- 


No.  27.] 


BIRD  NAMES. 


93 


men)  as  follows  :  from  tip  to  extreme  back  line  of  lobes,  three 
and  one  eighth  inches  ;  from  tip  to  point  of  feathering  where 
lobes  meet,  or  where  the  leathery  extension  begins  to  divide,  two 
and  a  quarter  inches  ;  width  of  each  lobe  five  eighths  of  an  inch. 
Female.  Plumage  chiefly  a  speckled  and  barred  mixture  of 
light  brown  or  tan  color,  and  black,  the  bar-like  markings  more 
decided  along  the  sides,  and  the  markings  of  lower  parts  indistinct 
or  blurred.  Bill  similar  in  general  style  to  that  of  male,  but 
branching  more  narrowly  upon  the  forehead  ;  its  measurements 


(taken  from  a  single  specimen)  as  follows:  from  tip  to  extreme 
back  line  of  lobes  a  little  less  than  three  inches;  from  tip  to 
central  point  of  feathering  where  the  lobes  meet  two  and  a 
quarter  inches ;  width  of  each  lobe  five  sixteenths  of  an  inch. 

Having  failed  to  note  colors  of  bills  and  legs  in  perfectly  fresh 
specimens,  I  will  quote  Audubon.  Male:  Bill  pale  grayish  yel- 
low, the  unguis  (nail  at  end)  lighter,  the  soft  tumid  part  pale 
flesh  color ;  feet  dingy  light  green,  the  webs  dusky.  Female  : 
Bill  pale  grayish  green ;  feet  as  in  the  male. 


94  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  27. 

Length  twenty -four  to  twenty -six  inches ;  extent  thirty-nine 
to  forty-two  inches. 

AMERICAN  EIDER:  COMMON  EIDER:  very  generally  known 
along  the  coast  from  New  Brunswick  to  Khode  Island  as  SEA 
DUCK,  or  SEA  DUCK  AND  DRAKE;  at  Barnstable,  Mass.,  SHOAL 
DUCK  and  ISLES  OF  SHOALS  DUCK;  the  latter  name  being  like- 
wise heard  at  New  Bedford,  same  state,  and  in  Connecticut  at 
Stonington  and  Stony  Creek :  known  also  at  New  Bedford  and 
Stony  Creek  as  WAMP  (this  being  of  Indian  origin,  probably ; 
wompi,  white). 

Eiders  are  Northern  birds,  and  are  seldom  seen  on  the  Con- 
necticut coast,  though  they  congregate  every  winter  in  large 
flocks  in  Muskegat  Channel,  at  the  west  end  of  Nantucket,  and 
sometimes,  it  is  said,  wander  as  far  south  as  the  Delaware. 

Giraud,  in  Birds  of  Long  Island,  1844,  speaks  of  the  species 
being  called  SQUAM  DUCK  in  Maine,  and  De  Kay  in  Zoology  of 
New  York,  1844,  of  its  being  known  on  Long  Island  as  BLACK 
AND  WHITE  COOT  and  BIG'  SEA  DUCK.  The  latter  author  states 
also  that  it  is  called  Squaw  Duck  on  the  Maine  coast,  but  I  re- 
gard this  as  simply  a  misprint  of  name  previously  mentioned  by 
Giraud.  (Though  these  books  bear  same  date,  Giraud's  was  first 
published.) 

The  common  Eider  of  Europe,  Somateria  mollissima,  is  known 
as  Dunter,  Dunter  Goose,  Dunter  Duck,  and  Cuthbert  Duck  or 
Saint  Cuthbert's  Duck,  among  other  names ;  I  add  these  because 
until  a  few  years  ago  ornithologists  regarded  the  two  birds  as 
one  and  the  same.  With  the  exception  of  a  rather  slight  differ- 
ence in  the  shape  of  the  bill*  there  is  little  or  no  difference 
between  them,  and  the  difference  between  the  bills  of  the  females 
of  the  two  species  is  in  some  cases  very  difficult  to  detect. 

The  superiority  of  the  down  of  the  eider  every  one  is  more 
or  less  acquainted  with,  and  the  flesh  is  said  to  be  very  good 
under  certain  conditions,  but  I  have  never  tried  it.  Audu- 

*  In  mollissima  the  elongated  encroachments  of  bill  upon  forehead  are  nar- 
rower, and  run  back  straighter,  and  terminate  more  acutely. 


No.  27.]  BIRD  NAMES.  95 

bon  tells  of  their  being  sold  at  Boston,  in  the  winter  of  1832 
(when  they  were  far  more  common  than  now),  "  at  from  fifty  to 
seventy-five  cents  the  pair ;"  and  he  adds  "  they  are  much  sought 
after  by  epicures." 


jfofe.—The  three  following  species,  Nos.  28,  29,  and  30,  known  as  "coots" 
(see  Nos.  31,  32,  33,  37)  or  "sea  coots,"  "scoters,"  etc.,  cannot  be  regarded  as 
general  favorites  for  the  table,  and  we  can  fully  understand  the  reason  when 
we  attempt  the  mastication  of  one  of  mature  years.  Latham  writes  concern- 
ing this  kind  of  fowl  (Synopsis,  1785):  "The  flesh  tastes  fishy  to  an  extreme, 
and  from  this  cause  is  allowed  by  the  Roman  Catholics  to  be  eaten  on  fast  days, 
and  in  Lent;  and  indeed,  to  say  the  truth,  must  be  a  sufficient  mortification." 

I  am  forced  to  omit  many  local  names  heard  for  these  birds,  finding  it 
impossible  to  obtain  a  satisfactory  vote  among  the  duckers  and  fishermen  as  to 
which  species  they  belong  to.  The  three  are  in  many  ways  similar,  and  the  fe- 
males differ  enough  from  the  old  cocks  to  be  often  classed  as  distinct  varieties. 

In  the  markets  of  Washington,  D.  C.,  the  name  "booby"  (see  No.  31)  is 
indiscriminately  applied  to  fowl  of  this  genus  (not  often  killed,  however,  so 
far  up  the  river),  and  they  are  referred  to  collectively,  and  facetiously,  at 
Pleasantville  (Atlantic  Co.),  N.  J.,  as  "iron  pots,"  or  "  old  iron  pots." 


NO.  as. 
Oidemia  deglandi. 

Adult  male.  Plumage  black,  with  conspicuous  band  of  white 
on  wing,  and  small  patch  of  white  on  side  of  head  sweeping 
backward  with  upward  curve  from  lower  part  of  eye ;  eye  pearl 
white  with  small  black  centre  or  pupil,  the  white  of  the  patch 
below  narrowly  continued  around  edge  of  eye.  Bill  with  ab- 
ruptly rising  knob  at  base ;  much  encroached  upon  by  feathers ; 
immediately  at  base  black,  this  black  spreading  forward  over 
the  knob  and  continued  along  the  edge  to  nail  at  end ;  sides  of 
bill  purplish  red  changing  to  orange  near  base ;  nail  also  orange, 
and  from  nail  to  the  black  between  the  nostrils  white,  or  pearl 
white ;  the  middle  of  the  bill,  in  other  words  from  nail  to  knob, 
being  broadly  white ;  lower  mandible  (lower  division  of  bill) 
black  with  broad  patch  of  orange  (including  nail)  at  end,  this 
patch  paling  to  white  at  back  edge.  The  legs  may  be  briefly 
described  as  red,  with  black  joints  and  webs,  but  the  two  sides 
of  legs  and  toes  differ  considerably  in  color,  the  outside  surfaces 


No.  28.] 


BIRD  NAMES. 


97 


No.  2S.    Adnlt  Male. 

being  dull  purplish  pink,  the  inner  bright  carmine  red  pervaded 
more  or  less  with  orange. 

female.  Sooty  brown,  lighter  and  more  gray  below,  and  to 
some  extent  whitish  on  sides  of  head,  this  white  appearing  very 
differently  upon  different  specimens,  often  as  speckles  between 
the  eye  and  the  bill,  and  as  a  condensed  blotch  behind  the  eye. 


No.  88.    Female 


98  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  28. 

Wing  marked  with  white  as  in  male.  Bill  swollen,  but  without 
the  abrupt  knob,  and  uniformly  blackish;  the  eyes  also  very 
dark.  Legs  and  feet  dull  flesh  color  heavily  shaded  with  black, 
and  with  webs  black. 

Young  male.  Resembling  female,  but  darker  or  more  black- 
ish about  head  and  neck ;  also  noticeably  darker  on  lower  surface 
of  body,  and  showing,  generally  before  the  beginning  of  winter, 
pinkish  tinge  on  sides  of  bill  (where  the  old  drake  is  purplish 
red),  and  having  brighter  and  a  little  more  reddish  legs. 

In  anv  plumage  this  species  is  instantly  distinguished  from 
Nos.  29  and  30  by  the  white  wing-mark  alone. 

Measurements  (highest  and  lowest  of  eighteen  freshly  killed 
birds) :  length  nineteen  and  live  eighths  to  twenty-two  and  five 
eighths  inches ;  extent  thirty  -three  and  seven  eighths  to  forty 
and  three  sixteenth  inches. 

Eange,  as  given  in  A.  O.  U.  Check  List,  1886,  "  Northern 
North  America,  breeding  in  Labrador  and  the  fur  countries; 
south  in  winter  to  the  Middle  States,  Southern  Illinois,  and 
Southern  California."  I  cannot  remember  killing  one  of  these 
birds  on  the  eastern  coast  south  of  the  above  limit,  though  they 
are  to  be  found  farther  south,  doubtless.  Dr.  Coues  says  (Key, 
1884):  "North  America  at  large,"  etc. 

WHITE -WINGED  SCOTER:  WHITE -WINGED  SURF  DUCK: 
VELVET  SCOTER:  VELVET  DUCK. 

From  New  Brunswick  to  Chesapeake  region  (in  localities  far 
too  numerous  to  mention)  WHITE-WINGED  COOT  or  WHITE- 
WING. 

In  Massachusetts  at  Pigeon  Cove  and  North  Scituate,  BLACK 
WHITE-WING  for  adult  drake,  and  GRAY  WHITE-WING  for  fe- 
male and  young;  some  gunners  believing  that  these  two  plu- 
mages represent  separate  species. 

Again  in  Massachusetts  at  New  Bedford  and  Fairhaven,  and 
southward  along  the  shore  to  Newport,  R.  I.,  the  name  MAY 
WHITE-WING  or  GREAT  MAY  WHITE- WING  is  applied  to  certain 
full-feathered  birds,  locally  regarded  as  a  distinct  and  larger 
variety,  to  be  met  with  only  between  the  10th  and  20th  of  May 


No.  28.]  BIRD  NAMES.  99 

"  flying  west  nor'west."  Many  duckers  tell  me  that  these  larger 
birds  are  seldom  or  never  seen  to  alight,  and  that  they  almost 
always  appear  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  are  to  be  seen  passing 
over  in  immense  flocks  until  hidden  by  the  night.  This  sup- 
posed "  variety  "  is  also  called,  though  less  frequently,  the  EAST- 
ERN WHITE-WING,  on  Buzzard's  Bay  from  New  Bedford  to 
Barney's  Joy  Point.  As  I  myself  have  never  witnessed  this 
May  migration,  the  above  account  is  all  that  I  can  give  con- 
cerning it. 

At  Portsmouth,  N.  II.,  and  at  Rowley  and  Salem,  Mass., 
PIED -WINGED  COOT;  in  Connecticut  at  Milford  (to  the  older 
gunners)  BELL-TONGUE  COOT,  at  Stratford  UNCLE-SAM  COOT; 
on  Long  Island  at  Bellport  BULL  COOT,*  at  Moriches  BRANT 
COOT;  to  some  at  Portsmouth,  N.  II.,  SEA  BRANT;  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Niagara  Falls  BLACK  DUCK  (see  Nos.  7,  29);  at 
Crisfield,  Md.,  ASSEMBLYMAN  (though  known  as  White-wing 
also),  the  species  being  commonly  referred  to,  singly  or  col- 
lectively, as  'SemUymen. 

Mentioned  in  A  Notice  of  the  Ducks  and  Shooting  of  the 
Chesapeake,  by  Dr.  Sharpless  (Cab.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  III.,  1833), 
as  "Velvet,  or  CHANNEL  DUCK." 

The  "  Lake  Huron  Scoter  "  described  and  figured  by  Herbert 
("  Frank  Forester  ")  in  appendix  to  Field  Sports,  Vol  II.,  was  of 
this  species,  and  the  author's  testimony  concerning  its  flesh  is 
amusing,  when  we  think  how  disgusted  he  would  have  been  to 
have  known  that  his  scoter  was  simply  the  bird  previously  de- 
scribed in  same  volume  as  "coarse,"  "fishy,"  "tough,"  and 
"  worthless."  Having  gotten  hold  of  a  young  bird,  however,  and 
excited  with  the  belief  that  he  had  added  a  new  species  to  our 
fauna,  he  gushed  as  follows:  "Not  only  as  fat  and  as  juicy,  but 
as  delicate,  as  tender,  as  lusciously  melting  in  the  mouth,  as  any 


*  Since  writing  the  above,  I  have  heard  this  name  at  Stony  Creek,  Conn., 
and  it  strikes  me  as  peculiarly  appropriate  for  these  thick-necked,  big-headed, 
heavily  built  drakes.  The  heaviest  of  five  males,  shot  December  8th,  weighed 
four  and  a  half  pounds;  and  gunners  tell  me  that  May  White-wings  sometimes 
weigh  considerably  more. 


100  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  28. 

Gunpowder  Eiver  Canvas  I  ever  had  the  fortune  to  taste."  Poor 
Herbert !  though  you  were  about  right  in  these  latter  remarks, 
you  were  not  the  man  to  have  written  them,  had  you  known 
that  you  were  comparing  your  aristocratic  "  Canvas  "  to  such  a 
common  and  despised  fowl  as  this. 


No.  29. 
Oidemia  perspicillata. 

Adult  male.  Plumage  black ;  a  patch  of  white  on  forehead, 
another  white  patch  on  nape,  also  a  scarcely  noticeable  touch  of 
white  immediately  below  the  eye  upon  the  lid.  Bill  lifting  high 
over  nostrils,  its  upper  sides  bulging  outward  abruptly  at  base 
and  free  from  feather-encroachment,  but  the  black  feathering  of 


No.  29.     Adult  Male. 


forehead  continued  along  the  top  of  the  bill  to  nostrils.  At  its 
sides  this  very  conspicuous  beak  is  pure  white  from  the  base  half- 
way to  tip,  with  squarish  patch  of  black  (as  shown  in  picture), 
this  courtplaster-like  patch  being  separated  from  the  feathering 
on  top  of  the  bill  by  a  line  of  orange,  and  from  the  black  of  the 
plumage  behind  by  a  narrower  line  of  carmine  red ;  top  or  ridge 
of  bill  (including  nostrils)  deep  carmine  red,  this  changing  to 


102  SIRD  A'AMES.  [No.  29. 

bright  orange  and  spreading  over  the  sides  of  the  bill  in  front ; 
nail  at  end  yellow ;  lower  mandible,  or  lower  division  of  bill, 
white  shaded  with  orange  in  front,  the  nail  yellow  (like  its  fel- 
low above).  Eyes  white  or  pearl-white  with  black  pupil  (the 
female  having  dark  eyes  as  in  the  case  of  species  last  de- 
scribed). Legs  and  feet  red,  with  joints  blackish  and  webs  pure 
black ;  that  is  to  say,  they  may  be  briefly  so  described,  but  (as  in 
the  case  of  preceding  species,  No.  28),  the  two  sides  of  legs  and 
toes  differ  considerably,  the  outer  surfaces  being  carmine  red, 
the  inner  orange  with  more  or  less  carmine  red  tinge. 


No.  29.    Female. 


Female.  Sooty  brown  with  lower  surface  of  body  gray ;  no 
patch  on  forehead  or  nape,  but  more  or  less  whitish  on  sides 
of  head  in  blotches.  Bill  but  slightly  swollen  about  base,  not 
feathered  so  far  forward  on  top,  and  uniformly  dusky,  or  gray 
very  fully  shaded  with  black.  Legs  and  feet  dull  brownish  yel- 
low with  dusky  shading,  the  webs  black. 

Young  male.  Much  like  female,  but  showing,  often  before 
winter,  some  pinkish  tinge  at  sides  of  bill  in  front. 

Measurements  (highest  and  lowest  of  five  freshly  killed 
birds) :  length  seventeen  and  a  half  to  nineteen  and  a  half  inches ; 
extent  thirty  and  a  half  to  thirty-two  and  a  half  inches.  Weight 


No.  29.]  BIRD  NAMES.  103 

of  an  adult  male  killed  in  December,  two  pounds  and  three 
and  a  quarter  ounces. 

Range :  chiefly  coasts  of  North  America,  but  also  found  on 
inland  waters ;  breeding  far  north,  and  moving  south  in  winter 
to  the  Carolina^,  Ohio  and  Kansas  rivers,  Lower  California,  and 
even  to  the  Island  of  Jamaica. 

SURF  SCOTER:  SURF  DUCK:  BLACK  DUCK  of  Pennant,  1785 
(see  Nos.7,28):  in  Edwards's  Natural  History  of  Birds,  Part  III., 
1750,  it  is  "  the  great  Black  Duck  from  Hudson's  Bay." 

In  Maine  at  Eastport,  Millbridge,  Bois  Bupert  Island,  French- 
man's Bay,  and  Portland,  HORSE-HEAD  COOT,  or  HORSE-HEAD; 
to  some  at  Eastport,  BALD-PATE  (see  No.  8);  at  Machiasport 
and  Jonesport,  SKUNK-BILL;  at  Portsmouth,  N.  II.,  in  Massa- 
chusetts at  Pigeon  Cove,  Cohasset,  North  Scituate,  North  Plym- 
outh, Barnstable,  Chatham,  and  Falmouth,  at  Stony  Creek, 
Conn.,  and  on  Long  Island  at  Shinnecock  Bay  and  Moriches, 
SKUNK-HEAD  (the  name  Skunk-bill  being,  doubtless,  a  perver- 
sion) ;  at  Essex,  Conn.,  SKUNK-TOP;  and  Mr.  F.  C.  Browne  gives 
SURFER,  in  his  list  of  "gunners'  names,"  at  Plymouth  Bay, 
Forest  and  Stream,  November  9,  1876.  In  Maine,  at  Winter 
Harbor,  GOOGLE-NOSE,  originally  Goggle-nose,  I  presume;  at 
Ash  Point  (near  Rockland),  Bath,  Portland,  Pine  Point,  and  Ken- 
nebunk,  PATCH-HEAD ;  in  Massachusetts  at  Fairhaven  and  New 
Bedford,  to  many  upon  Martha's  Vineyard,  and  at  Stonington, 
Conn.,  PATCH-POLLED  COOT;  at  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  to  some  of 
the  gunners  at  least,  WHITE-SCOP  (referring  to  the  white  of  the 
head,  "scop"  being  old  English  for  head  or  scalp).  To  some  at 
Kennebunk,  Me.,  MUSCLE-BILL;  in  Massachusetts  at  Salem, 
PICTURED -BILL;  at  Chatham,  PLASTER -BILL.  In  Conn.,  at 
Stony  Creek  and  Milford,  SNUFF-TAKER  (the  drake's  variegated 
beak  reminding  duckers  of  a  careless  snuff -taker's  nose);  at  Strat- 
ford, SPECKLED -BILL  COOT  and  SPECTACLE  COOT  (this  latter 
name  like  Goggle-nose,  the  patches  of  black,  one  at  either  side 
of  the  bill,  being  likened  to  colored  spectacles);  Giraud  writes 
(1844):  "SPECTACLE  DUCK,  as  it  is  by  some  called."  At  Bell- 
port,  L.  L,  MOROCCO-JAW  and  WHITE -HEAD.  In  New  Jersey 


104  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  29. 

at  Tuckerton,  BAY- COOT;  at  Pleasant ville  (Atlantic  Co.),  BLOS- 
SOM-BILL and  BLOSSOM-HEAD. 

Audubon  speaks  of  its  being  known  to  "  the  gunners  of  Long 
Island  and  New  Jersey  "  as  the  BLACK  SEA-DUCK,  stating  also 
that  in  Maine  and  Massachusetts  it  is  "  best  known  by  the  name 
of  BUTTER-BOAT-BILLED  COOT."  A  shorter  form  of  this  latter 
title,  viz.,  BUTTERBOAT-BILL,  is  given  by  De  Kay  (Zoology  of  New 
York,  1844),  but  I  have  never  heard  of  these  forms  in  actual  use. 
De  Kay  also  credits  the  species  with  BOX  COOT;  and  we  read  in 
Water  Birds  of  North  America,  of  its  being  known  "  to  some  " 
in  New  England  as  HOLLOW-BILLED  COOT  (see  No.  30). 

The  females  and  young  males  are,  by  many,  regarded  as  a 
species  distinct  from  the  adult  drakes  ;  the  two  former  being 
known  on  Buzzard's  Bay,  from  New  Bedford  to  Westport,  by 
the  name  PISHAUG-,  and  very  generally  along  our  coast  as  GRAY 
COOT,  and  less  frequently  BROWN  COOT.  (Species  No.  30  is  also 
popularly  divided  in  like  manner,  while  the  females  and  young 
of  No.  28  are,  as  a  rule,  correctly  placed ;  the  white  wing-mark 
revealing  the  relationship.)  This  mistake  is  one  very  easily 
made,  so  different  in  appearance  from  the  old  cocks  are  these 
gray-brown  birds ;  a  majority  also  of  those  that  come  to  us  in 
the  fall  are  young,  therefore  tamer,  inclined  to  frequent  the  in- 
lets, mouths  of  rivers,  ponds,  etc.,  and  when  shot  are  so  much 
easier  to  pick,  and  on  the  table  so  much  more  tender  and 
palatable. 

See  note  preceding  No.  28,  for  name  Booby,  etc. 

A  supposed  "  variety "  of  the  species,  called  "  Trowbridge's 
Surf  Duck,"  "Long-billed  Surf  Duck,"  etc.,  has  been  latterly 
eliminated;  found  to  be,  in  other  words,  nothing  more  nor  less 
than  this  bird. 


No.  3O. 
Oidemia  americana. 

Adult  male.  Plumage  black  throughout,  or  practically  so, 
the  upper  parts  glossy  and  slightly  iridescent,  the  lower  parts 
having  a  more  or  less  brownish  cast.  Bill  (its  upper  division) 
without  noticeable  encroachment  of  feathers,  but  with  hump  as 


No.  80.    Adult  Male. 


shown  in  picture,  and  large  patch  of  orange  changing  to  yellow 
above ;  this  patch  extending  from  base  to  front  of  nostrils  and 
including  hump ;  remainder  of  bill  uniformly  blackish,  as  are 
legs  and  feet. 


106 


BIRD  NAMES. 


[No.  30. 


Female.  Much  smaller  than  adult  male;  plumage  dusky 
grayish  brown,  paler  or  more  or  less  mixed  with  dull  white 
about  throat,  lower  part  of  head,  lower  breast,  and  belly.  Bill 


with  no  hump,  and  plain  blackish  (or  an  almost  uniform  mixt- 
ure of  gray  and  black).  Legs  and  toes  brownish  gray,  the  webs 
black. 

Young  male.     Closely  resembling  female. 

Measurements  about  those  of  No.  29,  but  female  of  present 
species  often  falling  short  of  lowest  figures  there  mentioned. 

Kange,  as  given  in  A.  O.  U.  Check  List :  "  Coasts  and  larger 
lakes  of  northern  North  America ;  breeds  in  Labrador  and  the 
northern  interior,  south  in  winter  to  New  Jersey,  the  Great 
Lakes,  and  California." 

AMERICAN  SCOTER:  AMERICAN  BLACK  SCOTER:  formerly 
believed  identical  with  very  similar  European  species  (Oldemia 
nigra]  and  referred  to  simply  as  SCOTER  DUCK,  BLACK  SCOTER, 
BLACK  DIVER,  etc.  (without  the  prefix  "  American  "). 

In  Maine,  at  Eastport,  Millbridge,  Frenchman's  Bay,  Ash 


No.  80.]  BIRD  NAMES.  107 

Point  (near  Eockland),  Bath,  Portland,  and  Pine  Point,  at  Ports- 
mouth, N.  H.,  in  Massachusetts  at  North  Scituate,  Barnstable, 
Fairhaven,  New  Bedford,  and  Falraouth,  and  at  Stony  Creek, 
Conn.,  BUTTER-BILL.  In  Maine  at  Machiasport,  Jonesport,  Mill- 
bridge,  and  Kennebunk,  and  at  Plymouth,  Mass.,  YELLOW-BILL. 
In  Massachusetts  at  Pigeon  Cove  (Cape  Ann),  BUTTER-NOSE, 
at  North  Plymouth,  Fairhaven,  and  New  Bedford,  COPPER-NOSE 
and  COPPER-BILL,  and  at  Edgartown,  PUMPKIN-BLOSSOM  COOT. 
In  Massachusetts  at  Salem  and  Cohasset,  at  Stonington,  Conn., 
and  on  Long  Island  at  Shinnecock  Bay  and  Bellport,  BLACK 
COOT;  the  female  (and  young)  being  known  at  Salem  as  SMUTTY 
COOT,  at  Chatham,  same  state,  as  FIZZY,  and  at  Bellport  and 
Moriches,  L.  I.,  as  BROAD-BILLED  COOT.  Of  the  species  as  a 
whole,  De  Kay  says  (Zoology  of  New  York,  1844) :  "  Known  on 
this  coast  under  the  name  of  Broad-billed  Coot,  and  farther  east 
by  the  name  of  Butter-bill."  To  some  at  Cohasset,  BLACK  BUT- 
TER-BILL, and  at  Stony  Creek,  Conn.,  WHISTLING -COOT;  at 
Hudson's  Bay,  according  to  Fauna  Boreal i- Americana,  1831, 
WHISTLING  DUCK  (No.  23  being  the  "  whistler  "  of  people  gen- 
erally). 

I  am  credibly  informed  that  in  the  vicinity  of  Rangely  Lake, 
Me.,  this  bird  is  the  SLEIGH-BELL  DUCK;  and  according  to 
Water  Birds  of  North  America,  it  is  called  the  HOLLOW-BILLED 
COOT  on  "the  Atlantic  side  of  Long  Island,"  this  being  "a  desig- 
nation applied  in  New  England  exclusively  to  the  Surf  Duck" 
(No.  29)  —  I  have  myself  never  heard  the  name  used  for  any 
fowl. 

The  females  and  young  (similar  in  appearance)  are  almost  in- 
variably regarded  by  duckers  as  a  species  distinct  from  the  old 
males,  and  though  locally  distinguished  from  the  latter  by  names 
previously  mentioned,  they  are  very  generally  classed  under  that 
of  GRAY*  COOT  (see  No.  29),  and  less  commonly  BROWN  COOT. 
The  flesh  of  the  young  is  highly  esteemed  by  gunners,  and,  it 
may  be  added,  by  almost  every  one  who  has  ventured  to  try  it. 

See  note  preceding  No.  28. 


No.  31. 
Erismatura  rubida. 

Body  broad  and  flat ;  neck,  wings,  and  legs  short;  feet  large; 
bill  almost  as  noticeably  broad  at  end  as  Shoveller's,  No.  14  ;  tail 
of  stiff  pointed  feathers,  wedge-shaped,  and  often  cocked  up 
comically  in  the  air. 

The  full-dressed  drake  very  showy ;  sides  of  head  below  eyes 
white  to  throat ;  top  of  head,  and  the  nape  bright  black ;  upper 


v 


No.  31.     Adult  Male  ("full  dress"). 


•V* 


parts  of  body,  with  sides  and  neck,  rich  brownish  red  or  ma- 
hogany color;  wings  and  tail  brownish  black;  lower  plumage 
silver  white  waved  with  dusky  gray.  Feet  bluish  gray  with 
dark  webs.  Bill  blue. 

As  usually  found,  however,  the  bill  and  feet  are  darker,  and 
the  plumage  practically  that  of  the  female,  viz. :  upper  parts 


No.  31.]  BIRD  NAMES. 


109 


blackish,  intermingled  with  dull  reddish  brown ;  the  lower  and 
lighter  part  of  head  (see  picture)  grayish  white  with  a  dusky  bar 
running  back  from  bill.  Lower  parts  of  body  similar  to  plumage 


No.  81.    Female. 

first  described,  but  very  much  duller  in  tone.  Indeed,  in  this 
more  common  dress,  the  species  has  a  cheap,  soiled,  and  "  shop- 
worn "  appearance. 

Length  about  sixteen  inches ;  extent  twenty-two  to  twenty- 
three  inches. 

Range :  North  America  in  general. 

Of  its  breeding -habits  I  know  personally  very  little.  Dr. 
Coues  says :  "  Breeding  from  northern  border  of  United  States 
northward."  A.  O.  U.  Check  List  says :  "  Breeding  throughout 
most  of  its  North  American  range."  Professor  Ridgway's 
Manual  (of  1886)  does  not  mention  its  breeding-grounds. 

Though  this  duck  is  a  gourmand,  and  greatly  inclined  to 
obesity,  it  is  as  quick  a  diver  as  any  known  species.  When 
wounded  it  pluckily  struggles  to  escape  to  the  last  gasp,  bleed- 
ing all  the  time  like  a  prize  pig.  I  hear  of  its  being  sometimes 
undone  by  a  too  bountiful  food  supply.  Gunners  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Maumee  River  tell  of  finding  these  self-indulgent  little 
creatures  floundering  helplessly  fat  on  the  water,  and  in  certain 
seasons  floating  about  in  a  dying  condition,  or  dead,  in  consider- 
able numbers. 


110 


BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  31. 


RUDDY  DUCK  of  Wilson,  1814.  Though  first  introduced  in 
that  year  to  the  ornithologists,  and  as  "  very  rare,"  the  species 
may  have  been  familiar  enough  to  the  gunners  under  one  or 
more  of  the  following  names.  It  is  difficult  to  believe  that  a 
variety  now  so  very  common,  and  mentioned  by  Dr.  Sharpless  in 
Doughty's  Cabinet,  Vol.  III.,  1833,  as  abounding  "  in  every  nook 
and  cove  "  of  the  Chesapeake,  was  really  as  rare  as  Wilson  sup- 
posed, though  it  has,  doubtless,  increased  in  numbers  since  his 
time. 

At  Machiasport,  Me.,  BLUE-BILL  (see  Nos.  17,  18,  19);  at 
Bath,  Me.,  and  Newport,  K.  I.,  BROAD-BILL  (again,  see  Nos.  17, 
18, 19  ;  also  No.  14) ;  at  Fairhaven,  Mass.,  BROAD-BILL  DIPPER; 
at  Stonington,  Conn.,  HARD-HEADED  BROAD-BILL;  in  New 
Jersey  at  Barnegat,  Tuckerton,  and  Atlantic  City,  SLEEPY 
BROAD-BILL;  at  Kennebunk,  Me.,  HORSE-TURD  DIPPER  (the 
birds  being  so  termed,  I  am  told,  from  their  habit,  when  alarmed, 
of  huddling  together  in  a  mass) ;  at  Provincetown,  Mass.,  DIP- 
PER, DOPPER,  and  DAPPER  (see  No.  24) ;  at  Eastville,  Va.,  MUD 
DIPPER;  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  BUMBLE-BEE  COOT;  in  Mass., 
at  Cohasset,  CREEK  COOT;  to  some  at  Cohasset,  and  commonly 
at  North  Scituate  (same  state),  HORSE-TURD  COOT ;  at  Baltimore, 
Md.,  COOT  simply  (see  our  Coot  of  the  ornithologists  No.  32 ; 
also  Nos.  28,  29,  30,  33,  37) ;  to  some  in  the  vicinity  of  Plym- 
outh, Mass.,  SPOON-BILL  (see  No.  14) ;  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Niagara  Falls,  SPOON-BILLED  BUTTER-BALL;  occasionally  at 
Havre  de  Grace,  Md.,  Norfolk,  Va.,  Newberne,  N.  C.,  Savannah, 
Ga.,  and  commonly  in  Golden  City,  Mo.,  Palatka  and  Sandford, 
Fla,,  BUTTER-BALL,  the  commonest  name  at  Norfolk  being 
BUTTER-DUCK. 

The  Buffle-head,  No.  24,  may  have  a  prior  claim  to  "  Butter- 
ball"  and  "Butter-duck,"  but  how  would  it  do  to  leave  the 
Ruddy  in  full  possession  of  all  the  names  having  butter  in  them, 
and  to  call  the  former,  which  is  less  valuable  for  table  use,  the 
Oleomargarine-hall,  etc.,  etc.  ? 

We  hear  also  at  Norfolk  BUTTER-BOWL,  BATTER-SCOOT,  and 
BLATHER-SCOOT,  and  in  the  Norfolk  Virginian  of  December  12, 
1884,  the  species  is  referred  to  as  BLATHERSKITE  and  BLADDER- 


No.  31.]  BIRD  NAMES.  m 

SCOOT.  At  Cohasset,  Mass.,  and  Newberne,  N.  C.,  SLEEPY-HEAD; 
in  New  Jersey  at  Pleasant ville  (Atlantic  Co.),  SLEEPY-DUCK;  at 
Pleasantville,  Atlantic  City,  and  Somers  Point,  SLEEPY  COOT; 
at  Crisfield,  Md.,  SLEEPY  BROTHER. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Detroit,  and  at  Vienna  Marsh,  north  of 
Toledo,  the  book-name  "  Ruddy "  has  taken  quite  a  hold  even 
among  the  market-gunners  (the  example  of  city  sportsmen  of 
course).  It  is  always  a  surprise  to  meet  one  of  these  authorized 
names  in  actual  service,  particularly  one  like  this,  descriptive  of 
a  state  of  plumage  that  the  gunners  are  least  familiar  with. 
Others  at  Detroit,  and  the  "punters"  of  St.  Clair  Flats,  refer 
to  the  species  still  as  FOOL-DUCK,  DEAF-DUCK,  and  SHOT-POUCH 
(the  latter — considering  the  bird's  ability  to  carry  away  shot — 
being  far  from  inappropriate).  Commonly  known  at  Chicago, 
and  in  the  Putnam  Co.  portion  of  the  Illinois  River,  and  by 
some  at  Norfolk,  Va.,  as  BULL-NECK  (see  Nos.  15, 17) ;  less  com- 
monly at  Chicago,  and  more  facetiously  as  STUB-AND-TWIST. 

Since  finishing  the  list  of  names  heard  by  myself  in  more 
northern  localities,  Mr.  Henry.  P.  Ives,  of  Salem,  Mass.,  a  gentle- 
man who  is  well  acquainted  with  this  species,  tells  me  of  hearing 
it  commonly  called  the  DAUB-DUCK  at  Rangely  Lake,  Me. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Plymouth,  Mass.,  GOOSE  WIDGEON;  at 
West  Barnstable,  same  state,  WIDGEON  COOT,  or  WIDGEON  sim- 
ply (see  our  Widgeon  of  the  books,  No.  8 ;  also  Nos.  9,  12,  13, 
17).  In  Massachusetts  at  Falmouth  and  Martha's  Vineyard,  in 
Connecticut  at  Stonington,  East  Haddam,  mouth  of  Connecticut 
River,  Wilmington,  N.  C.,  and  Savannah,  Ga.,  HARD-HEAD;  to 
some  at  Martha's  Vineyard,  TOUGH-HEAD.  At  Newport,  R.  I., 
Stratford,  Conn.,  very  generally  on  Long  Island,  and  at  Norfolk, 
Va.,  BOOBY  (see  note  preceding  No.  28) ;  and  sometimes  on  the 
south  side  of  Long  Island,  BOOBY  COOT. 

"  Looby "  has  also  been  recorded  as  a  name  for  this  species 
(Zoology  of  New  York,  1844,  and  elsewhere).  I  am  inclined  to 
believe,  however,  that  it  originated  in  the  index  of  Giraud's 
Birds  of  Long  Island,  and  is  a  misprint  for  Booby.  If  a  mis- 
take, it  was  a  happy  one,  the  two  terms  being  synonymous. 

At  Red  Bank  (Monmouth  Co.),  N.  J.,  SALT-WATER  TEAL, 


U2  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  31. 

and  Giraud,  1844,  speaks  of  its  being  known  by  this  name  to 
gunners  of  Chesapeake  Bay;  in  St.  Augustine,  Fla.,  BROWN 
DIVING  TEAL. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Philadelphia,  at  Somers  Point,  1ST.  J.,  to 
some  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  at  Savannah,  Ga.,  STIFF-TAIL ;  at 
Tuckerton,  N.  J.,  QUILL-TAIL  COOT ;  at  St.  Georges,  Del.  (Dela- 
ware and  Chesapeake  Canal),  and  to  some  at  Havre  de  Grace, 
PIN-TAIL  (the  Pin-tail  duck  of  books,  &c.,  No.  13,  being  the 
"Sprig-tail"  in  these  localities);  called  also  BRISTLE-TAIL  at 
St.  Georges,  and  referred  to  in  an  article  on  "  Chesapeake  duck 
shooting,"  by  Dr.  I.  T.  Sharpless,  Cab.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  I.,  1830 
("  Doughty's  Cabinet "),  as  HEAVY-TAILED  DUCK.  In  index  to 
Giraud's  Birds  of  Long  Island,  STICK-TAIL ;  in  Turnbull's  Birds 
of  East  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey,  SPINE-TAIL;  at  St.  Au- 
gustine, Fla.,  DIP-TAIL  DIVER;  in  De  Kay's  Zoology  of  New 
York,  DUN-DIVER;  in  Samuels's  O.  and  O.  of  New  England, 
RUDDY  DIVER;  and  Nuttall  (1834),  speaks  of  its  being  "common 
in  the  market  of  Boston,"  and  "  generally  known  "  as  DUN-BIRD. 

At  Manasquan,  N.  J.,  HICKORY-HEAD ;  at  Havre  de  Grace, 
Md.,  GREASER,  this  being  the  commonest  name  here  for  the 
species ;  and  William  Wagner,  a  well  known  Washington  gun- 
ner, tells  of  hearing  it  called  WATER-PARTRIDGE,  and  STEEL- 
HEAD,  on  the  Patuxent  River,  Md.  (their  Partridge  being  Bob- 
white,  No.  42);  in  the  markets  of  Washington  the  Ruddy  is 
known  as  ROOK.  Just  think  of  it,  a  duck  called  a  rook  under 
the  very  shadow  of  the  Smithsonian. 

At  Newberne,  N.  C.,  PADDY  and  NODDY.  Any  one  familiar 
with  the  species  will  understand  why  such  terms  as  "  noddy," 
"  sleepy-head,"  "  fool-duck,"  "  booby,"  etc.,  are  applied ;  for 
though  these  ducks  are  clever  enough  after  having  been  wounded 
or  thoroughly  aroused  by  the  slaughter  of  their  companions, 
they  are  exceedingly  stupid  at  other  times.  If  they  have  not 
been  recently  fired  at,  they  exhibit  very  little  fear  at  the  ap- 
proach of  a  boat,  and  even  after  having  been  awakened  from 
their  dreams  by  the  report  of  a  gun,  they  will  sometimes  fly  in 
a  dazed  manner  directly  towards  the  shooter,  and  alight  again 
within  easy  shot.  Two  of  the  names  referred  to  in  this  con- 


No.  31.]  BIRD  NAMES.  113 

nection  are  generally  given  to  birds  that  have  no  place  in  a  list 
of  this  kind — "  booby  "  belonging  in  the  books  and  elsewhere  to 
the  gannets — genus  Svla;  and  "noddy"  to  a  Southern  species 
of  tern — Anous  stolidus. 

Another  name  at  Newberne  for  the  Ruddy,  and  a  very  popu- 
lar one,  is  LIGHT -WOOD  KNOT.  "  Light-wood  "  is  a  Southern 
name  for  very  resinous  or  fatty  portions  of  pine,  commonly  ob- 
tained from  trees  that  have  been  "scraped"  for  turpentine. 
The  knot  of  this  "  light-wood  "  is  proverbially  hard,  and  the 
appellation  is  therefore  like  "  hard-head,"  "  tough-head,"  "  stub- 
and-twist,"  etc.,  and  refers  to  the  difficulty  sometimes  experi- 
enced in  quieting  these  creatures.  To  put  shot  into  a  Ruddy 
is  one  thing,  to  kill  him  quite  another  matter. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  Morehead,  N.  C.,  PADDY-WHACK ; 
occasionally  at  Wilmington,  same  state,  DINKEY  ("  Hard-head  " 
being  the  common  name) ;  and  one  Wilmington  ducker  told  me 
of  hearing  the  Ruddy  called  .  >ICKEY  by  certain  South  Carolina 
gunners, — "  Don't  you  know,"  said  he,  "  how,  when  they  start, 
they  go  dickey-dickey-dickey,  patting  the  water  with  their  wings 
and  feet?" 

At  Charleston,  S.  C.,  LEATHER-BACK ;  on  the  Savannah  River 
(above  Savannah),  DUMPLING-DUCK ;  and  on  the  Ogeechee  River, 
Ga.,  HARD-TACK. 

In  1885,  while  devoting  myself  particularly  to  the  study  of 
this  species,  it  seems  to  have  been  unusually  common.  The  late 
C.  S.  Westcott  ("  Homo  ")  wrote  from  Philadelphia  to  Forest 
and  Stream  of  Oct.  29 :  "  The  number  of  Stiff-tails  that  have 
come  this  year  is  beyond  anything  for  years.  Twenty-five  to 
thirty  per  boat  are  the  average  returns  each  day  below  Chester." 
The  same  fall  I  was  told  by  John  Kleinman,  of  Chicago,  who  is 
not  only  a  "  crack  shot,"  but  a  close  observer  of  the  habits  of 
birds  as  well,  that  he  had  rarely  if  ever  before  seen  Bull-necks 
so  numerous.  Mr.  J.  S.  Atwood,  of  Provincetown,  Mass.,  wrote 
me,  Oct.  11  (1885):  "These  Dippers  are  very  numerous  at  the 
present  time  in  this  locality,  and  gunners  will  get  from  twenty 
to  thirty  in  a  day.  We  never  see  them  in  salt-water."  And  Mr. 
Atwood  wrote  again  during  the  same  month, "  Some  gunners 
8  • 


114-  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  31. 

have  shot  as  many  as  seventy-five  in  a  day."  In  this  year  also, 
I  heard  the  duckers  of  Stony  Creek,  Conn.,  talking  about  a  duck 
that  had  lately  come  among  them  in  considerable  numbers.  The 
little  stranger  proved  to  be  our  friend  the  Ruddy.  It  had  been 
occasionally  met  with  in  previous  years,  but  not  often  enough 
to  create  general  interest.  I  was  several  times  asked  whether 
it  was  good  to  eat  or  not,  what  its  real  name  was,  etc. 


No.  33. 

Fulica  americana. 

Principally  of  a  dark  bluish  slate  color  slightly  tinged  about 
the  back  with  olive  brown,  the  head  and  neck  black  or  blackish. 
Feathers  beneath  tail  white ;  wings  narrowly  edged  with  white, 
the  secondaries  (viz.,  feathers  growing  from  second  bone  of  wing) 
broadly  tipped  with  the  same ;  also  somewhat  whitish  on  lower 


HQ  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  32. 

part  of  body.  While  the  wings  are  closed  (tightly  closed)  the 
white  of  the  secondaries  is  not  visible,  and  the  white  edging  to 
the  wings  is  not  easily  discerned.  Bill  of  adult  white,  though 
with  three  dusky  spots  forming  an  incomplete  band  about  it 
near  tip.  The  bill  is  continued  backward  upon  the  forehead 
by  a  thick  gristly  chestnut  colored  skin.  This  continuation, 
or  "  frontal  plate,"  is  easily  indented  by  the  nail,  in  freshly 
killed  specimens,  or  moved  about  upon  the  bony  structure  which 
it  covers.  Bill  of  young  bird  dusky  flesh-color  tinged  greenish 
towards  the  tip ;  the  "  frontal  plate  "  but  partially  developed. 
Eyes  carmine  red.  Legs  yellowish  green,  or  slate  color  with 
greenish  tinge,  and  dark  or  inky  about  the  joints.  Toes  fur- 
nished with  broadly  scalloped  membrane. 

Length  fourteen  to  sixteen  inches ;  extent  twenty-four  to 
twenty-eight  inches. 

A  good  swimmer,  looking  very  duck-like  on  the  water. 

Weight  of  freshly  killed  adult  in  hand  at  this  writing,  twenty- 
one  ounces. 

Eange,  North  America,  from  Greenland  and  Alaska  to  Cen- 
tral America. 

Though  this  species  cannot  be  regarded  as  particularly  in- 
teresting to  sportsmen,  yet  it  is  too  intimately  associated  with 
duck  and  rail  shooting  to  be  omitted  from  the  list.  Its  flesh 
has  certainly  not  a  good  reputation  with  the  community  at 
large,  though  champions  may  be  found  for  almost  any  variety. 
I  have,  for  instance,  heard  the  market-gunners  and  hucksters  at 
Norfolk,  Va.,  very  loud  in  their  praises  of  this  bird ;  some  in- 
deed declaring  it  superior  to  Canvas-back.  But,  though  this 
latter  duck  is  usually  much  overrated,  it  brings  the  marketman 
too  good  a  price  to  be  often  tested  at  his  table.  At  Wilming- 
ton, N.  C.,  they  say  that  the  present  species  is  peculiarly  deli- 
cious after  having  fattened  upon  the  rice  fields,  and  we  all  know 
how  very  much  the  food  of  a  bird  has  to  do  with  its  quality. 
We  should  be  thankful  that  when  from  want  of  better  sport 
we  slaughter  fowl  of  this  kind,  people  may  be  found  ready 
and  willing  to  relieve  our  bags  and  consciences. 


No.  32.]  BIRD  NAMES.  Hf 

COOT:  CINEREOUS  COOT:  COMMON  COOT:  the  only  bird  in 
the  United  States  recognized  as  Coot  by  ornithologists  (see  Nos. 
28,  29,  30,  31,  33,  37) ;  more  correctly  termed  AMERICAN  COOT, 
our  bird  differing  slightly  from  the  common  coot  of  Europe. 

I  have  not  fallen  in  with  this  species,  nor  heard  gunners 
name  it  along  the  coast  from  the  St.  Croix  to  the  Penobscot. 
From  Bangor  to  Cape  Cod  Bay,  on  the  Niagara  River,  at  Lake 
St.  Clair,  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago,  and  on  the  Illinois  River, 
it  is  the  MUD-HEN  (see  No.  33) ;  and  Dr.  David  Crary,  a  veteran 
sportsman  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  tells  of  hearing  it  so  termed  in 
Benton  Co.,  Oregon.  (For  other  "  mud-hens,"  see  Nos.  35,  36, 
43.) 

Rev.  J.  II.  Langille,  in  Our  Birds  in  their  Haunts,  1884,  de- 
scribes its  manner  of  rising  from  the  water, "  gradually  with  a 
spatting,  splattering  noise,"  etc.,  adding,  "  very  properly  do  the 
Western  hunters  call  this  bird  the  SPLATTERER." 

Again,  from  Bangor  to  Cape  Cod  Bay,  MARSH-HEN  (this  be- 
ing perhaps  equally  popular  with  "Mud-hen"),  and  Mr.  Everett 
Smith  speaks  of  hearing  it  called  the  BLUE  MARSH-HEN  in 
Maine.*  (For  other  "  marsh-hens,"  see  Nos.  33,  34,  35,  36.) 

To  some  at  Salem,  Mass.,  and  more  commonly  at  Newport, 
R.  L,  MEADOW-HEN  (see  No.  35) ;  in  Massachusetts  at  Province- 
town,  Buzzard's  Bay,  and  West  Barnstable,  POND-HEN,  and  at 
Falmouth,  WATER-HEN  (see  No.  33),  and  Gosse  (1847)  speaks 
of  this  latter  term  as  so  used  in  Jamaica — the  name  Coot  being 
given  there  to  the  Florida  Gallinule. 

At  Havre  de  Grace,  Md.,  MOOR-HEN,  so  termed  by  all  (see 
No.  33). 

In  Connecticut  at  East  Haddam,  and  mouth  of  Connecticut 
River,  and  at  Moriches,  L.I.,  PULLDOO,  a  corruption  of  the  French 
jxnde  cTeau  (water-hen).  Audubon  (Ornith.  Biog.,  III.,  1835), 
speaks  of  POULE  D'EAU  being  applied  in  Louisiana  to  both  this 
bird  and  No.  35,  and  adds  concerning  the  present  species  :  "  In 
all  other  parts  of  the  Union  it  is  known  by  the  name  of  Mud- 
hen  and  Coot."  "All  other  parts  of  the  Union"  was  far  too 

*  Birds  of  Maine,  Forett  and  Stream,  1882-83. 


118  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  32. 

broad  a  statement,  it  is  in  good  keeping,  however,  with  much 
that  has  been  written  about  bird  names. 

Mr.  C.  W.  Beckham  writes,  in  his  Notes  on  the  Birds  of 
Bayou  Sara,  La.,  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornith.  Club,  July,  1882 :  "  Known 
here  by  the  Creole  name  of  POULET  DEAN."  (Dean— French 
doyen,  the  eldest,  chief,  or  oldest-looking  poulet,  compared  with 
those  smaller  water-hens  or  poulets,  the  gallinules — and  rails 
perhaps.) 

To  some  at  Buzzard's  Bay,  Mass.,  and  commonly  at  East 
Lladdam,  Conn.,  SEA-CROW ;  *  to  some  at  Stratford,  Conn.,  and 
at  Baltimore,  Md.,  CROW-BILL;  in  New  Jersey  at  Manasquan, 
Barnegat,  and  Tuckerton,  Washington,  D.  C.,  Alexandria,  Va., 
and  Crisfield,  Md.,  CROW-DUCK.  Giraud  (1844)  speaks  of  its 
being  known  "in  some  sections"  of  Long  Island,  and  at  Egg 
Harbor,  N.  J.,  as  WHITE-BILL  and  HEN-BILL.  To  a  majority 
of  the  gunners  at  Stratford,  Conn.,  it  is  the  PELICK. 

Known  very  generally  in  Virginia,  and  southward  to  Florida, 
and  less  commonly  in  latter  state  at  Jacksonville,  St.  Augustine, 
and  Enterprise,  as  BLUE-PETER  (quite  familiar  to  the  older 
Floridians  by  this  name) ;  popularly  known  at  Jacksonville,  St. 
Augustine,  Enterprise,  and  Sanford  by  book-name,  "  Coot " — No. 
33,  however,  sharing  this  name  more  or  less  indiscriminately 
with  the  present  species. 

March,  in  his  Notes  on  the  Birds  of  Jamaica  (1863-64),  calls 
it  IVORY-BILLED  COOT,  and  I  have  a  memorandum  crediting  it 
also  with  the  name  MUD-COOT,  the  locality,  however,  or  source 
from  which  derived,  having  been  carelessly  omitted. 

The  species  is  also  credited  with  the  name  Flusterer.  In 
Wilson's  Ornithology  (where  our  bird  is  described  as  identical 
with  European  Coot,  F.  atra)  the  following  note  appears :  "  In 
Carolina,  they  are  called  flusterers,  from  the  noise  they  make  in 

*  A  name  given  by  many  people  along  the  coast  from  Cape  May  to  Cape 
Charles,  to  Black  Skimmer,  Ryncliops  nigra  (not  included  in  this  book) ;  this 
is  a  long-winged  gull-like  bird  -with  lower  parts  white,  and  legs  red ;  beak 
black  and  red,  and  peculiarly  compressed — "  razor-billed ;"  the  upper  man- 
dible (upper  division  of  bill)  grooved  to  receive  blade-like  edge  of  much 
larger  lower  mandible. 


No.  32.]  BIRD  NAMES.  U9 

flying  over  the  surface  of  the  water. — A  Voyage  to  Carolina,  by 
John  Lawson,  p.  149."  Audubon  writes :  "  The  appellation  of 
•  flusterers '  given  to  it  by  Mr.  Lawson  in  his  History  of  South 
Carolina,  never  came  to  my  ear  during  my  visits  to  that  state." 
And  Xuttall  speaks  of  the  American  Coot  "  fluttering  along  the 
surface  with  both  the  wings  and  feet  pattering  over  it ;"  adding, 
"  for  which  reason,  according  to  Lawson  in  his  History  of  Caro- 
lina, they  had  in  that  country  received  the  name  of  Flusterers." 
Now  this  is  just  what  Lawson  says  in  work  referred  to  (1709) : 
"  Black  Flusterers ;  some  call  these  Old  Wives ;  they  are  as  black 
as  ink,  the  cocks  have  white  faces,  they  always  remain  in  the 
midst  of  rivers,  and  feed  upon  drift  grass,  camels  or  sea-nettles ; 
they  are  the  fattest  fowl  I  ever  saw,  and  sometimes  so  heavy 
with  flesh  that  they  cannot  rise  out  of  the  water ;  they  make  an 
odd  sort  of  noise  when  they  fly.  What  meat  they  are,  I  could 
never  learn.  Some  call  these  the  great  bald  Coot."  Lawson 
nowhere  mentions  the  term  u  flusterers  "  alone,  and  advances  no 
reason  for  the  naming,  and  his  acquaintance  with  the  bird  that 
always  remained  in  the  midst  of  rivers,  and  of  whose  meat  he 
could  never  learn,  was  certainly  quite  limited.  It  is  not  improb- 
able that  he  got  names  and  species  somewhat  mixed,  and  I  am 
inclined  to  believe  that  in  the  following  extract  from  his  book  he 
alludes  rather  more  to  Coot  than  to  Florida  Gallinule  (No.  33) : 
"  Blue-Peters— the  same  as  you  call  Water-hens  in  England,  are 
here  very  numerous,  and  not  regarded  for  eating."  The  name 
Blue-Peter  was  probably  then,  as  now,  generally  applied  in  the 
Carolinas  to  this  more  common  and  more  blue  water-hen,  No.  32. 


No.  33. 

G-allinula  galeata. 

Adult.  Bluish  slate  color  with  (in  full  plumage)  sooty  black 
head  and  neck ;  the  head  sometimes  more  brownish  than  black. 
In  general  appearance  considerably  like  No.  32,  though  smaller. 


No.  33. 


Slate  color  of  lower  belly  mixed  with  white ;  purer  white  be- 
neath tail  and  on  edges  of  wings,  as  in  No.  32,  but  decidedly 
browner  than  the  latter  bird  on  back,  tail,  and  portions  of  the 
wings,  and  with  white  stripes  on  certain  long  loose  feathers  of 


No.  33.]  BIRD  NAMES.  121 

the  sides,  and  no  white  on  "  secondaries."  Brown  of  back,  etc., 
of  a  chocolate  tint,  with  occasional  tinges  of  olive.  Bill  at  its 
end  pea-green,  the  remainder,  including  the  leathery  continuation 
covering  forehead,  red  or  nearly  so.  This  continuation  much 
more  extensive  than  in  No.  32,  and  terminating  squarely  (not  in 
a  point  as  in  the  latter  bird).  Legs  pea-pod  green,  with  dusky 
joints ;  this  leg-color  changed,  however,  next  to  feathering  of 
thighs,  to  bright  yellow  and  orange  red ;  the  feet  without  no- 
ticeable membrane, "  clean  toed." 

Young.  Showing  until  long  after  attaining  full  size  but 
slightly  developed  "  frontal  shield  "  (as  this  leathery  continua- 
tion of  bill  over  the  forehead  is  sometimes  called).  Bill  with  no 
red  anywhere  about  it ;  its  end  green,  but  less  bright  than  in 
adult ;  remainder  of  bill,  including  encroachment  upon  forehead, 
dark  greenish  brown.  Head  and  neck  with  no  true  black. 
Plumage  of  lower  parts  considerably  mixed  with  white.  Legs, 
immediately  beneath  feathering  of  thigh,  light  orange  green 
with  no  red. 

Length  thirteen  to  fourteen  inches,  or  a  little  more ;  extent 
twenty  to  twenty -two  inches.  Weight  fourteen  ounces. 

Found  here  and  there  from  the  British  Provinces  southward 
to  southern  parts  of  South  America. 

I  did  not  originally  intend  to  include  this  species,  and  have 
therefore  omitted  to  gather  its  common  names  as  completely  as 
I  would  otherwise  have  done.  Though  its  range  is  wide,  it  is 
numerous  in  comparatively  few  localities.  It  is  found  very 
closely  associated  with  the  American  Coot,  No.  32,  but  is  seen 
much  less  often  on  the  wing,  or  upon  the  open  water.  Its  habit 
of  keeping  a  greater  part  of  the  time  out  of  sight  in  the  tall 
marsh-grass,  and  its  resemblance  at  a  distance  to  No.  32,  have 
kept  its  name  from  many  "  local  lists."  It  is  a  better  bird  for 
the  table  than  the  Coot — "  a  heap-sight  sweeter  meat,"  as  my 
colored  boatman  expressed  it. 

FLORIDA  QALLINULE:  AMERICAN  GALLINULE:  COMMON 
OALLINULE:  SCARLET -FRONTED  GALLINULE:  WATER-HEN 
(see  No.  32). 


122  BIRD  NAMES. 

In  a  list  of  the  birds  of  Oneida  Co.  and  its  vicinity,  New  York 
Ealph  and  Bagg,  1886 — this  species  is  mentioned  as  "  very  com- 
mon on  the  marshes  of  Seneca  Kiver,"  and  locally  known  as 
WATER-CHICKEN. 

In  Connecticut,  at  East  Haddam,  and  Essex,  at  Havre  de 
Grace,  Md.,  and  to  many  at  Enterprise,  Fla.,  KING-RAIL  (see 
No.  34) ;  and  we  read  in  Forest  and  Stream,  October  2, 1879,  of 
its  "  Natural  History  Editor"  killing  the  species  on  the  meadows 
of  the  Housatonic,  the  writer  adding — "  called  in  that  state 
(Conn.)  the  King-rail."  The  species  is  more  common  in  Con- 
necticut than  many  suppose.  One  of  the  young  birds  used  in 
my  description  was  killed  while  rail-shooting  at  East  Haddam ; 
a  number  having  been  shot  there  during  the  same  month,  Sep- 
tember, 1886,  and  five  of  them  certainly  during  one  tide. 

At  Washington,  D.  C.,  KING-ORTOLAN,  and  less  commonly, 
MARSH-PULLET;  at  Alexandria,  Va.,  KING-SORA.  The  name 
King-ortolan  is  given  by  Coues  and  Prentiss  (Birds  of  District 
Columbia,  1861-62)  as  an  alias  of  Rallus  elegans,  No.  34 ;  but  No. 
33  is  certainly  the  king-rail  of  the  District  now  (1887),  and  it 
may  be  added,  is  much  more  like  an  enlarged  form  of  "  ortolan  " 
No^  37. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Lake  St.  Clair,  about  Chicago,  and  to  some 
at  Enterprise,  Fla.,  MUD-HEN,  and  a  friend  writes  from  latter 
state  as  follows  (being  provided  with  a  stuffed  specimen) :  "  At 
Indian  Kiver  I  showed  it  to  six  men  in  one  day,  and  each  said 
at  once, '  that's  a  mud-hen.'  On  being  asked  if  it  were  not  a 
c  blue-peter,'  they  said  no,  that's  a  different  bird.  One  man  said, 
i  There  ain't  no  other  name  for  that  bird  l)ut  mud-hen.'1 " 

In  the  western  localities  mentioned  this  species  is  numerous 
enough  to  be  thoroughly  well  known,  and  is  commonly  recog- 
nized as  a  much  superior  bird  to  No.  32.  Yet  many  gunners 
loosely  use  the  term  "  mud-hen  "  for  each.  Others,  however, 
in  these  localities  and  on  the  Illinois  Eiver  (in  Putnam  Co.,  at 
least)  who  are  more  particular  in  such  matters,  distinguish  the 
Gallinule  as  RICE-HEN,  and  again  at  Detroit  and  other  points 
near  Lake  St.  Clair,  as  RED-BILLED  MUD-HEN,  MOOR-HEN  (see 
No.  32),  and  MARSH-HEN.  (For  other  "marsh-hens,"  see  Nos. 


No.  33.]  BIRD  NAMES.  123 

32,  34,  35,  36.)  At  St.  Augustine,  Fla.,  many  class  the  GaUinule 
indiscriminately  with  No.  32,  as  COOT,  and  Gosse  (1847),  speaks 
of  No.  33  being  known  as  Coot  in  Jamaica,  where  No.  32  is  the 
"  Water-hen."  (For  other  "  coots,"  see  Nos.  28,  29,  30,  31,  37.) 

Some  distinguish  the  Gallinule  at  St.  Augustine  as  SUMMER- 
COOT,  and  at  Enterprise  as  MUD-PULLET,  and  again  in  latter 
locality,  and  at  Sanford  same  state,  as  the  Florida  Gallinule 
or  Gallinule  simply,  probably  through  the  influence  of  sports-* 
men  from  other  parts.  A  majority,  however,  on  this  southern 
shore  of  Lake  Monroe,  term  it  Mud-hen.  A  bright -looking 
young  fellow  at  Sanford,  Fla.,  to  whom  I  showed  a  freshly 
killed  specimen,  told  me  that  he  had  always  known  it  as  the 
BLACK  QALLINULE— the  word  "black"  distinguishing  it  from 
the  Purple  Gallinule,  fonomit  martinica  (a  smaller,  less  com- 
mon, green  and  purplish-blue  bird,  not  included  in  this  book).  I 
showed  the  same  specimen  to  a  Sanford  negro  who  said, "  Why, 
dat  a  coot,"  adding,  after  I  had  pointed  out  the  difference, 
"Yes,  but  day  both  coots."  Another  darky  broke  into  the 
conversation  with  "  Naw,  dat  no  coot,  coot  got  a  white  bill,  dat 
a  marsh -hen."  The  name  Marsh -hen,  nevertheless,  is  usually 
applied  at  Sanford  to  No.  34. 

Health-seekers  from  numerous  regions  have  greatly  demor- 
alized the  vernacular  of  cracker,  negro,  etc.,  in  Florida,  and 
nowhere  can  there  be  found  a  nomenclature  more  completely 
muddled.  A  single  species  will  have  perhaps  a  half-dozen  aliases 
in  a  single  neighborhood,  each  alias  being  familiar  alone  to  the 
man  from  whom  you  hear  it.  I  encountered  great  difficulties 
while  collecting  bird  names  along  the  more  northern  coast  of 
Maine,  but  my  labor  up  there  was  pure  play  compared  with  ex- 
periences in  the  far  South.  Many  names  heard  at  these  extremi- 
ties (the  latter  in  particular)  I  have  omitted,  regarding  them  as 
simply,  or  little  more  than,  individual  oddities.  Nevertheless, 
enough  has  been  winnowed  from  the  chaff  to  serve  as  a  par- 
tial key  to  enigmas.  I  should  perhaps  add  that  the  negroes 
of  Florida  are  far  more  familiar  as  a  rule  with  birds  and  beasts 
than  the  whites  are,  though  this  is  saying  but  very  little. 


No.  34. 
Kallus  elegans. 

Above  blackish  brown  and  yellowish  tan,  the  feathers  being 
edged  with  latter  tint,  and  broadly  striped  along  their  centres 
with  the  former ;  top  of  head  nearly  plain  dark  brown,  a  whit- 
ish line  from  bill  over  eye ;  side  of  head  varying  from  tan  color 
to  gray ;  front  of  wing  deep  reddish  tan  color,  nearly  plain ; 


No.  34.]  BIRD  NAMES.  '  125 

throat  white;  front  of  neck  and  breast  nearly  plain  tan,  or 
reddish  cinnamon,  this  changing  to  a  whitish  mixture  on  lower 
surface  of  body ;  sides,  flanks,  and  about  thighs  barred  broad- 
ly with  dark  brown  or  black,  and  narrowly  with  white ;  the 
feathers  immediately  beneath  the  tail  white,  with  touches  of 
black  and  blackish  brown.  Bill  blackish  brown  on  top  and  at 
end,  remainder  brownish  yellow.  Legs  yellowish  brown  with 
grayish  olive  tinge. 

Length  seventeen  and  a  half  to  nineteen  inches ;  extent 
twenty -three  and  a  half  to  twenty -five  inches ;  bill  two  and 
one  eighth  to  two  and  a  half  inches. 

Range,  as  given  in  A.  O.  U.  Check  List,  1886:  "Fresh-water 
marshes  of  the  Eastern  Province  of  the  United  States,  from  the 
Middle  States,  Northern  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  and  Kansas  south- 
ward. Casually  north  to  Massachusetts,  Maine,  and  Ontario." 

KING  RAIL :  a  name  given  also  to  No.  33,  the  present  species, 
however,  being  the  King  Rail  of  "  the  books."  Audubon  speaks 
of  killing  "  one  female  [of  No.  34]  in  New  Jersey,  a  few  miles  from 
Camden,  in  July,  1832,"  and  "  on  inquiring  of  numerous  hunt- 
ers," was  told  "  that  they  now  and  then  obtained  a  few  of  these 
birds,  which  they  considered  as  very  rare,  and  knew  only  by  the 
name  of  '  King  Rails.' "  (See  No.  33  for  name  King  Ortolan.) 

Also  termed,  in  print  at  least,  GREAT  RED-BREASTED  RAIL, 
FRESH-WATER  MARSH-HEN  (see  No.  36),  FRESH- MARSH  HEN, 
and  FRESH-WATER  HEN. 

Very  generally  known  throughout  the  South  as  MARSH- 
HEN  simply,  sharing  this  name,  however,  indiscriminately  with 
the  more  common  &z2£-water  Marsh-hen,  No.  35,  a  similar  bird, 
confused  with  the  present  species  by  many  gunners,  as  it  was, 
indeed,  by  Wilson,*  the  "  father  of  American  ornithology." 

*  Audubon,  who  exposed  this  confusion,  wrote  as  follows :  "  No  doubt 
exists  in  my  mind  that  Wilson  considered  this  beautiful  bird  as  merely  the 
adult  of  Rallu*  crepitan»  [No.  86],  the  manners  of  which  he  described,  as 
studied  at  Great  Egg  Harbor,  in  New  Jersey,  while  he  gave  in  his  works  the 
figure  and  coloring  of  the  present  species.  My  friend  Thomas  Nuttall  has 
done  the  same,  without,  I  apprehend,  having  seen  the  two  birds  together." 


No.   35. 
Ralhis  longirostris  crepitans. 

Similar  in  general  appearance  to  No.  34,  but  lower  parts  much 
less  reddish— dull  buff  instead;  upper  parts  more  uniform  in 
color,  and  more  grayish  or  leaden  in  tone  ;  the  dark  bars  about 
thighs,  flanks,  etc.,  less  dark ;  belly  sometimes  broadly  white. 


Bill  practically  as  in  No.  34.     Legs  gray,  with  yellowish  or 
orange  tinge  about  upper  joint. 


No.  35.]  BIRD  NAMES.  127 

Length  fourteen  to  sixteen  inches ;  extent  nineteen  to  twenty- 
one  inches. 

Frequenting  salt  marshes  of  Atlantic  coast  in  large  numbers 
from  Long  Island  Sound  southward,  and  occasionally  found  as 
far  north  as  Massachusetts. 

CLAPPER  RAIL:  MEADOW  CLAPPER:  SALT-WATER  MEADOW- 
HEN:  SALT-WATER  MARSH-HEN:  SALT-MARSH  HEN:  BIG  RAIL. 

In  Connecticut  at  Stony  Creek  and  Stratford,  on  Long  Isl- 
and at  Bellport,  Seaford,  and  Freeport,  and  to  some  on  Cobb's 
Island,  Va,,  MEADOW-HEN.  Also  at  Freeport,  and  in  New  Jer- 
sey at  Red  Bank,  Monmouth  Co.,  Manasquan,  Barnegat,  Tucker- 
ton,  Pleasantville  (Atlantic  Co.),  Atlantic  City,  Dennisville,  and 
Cap.'  May  ('.  II..  MUD-HEN.  (For  other  "mud-hens,"  sec  Xos. 
32,  33,  36,  43.)  At  Pleasantville  above  mentioned,  at  Pocomoke 
City,  Md.,  on  Cobb's  Island,  Va.,  and  very  generally  to  the 
southward,  MARSH-HEN.  (See  ^>v«A-water  Marsh-hen,  No.  34, 
frequently  confused  with  the  present  species,  and  termed  also  in 
many  localities  Marsh-hen  simply.  For  other  "  marsh-hens,"  see 
Nos.  32,  33,  36.)  Again  at  Pocomoke  City,  Md.,  and  at  Eastville, 
Va.,  SEDGE-HEN ;  very  generally  so  called  in  these  localities. 

Gosse,  in  Birds  of  Jamaica,  1847,  quotes  an  account  of  this 
rail  written  by  his  "  friend,  Mr.  Hill,"  of  Spanish-Town,  in  which 
it  is  stated  that  "the  country  people"  call  it  the  MANGROVE- 
HEN,  and  that  "  it  greatly  resembles  the  dappled  gray  variety 
of  the  common  fowl,"  rambling  about  "  with  its  callow  brood, 
like  a  hen  and  chickens." 


No.  36. 

Kallus  virginiaims. 

Upper  plumage  chiefly  brownish  black,  the  feathers  edged 
with  pale  yellowish  brown ;  side  of  head  gray,  blackening  at 
base  of  bill;  a  light  streak  (grayish  and  pale  buff)  from  near 
bill,  backward  over  eye ;  top  of  head  nearly  plain  blackish  brown ; 
wing  in  front  reddish  tan  or  mahogany  color,  with  extreme  fore 
edge  of  wing  narrowly  touched  with  pure  white ;  throat  whit- 


ish;  front  of  neck  and  front  and  sides  of  breast  chiefly  tan 
color ;  feathers  of  flanks  black,  narrowly  barred  at  ends  with 
white ;  feathers  which  cover  from  vent  to  end  of  tail  variegated 
with  black,  white,  and  tan ;  thighs  and  along  middle  of  breast 
gray,  with  whitish  and  light  buff  tints  intermingled.  Bill  black 
above,  and  reddish  flesh  color  below.  Legs  grayish  brown. 
Length  eight  and  a  half  to  nine  and  three  quarter  inches ; 


No.  86.]  BIRD  NAMES.  129 

extent  thirteen  and  a  quarter  to  thirteen  and  three  quarter 
inches ;  the  bill,  measured  along  its  side,  one  and  a  quarter  to 
one  and  a  half  inches. 

Found  here  and  there  all  along  the  coast,  but  met  with 
oftener  farther  inland;  a  bird  of  the  reedy  swamp  or  marsh 
grass ;  widely  distributed,  but  nowhere  very  numerous ;  though, 
perhaps,  sometimes  found  fat,  it  has  never  been  my  luck  to  kill 
one  that  was  not  in  a  rather  emaciated  condition.  I  will  add 
(as  Mr.  Sheppard  has  not  shown  the  feet  in  his  picture)  that  this 
bird's  toes  are  free,  like  those  of  our  other  rails ;  that  is  to  say, 
they  are  without  webs  or  membranous  attachments  of  any  kind. 

VIRGINIA  RAIL:  LITTLE  RED-BREASTED  RAIL:  Wilson  says, 
1813  :  "  Known  to  some  of  the  inhabitants  along  the  sea-coast 
of  New  Jersey  by  the  name  of  the  FRESH-WATER  MUD-HEN :" 
Nuttall,  1834,  calls  it  LESSER  CLAPPER  RAIL  and  SMALL  MUD- 
HEN:  Giraud,  in  Birds  of  Long  Island,  1S44,  speaks  of  its  being 
"  known  to  gunners  and  sportsmen  "  as  FRESH-WATER  MARSH- 
HEN  (a  name  more  commonly  applied  to  No.  34).  The  late 
C.  S.  Westcott  ("  Homo ")  describing  "  Rail  Shooting  on  the 
Delaware" — Forest  and  Stream,  Jan.  1,  1874 — terms  it  RED 
RAIL,  and  states  "  that  where  fifty  soras  "  (species  No.  37)  "  are 
killed,  but  one  or  two  red  rails  are  boated." 

In  the  vicinity  of  Salem,  Mass.,  it  is  distinguished  from  the 
common  rail,  No.  37,  As  LONG-BILLED  RAIL,  but  in  most  locali- 
ties, in  spite  of  longer  bill,  etc.,  it  is  loosely  classed  by  gunners 
and  marketmen  with  No.  37,  under  one  of  the  latter's  common 
names ;  the  difference  between  the  species,  however,  being  over- 
looked rather  than  unobserved. 


No.  37. 
Porzana  Carolina. 

Adult.  Above  brown  ("  old  gold  "  brown)  with  black  on 
centres  of  feathers ;  a  narrow  edging  of  white  to  feathers  of  fore- 
back  and  portions  of  wings.  Bill  yellowish  green  with  much  of 
its  lower  division  bright  yellow.  Front  of  upper  neck,  throat, 
about  bill,  and  streak  running  back  on  top  of  head,  black ;  sides 
of  head  and  neck,  and  the  breast,  bluish  slate  color ;  belly  nearly 


No.  37.    Adult. 


No.  87.]  BIRD  NAMES.  131 

white ;  feathers  immediately  beneath  tail,  buff,  or  buff  and  white ; 
sides  of  body,  flanks,  and  lining  of  wings,  barred  white  and  brown, 
the  brown  replaced  more  or  less  on  some  individuals  by  black. 
Legs  dull  yellowish  green. 

Young.  Without  the  black  about  head  and  throat,  the  slate 
color  of  breast,  etc.,  being  brownish  in  these  regions,  with  dingy 
white  throat.  Upper  parts  generally  of  a  lighter,  more  yellowish 


No.  37.    Yon 


brown.  Lower  surface  of  body  light  buff ;  the  fore-breast  simi- 
lar to,  or  having  the  colors  of,  the  upper  parts.  In  other  re- 
spects much  as  in  adult. 

Length  eight  and  a  half  to  nine  inches ;  extent  about  four- 
teen inches. 

Range,  as  given  in  A.  O.  U.  Check  List  (1886):  Temperate 
North  America,  but  most  common  in  the  Eastern  Province, 
breeding  chiefly  northward.  South  to  West  Indies  and  north- 
ern South  America. 

CAROLINA  CRAKE:  CAROLINA  CRAKE  GALLINULE:  SOREE 
GALLINULE:  LITTLE  AMERICAN  WATER-HEN :  CAROLINA  RAIL : 
AMERICAN  RAIL:  COMMON  RAIL:  SORA  RAIL. 


132  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  37. 

Known  in  New  England  very  generally,  and  southward  to 
New  Jersey,  as  RAIL  simply,  this  being  occasionally  heard  here 
and  there  as  far  south  as  Florida.  Giraud,  in  his  Birds  of  Long 
Island,  18-i-i,  speaks  of  its  being  "known  to  the  gunners  by  the 
name  of  ENGLISH  RAIL,"  and  De  Kay,  same  date,  Zoology  of 
New  York,  mentions  the  latter  name  as  one  used  in  the  South. 

In  New  Jersey  the  gunners  almost  universally  refer  to  the 
species  as  RAIL-BIRD,  the  word  bird  having  been  added,  I  sup- 
pose, to  conform  better  with  the  name  reed-bird,*  these  two 
species  (the  reed  and  rail  birds)  being  commonly  shot  in  one 
and  the  same  reedy  swamp,  and  together  sent  to  market. 

At  Salem,  Mass.,  it  is  distinguished  from  Long-billed  Rail 
No.  36,  as  CHICKEN-BILLED  RAIL  or  CHICKEN-BILL,  and  at  East 
Iladdam,  Conn.,  it  is  the  MEADOW  CHICKEN  (or  Meadow  Chick), 
the  name  Kail,  though  now  in  general  use  there,  having  been 
introduced  by  city  sportsmen,  who  only  a  few  years  ago  dis- 
covered that  the  East  Iladdam  marshes  were  worth  visiting. 

At  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  Pocomoke  City  (Worcester  Co.), 
Md.,  ORTOLAN  (see  foot-note  concerning  "  reed-bird  ").  Gener- 
ally known  in  Virginia  and  southward  to  southern  part  of  North 
Carolina  as  SORA  and  SOREE.  Catesby,  in  his  Nat.  Hist.  Car- 
olina, Florida,  etc.,  1731,  gives  this  latter  form  (Soree),  and 
Burnaby,  describing  travels  "  in  the  years  1759  and  1760,"  terms 
it  SORUS,  and  speaks  of  meeting  with  the  bird  in  Virginia  dur- 
ing October, "  at  the  tables  of  most  of  the  planters,  breakfast, 
dinner,  and  supper,"  and  states  in  a  note  that  "  in  several  parts 
of  Virginia  the  antient  custom  of  eating  meat  at  breakfast  still 
continues." 

In  southern  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,  and  Georgia, 
COOT,  the  bird  being  unrecognized  by  many  by  any  other  title. 
(For  other  "  coots,"  see  Nos.  28,  29,  30,  31,  32,  33.) 

*  Our  Reed-bird — Dolichonyx  oryzivorus— termed  also  Bobolink,  Rice-bird, 
Skunk  Blackbird,  Ortolan,  etc.,  is  not  included  in  this  list.  It  is  shot  only 
for  the  "pot,"  having  nothing  more  gamy  about  it  than  the  English  Sparrow 
has.  I  will  add  that  I  have  nowhere  found  it  called  "  Ortolan"  but  in  print, 
and  that  the  far-famed  and  delicious  little  Ortolan  of  Europe,  from  which  the 
name  is  borrowed,  is  known  to  scientists  as  Emberiza  hortulana. 


No.  37.]  BIRD  NAMES.  133 

The  more  common  way  of  killing  rail  is  familiar  to  many  of 
us,  viz.,  shooting  them  at  high  tide  from  the  bow  of  a  boat  which 
is  being  poled  through  reeds  and  rushes  by  a  man  at  the  stern. 
In  some  localities,  however,  no  powder  is  wasted.  In  the  vicin- 
ity of  Wilmington,  N.  C.,  for  instance,  the  negroes,  who  do  the 
greater  part  of  the  rail-killing,  hunt  them  at  night  with  pine 
torch  and  whip  of  brush-wood.  The  birds,  interrupted  at  their 
supper  of  rice,  wild  oats,  etc.,  are  knocked  down  by  this  handful 
of  brush,  as  they  sit  dazed  by  the  light,  or  as  they  lazily  attempt 
to  wing  their  fat  little  bodies  from  harm's  way.  Neatly  picked 
and  tied  in  bunches,  they  bring  the  darkies  from  fifty  to  seventy- 
five  cents  per  dozen. 
9* 


No.  38. 
Tympamiclms  americanus. 

Male.     Head  slightly  crested ;  on  either  side  of  neck  a  long 
tuft  of  narrow  feathers  of  uneven  length,  the  longer  ones  black ; 


No.  33.    Male  (with  neck-sacs  inflated),  and  glimpse  of  Female. 

beneath  each  tuft  a  bare  spot  of  loose  yellowish  skin  which  the 
bird  has  the  power  of  inflating.   Most  of  the  upper  pi  umage  barred 


No.  38.]  BIRD  NAMES.  135 

transversely  with  dark  brown  varying  to  blackish  and  light  tan 
color,  the  latter  tint  fading  to  white  here  and  there.  Under 
parts  and  sides  regularly  marked  white  and  brown,  in  well-de- 
fined bars ;  throat  buff.  Legs  covered  to  the  toes  with  hairy 
feathers  of  drabbish  tint,  but  more  sparingly  than  in  No.  39; 
the  toes  yellow  brown. 

Female.  Similar  to  male,  though  with  shorter,  insignificant 
neck-tufts. 

Length  seventeen  to  eighteen  inches;  extent  about  twenty- 
eight  inches. 

This  is  the  common  pinnated  grouse  of  Western  prairies  (and 
Eastern  markets),  regarded  until  very  recently  as  identical  with 
our  once  common  Eastern  variety  which  still  exists  upon  Martha's 
Vineyard,  Mass.  Mr.  Brewster,  in  the  Auk  of  January,  1885, 
showed  us  that  our  Eastern  bird  (now  known  as  Tympanuchus 
cupido)  differs  from  the  above-described  Western  variety,  in  be- 
ing smaller,  more  reddish  brown  above,  less  white  below,  shorter 
legged,  neck-tuft  feathers  "  narrower  and  acutely  instead  of  ob- 
tusely lance  pointed;"  the  neck-tufts  having  also  but  four  or 
five,  instead  of  from  seven  to  ten  rigid  feathers.  Again,  that  our 
Eastern  bird  is  "  a  woodland  species,  inhabiting  scrubby  tracts 
of  oak  and  pine."  This  discovery — exceedingly  interesting  to 
scientists— is  not  important  to  gunners,  the  latter  having  practi- 
cally nothing  to  do  with  the  remaining  handful  of  Eastern  birds. 
"  It  is  not  unlikely,"  writes  Mr.  Brewster,  "  that  the  two  forms 
intergraded  over  such  intermediate  ground  as  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania and  Eastern  Ohio  and  Kentucky."  How  far  to  the  east 
or  west  this  intergradation  extended  it  is,  of  course,  impossible 
to  tell.  The  names  by  which  the  two  varieties  have  been  known 
are  as  follows,  no  satisfactory  separation  being  possible  under 
the  circumstances.* 

PINNATED  GROUSE:  PRAIRIE  HEN:  PRAIRIE  CHICKEN:  (see 
No.  39) :  HEATH  HEN  (see  No.  40),  this  being  an  early  Eastern 

*  There  is  still  another  pinnated-grouse  variety,  found  in  the  Southwest, 
and  known  in  the  books  as  Tympanuchu«  pallidicinctus,  also  as  Texas  Prairie 
Hen,  Lesser  Prairie  Hen,  and  Pale  Pinnated  Grouse.  • 


136  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  38. 

name  still  applied  in  the  vicinity  of  Martha's  Vineyard  to  native 
birds,  and  to  the  Western  grouse  that  have  been  introduced  there. 
(I  have  one  of  the  latter  variety  in  my  collection,  shot  at  Fal- 
mouth,  Mass.,  1884).  On  Long  Island — though  no  longer  found 
there  —  pinnated  grouse  are  still  referred  to  as  "heath-hens" 
by  many  of  the  older  inhabitants.  Dr.  Mitchell  in  a  letter  to 
Wilson,  dated  1810,  concerning  the  Long  Island  birds,  says : 
"  Known  there  emphatically  by  the  name  of  GROUSE  "  (see  No. 
39),  adding,  however,  that  "the  more  popular  name  for  them 
is  heath-hens." 

Other  old  names  are  BARREN  HEN,  HEATH  COCK,  and  PIN- 
NATED HEATH  COCK.  It  was  a  common  practice  in  early  times 
to  name  our  different  grouse  after  "  heath-game "  of  the  old 
country.  William  Wood,  speaking  of  our  "  birds  and  fowle " 
in  New  England's  Prospect,  1634,  says  :  "  The  flesh  of  the  heath- 
cocks  is  red,  and  the  flesh  of  a  partridge  white ;"  and  Daniel 
Denton,  in  A  Brief  Description  of  New  York,  1670,  tells  of 
"  heath-hens,  quails,  partridges,"  etc.,  as  being  found  "  in  great 
store."  Wilson  relates  a  funny  anecdote  connected  with  the 
passage  of  a  New  York  game  law  in  1791 :  "  The  bill  was  en- 
titled, 'An  Act  for  the  preservation  of  IleatL-hen  and  other 
game.'  The  honest  chairman  of  the  Assembly — no  sportsman, 
I  suppose  —  read  the  title,  'An  Act  for  the  preservation  of 
heathen,  and  other  game,'  which  seemed  to  astonish  the  Northern 
members,  who  could  not  see  the  propriety  of  preserving  Indians, 
or  any  other  heathen." 


No.  39. 

Pediocsetes  phasianellus  campestris. 

Without  noticeable  neck -tufts;  tail-feathers  graduated  in 
length,  the  two  central  ones  projecting  as  in  picture;  head 
slightly  crested ;  hairy  feathers  covering  legs  down  to  between 
the  toes  ;  the  toes  gray.  Upper  plumage,  in  general,  a  closely 


^j^^^*^v? 


variegated  mixture  of  buff,  or  grayish  buff,  tan  color,  and  black, 
the  buff  tint  sometimes  paling  to  white  here  and  there ;  the 
wing  near  body  similarly  colored,  remainder  of  wing  gray  with 
spots  and  bars  of  white ;  throat  buff.  Lower  parts,  including 
wing-lining,  chiefly  white  (snowy  white),  variegated  about  as  in 


13g  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  39. 

picture,  with  blackish  brown  U-shaped  and  V-shaped  markings 
and  touches  of  buff  or  light  yellow-tan,  the  latter  tint  showing 
most  noticeably  along  upper  sides  of  body,  where  the  markings 
are  bolder  and  bar-like ;  the  hairy  feathers  of  the  legs  tinged 
with  grayish  buff. 

Length  seventeen  to  nineteen  inches;  extent  twenty -six  to 
twenty-nine  inches. 

This  "  chicken  "  is  even  more  desirable,  I  think,  than  the  pin- 
nated kind  (No.  38)  for  table  use,  and  late  in  the  season  is  a 
favorite  in  other  respects,  lying  close  to  the  dog,  and  jumping 
one  or  two  at  a  time,  instead  of  in  a  great  "  pack "  a  gun-shot 
away. 

Eange,  as  given  in  Mr.  Eidgway's  Manual,  1887 :  "  Great 
Plains  of  United  States,  north  to  Manitoba  (?),  east  to  Wisconsin 
and  northern  Illinois,  west  to  eastern  Colorado,  south  to  eastern 
New  Mexico." 

Until  1884  this  grouse  was  regarded  by  every  one  as  iden- 
tical with  Pedioccetes  pkasianellus  coluinbianus,  a  variety  whose 
range  Mr.  Ridgway  gives  as  "  Northwestern  United  States,  south 
to  northern  California,  Nevada,  and  Utah,  east  to  western  edge 
of  Great  Plains  in  Montana,  north,  chiefly  west  of  Eocky  Moun- 
tains (?)  to  Fort  Yukon,  Alaska." 

Our  more  eastern  form  (campestris)  differs  from  columbianus, 
according  to  Mr.  Ridgway,  in  having  the  "  ground  color  above 
more  rusty  or  ochraceous."  This  difference,  though  interesting 
to  naturalists,  is  something  that  gunners  need  not  bother  their 
heads  with.  The  scientists  themselves  do  not  always  agree 
about  these  very  nice  distinctions. 

My  list  of  names  was  prepared  before  hearing  of  the  above 
distinction,  but  it  will  not  be  best  to  change  it  much  now,  the 
two  forms  having  until  so  very  recently  been  referred  to  as  one 
and  the  same.  Indeed,  no  satisfactory  separation  of  these  names 
is  possible  under  the  circumstances. 

SHARP -TAILED  GROUSE,  or  SHARP  -  TAIL  :  PIN -TAILED 
GROUSE,  or  PIN-TAIL :  in  Hallock's  Sportsman's  Gazetteer,  1878, 
SPRIG-TAIL :  (No.  13,  a  duck,  is  also  called  Sharp-tail,  Pin-tail, 


No.  39.]  BIRD  NAMES.  ^39 

and  Sprig-tail) :  PIN-TAIL  CHICKEN :  SPOTTED  CHICKEN.  In  por- 
tions of  our  Northwest  where  the  pinnated  grouse  (No.  38)  are 
not  found,  this  bird  is  the  PRAIRIE  CHICKEN ;  and  Dr.  Coues 
terms  it  PRAIRIE  CHICKEN  OF  THE  NORTHWEST.  Popularly 
known  also  as  WHITE-BELLY,  and  in  some  localities  as  WHITE 
GROUSE,  the  latter  name  immediately  suggesting  the  ptarmigans 
(those  grouse  that  turn  white  in  winter),  but  to  people  familiar 
with  our  live  sharp-tails,  the  word  "  white "  seems  rather  ap- 
propriately applied,  as  the  birds  display  so  much  of  their  white 
while  flying.  Mr.  T.  S.  Van  Dyke  writes  in  a  reminiscence  of 
Minnesota  shooting  (Forest  and  Stream,  Nov.  27, 1884) :  "  Gen- 
erally called  the  white  grouse." 

At  Clarks  (Merrick  Co.),  Nebraska,  GROUSE  (so  termed,  at 
least,  in  1883),  the  pinnated  species  (No.  38)  being  the  "  prairie 
chicken."  While  shooting  in  the  latter  locality  I  was  led  to  the 
conclusion  that  sharp-tails  are  rather  more  migratory  than  is 
generally  believed.  About  November  10,  1883,  during  a  cold 
storm,  large  numbers  of  these  birds  came  upon  us  very  suddenly. 
Not  one  had  previously  been  seen,  though  several  hunters,  my- 
self among  them,  had  for  a  month  or  more  been  scouring  the 
prairies  almost  daily. 

Our  United  States  sharp-tails  have  long  been  distinguished 
from  the  more  northern  and  darker-colored  variety  Pediocmtea 
phamandlus*  by  the  names  COLUMBIAN  SHARP -TAILED 
GROUSE,  COMMON  SHARP -TAILED  GROUSE,  and  SOUTHERN 
SHARP-TAILED  GROUSE;  and  Mr.  Henshaw,  in  an  article  headed 
"Prairie  Chickens  in  Nevada,"  Forest  and  Stream,  April  11, 
1878,  gives  SOUTHERN  SPIKE-TAILED  GROUSE. 

The  "common"  or  English  name  designed  expressly  for 
campestri*  is  PRAIRIE  SHARP-TAILED  GROUSE;  this  has  cer- 
tainly never  been  applied  to  any  other  sharp-tail ;  is,  in  other 
words,  brand  new. 

*  The  range  of  this  Northern  Sharp-tailed  Grouse  (the  "  Long-tailed  Grouse  " 
of  Edwards,  1750)  is  given  by  Mr.  Ridgway  as  "Interior  of  British  America, 
north  to  Fort  Simpson,  Fort  Resolution,  and  Great  Slave  Lake,  south  to  Moose 
Factory,  Temiscaniingue,  Lake  Winnipeg,  and  northern  shore  of  Lake  Supe- 
rior." 


No.  4O. 

Dendragapus  canadensis. 

Adult  male.  Head,  neck,  and  back,  barred  with  brownish 
black  and  slate-gray  ;  wings  light  brown  variegated  with  darker 
brown,  gray,  and  occasional  touches  of  white ;  tail-feathers  very 
dark  brown  with  light  brown  tips ;  throat  black,  skirted  with 
speckled  white ;  front  of  breast  plain  brownish  black ;  sides  of 
body  variegated  with  grayish  buff,  dark  brown,  and  white  arrow- 


No.  40.    Adult  Male. 

like  markings ;  lower  surface  blackish  brown,  variegated  with 
white.  A  red  membrane  (or  comb)  over  the  eye.  Legs  feath- 
ered to  the  toes. 

Female.  Membrane  over  the  eye  less  noticeable ;  tail  barred, 
tan  color  and  dark  brown.  Legs  feathered  as  in  male.  General 
plumage  a  bright  speckled  mixture  of  light  tan,  dark  brown, 


No.  40.] 


BIRD  NAMES. 


141 


light  gray,  and  white ;  the  white  not  appearing  upon  the  back 
proper,  scarcely  present  about  the  head  and  neck,  and  showing 
most  noticeably  on  the  lower  parts. 


No.  40.    Female 

Measurements  about  as  follows :  length  fifteen  to  sixteen  and 
a  quarter  inches ;  extent  twenty-one  to  twenty-two  inches. 

This  is  not  a  well-known  grouse  to  our  gunners  generally,  as 
it  is  not  met  with  very  far  south  of  our  northern  border.  As  a 
game  bird  it  affords  but  little  sport,  comparatively,  and  its  flesh, 
though  sometimes  good,  at  other  times  is  disagreeably  tinctured 
with  the  qualities  of  spruce  buds  or  similar  diet. 

CANADA  GROUSE:  SPRUCE-GROUSE:  SPRUCE  PARTRIDGE: 
CEDAR  PARTRIDGE :  SWAMP  PARTRIDGE:  WOOD  PARTRIDGE: 
WOOD  GROUSE,  (this  terra,  like  that  of  "  timber-grouse,"  being 
sometimes  broadly  used  to  indicate  grouse  which  inhabit  woods, 
as  opposed  to  those  of  the  "  open  "  or  prairie) :  BLACK  GROUSE: 
SPOTTED  GROUSE. 

At  Eastport,  Me.,  where  the  name  Spruce-partridge  is  used 
to  designate  this  bird,  the  Huffed- grouse,  Xo.  41,  is  called 
Birch-partridge,  while  at  Jonesport,  same  state,  the  latter  bird  is 
Partridge  simply,  and  the  present  species  HEATH-HEN  (see  No. 
38).  This  latter  name  suggests  also  that  lengthy  title  applied  in 


142  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  40. 

the  middle  of  the  last  century  (by  Edwards)  i.  e.,  BLACK  AND 
SPOTTED  HEATHCOCK,  and  it  will  be  observed  that  the  practice 
of  christening  our  different  grouse  after  "  heath-game "  of  the 
old  country  was  a  very  common  one. 


No.  41. 

Bonasa  umbellus. 

The  markings  of  this  loosely  feathered  grouse  are  peculiarly 
complicated,  and  its  prevailing  tints  variable ;  the  difference  be- 
tween the  grayest  bird  and  the  brownest,  even  in  one  and  the 
same  locality,  being  very  great.  Some  may  consider  a  descrip- 
tion useless  of  a  bird  so  well  known  as  this.  Yet  I  have  myself 
shot  with  old  and  experienced  gunners  on  Western  prairies  and 
Southern  sea  coast  who  had  never  seen  a  living  or  dead  specimen 
of  the  species. 

I  will  describe  a  pair  of  freshly  killed  adults  now  in  hand. 

Male.    Upper  parts  reddish  brown  and  gray,  with  touches 


144  B1RV   NAMES.  [No.  41. 

of  dull  black ;  on  the  back  arrow-head  or  heart-shaped  spots  of 
light  gray ;  the  loose  feathers  of  the  neck  (hackles)  and  those 
sweeping  backward  from  shoulder  regions  boldly  mottled  red- 
dish brown  and  black,  and  streakily  marked  with  light  gray ;  at 
either  side  of  neck  a  glossy  black  "  ruff "  or  "  shoulder-knot," 
the  feathers  forming  these  being  cut  almost  squarely  at  their 
broadened  ends,  and  differing  greatly  from  the  long,  narrow^ 
neck-feathers  of  the  pinnated  grouse  (No.  38) ;  upper  neck,  back' 
and  sides  of  head,  and  crest,  a  speckled  mixture  of  the  bird's  tints 
generally ;  tail  light  gray  with  faint  'tints  of  yellowish  brown, 
broadly  spreading  like  a  fan,  crossed  by  wavy  black  lines,  and 
near  its  extremity  by  a  broad  black  bar ;  much  of  upper  plumage 
minutely  flecked  with  black.  Belly  and  breast  mottled  or  broken- 
ly barred,  and  feathering  of  flanks  more  broadly  and  decidedly 
barred  with  dusky  brown  and  white ;  lower  neck,  sides  of  breast, 
and  much  of  under  parts  tinged,  or  dulled,  with  light  yellowish 
brown,  a  richer  yellowish  tint  showing  itself  back  of  the  vent ; 
throat  buff ;  front  of  neck  crossed  by  narrow,  dark  brown,  white, 
and  bright  tan  markings.  Toes,  and  naked  part  of  leg  just  above 
them,  gray ;  remainder  of  leg  covered  with  hairy  feathers  of 
brownish  white.  Bill  "  horn  color,"  dark  above  and  light  below. 

Female.  Throughout  quite  similar  to  male,  but  upper  parts 
more  brownish,  chiefly,  perhaps,  about  head  and  tail ;  the  light 
arrow-head  spots  of  the  back  washed  with  brown ;  the  front  of 
neck  between  the  ruffs  noticeably  reddish  brown  or  bright  tan, 
without  the  narrow  dark  brown  and  white  markings ;  neck-tufts 
very  considerably  smaller  than  in  male,  less  cleanly  black,  and 
without  noticeable  gloss  or  lustre. 

Measurements  of  species  as  frequently  given:  length  eigh- 
teen inches ;  extent  twenty-three  or  twenty-four  inches.  Dr. 
Coues,  in  his  Key  of  1884,  gives  length  sixteen  to  eighteen  inches ; 
extent  twenty-three  inches. 

The  birds  just  described  measure  and  weigh  as  follows  : 
Male :  length  nineteen  and  three  eighth  inches ;  extent  twenty- 
four  and  a  quarter  inches ;  tail  from  point  of  "  pope's  nose  "  to 
end  of  central  feathers,  six  and  five  eighth  inches ;  weight  twenty- 
two  ounces.  Female :  length  seventeen  and  one  eighth  inches ; 


No.  41.]  BIRD  NAMES. 


145 


extent  twenty-two  and  a  quarter  inches ;  tail  (measured  as  be- 
fore) a  trifle  less  than  four  and  seven  eighth  inches;  weight 
twenty-one  and  a  half  ounces. 

RUFFED  GROUSE :  RUFFED  HEATH-COCK  ("  Ruffed  Heath- 
cock,  or  Grous  "  of  Edwards,  1758 :  see  Nos.  38  and  40  for  other 
early  applications  of  the  name  Heath-cock  to  our  grouse): 
BROWN  RUFFED  GROUSE:*  DRUMMING  GROUSE:  SHOULDER- 
KNOT  GROUSE  of  Latham,  who  tells  us  (1783)  of  its  being  "called 
by  some  the  DRUMMING-PARTRIDGE;"  and  J.  Sabine,  in  Appen- 
dix to  Franklin's  Journal,  1823,  speaks  of  the  name  Shoulder- 
knot  Grouse  as  "well  known  to  the  British  settlers  in  the  north- 
ern parts." 

"  Frank  Forester"  says:  "Properly  called  the  Ruffed  or  TIP- 
PET GROUSE,"  and  further  remarks, "  It  is,  therefore,  equally 
unsportsmanlike  and  unscientific  to  call  the  bird  pheasant  or 
partridge ;  and  it  is,  moreover,  as  needless  as  it  is  a  stupid  bar- 
barism, since  the  bird  has  an  excellent  good  name  of  its  own, 
by  which  it  should  invariably 'be  styled,  whether  in  writing  or 
in  conversation,  by  every  one  claiming  to  share  the  spirit  of  the 
gentle  sportsman." — American  edition  of  Hawker,  1846.  "Gentle 
sportsman"  sounds  funnily  after  such  a  tirade,  and  we  could 
smile  broadly  at  the  whole  thing,  had  not  this  author's  teachings 
done  so  much  to  demoralize  genuine  young  lovers  of  out-door 
sport. 

To  some  Canadians,  WHITE  -  FLESHER ;  and  this  name  is  re- 

*  Dr.  Coues  so  distinguishes  it  (Birds  of  the  Northwest,  1874)  from  other 
varieties  of  ruffed  grouse,  which  are  now  recorded  in  A.  O.  U.  Code  and 
Check  List,  1886,  ns  follows :  Canadian  Ruffed  Grouse— Bonasa  umbellus  togata 
— found  in  densely  timbered  portions  of  northern  Maine  and  the  British 
Provinces,  west  to  eastern  Oregon  and  Washington  Territory;  Gray  Ruffed 
Grouse— B.  u.  umbelloidea—Ttocky  Mountain  region  of  United  States  and  Brit- 
ish America,  north  to  Alaska;  Oregon  Ruffed  Grouse  —  B.  u.  sabini—  Coast 
mountains  of  Oregon,  Washington  Territory,  and  British  Columbia.  As  Dr. 
Coues  says,  the  reader  "  may  ignore  the  varieties  unless  he  desires  to  be  very 
precise.  They  are  merely  geographical  races  of  the  same  bird,  differing  a 
little  in  color  according  to  certain  climatic  influences  to  which  they  are  re- 
spectively subjected." 
10 


146  SIRD  &AME8.  [No.  41. 

corded  as  "Anglo-American  "  in  Fauna  Boreali-Americana,  1831. 
Again  in  the  British  Provinces,  and  at  Calais  and  Eastport,  Me., 
BIRCH  PARTRIDGE ;  and  from  this  to  Pennsylvania,  PARTRIDGE 
simply  (see  ~No.  42).  In  the  latter  state  and  throughout  the  bird's 
southern  range  (to  Georgia  and  Arkansas),  it  is  the  PHEASANT, 
though  in  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas  we  sometimes  hear  it  re- 
ferred to  as  the  MOUNTAIN  PHEASANT. 

In  Jefferson's  Notes  on  Virginia,  edition  1788,  the  names 
"  Pheasant "  and  "  Mountain  Partridge  "  are  given  as  belonging 
to  one  and  the  same  species,  i.  e.,  "  Urogallus  minor,  or  a  ki.  of 
Lagopus ;"  and  Bartram,  in  Travels  through  North  and  South 
Carolina,  etc.,  1791,  mentions  (page  286)  "  Tetrao  urogallus,  or 
mountain  cock  or  grous  of  Pennsylvania ;"  and  again  (page  290), 
"  Tetrao  lagopus,  the  mountain  cock,  or  grous."  These  quota- 
tions indicate,  in  spite  of  the  confusing  Latin,  an  early  applica- 
tion of  the  word  "  mountain  "  to  our  mountain  -  loving  Ruffed 
Grouse.  Bartram,  while  describing  an  evening  in  the  north- 
western part  of  South  Carolina,  in  the  edition  of  his  Travels  just 
cited,  doubtless  refers  to  the  same  species,  when  he  speaks  (page 
331)  of  "  the  wary  MOOR  FOWL  thundering  in  the  distant  echo- 
ing hills." 

In  a  Natural  History  of  North  Carolina,  1737,  John  Brickell, 
M.  D.  (a  quack  who  stole  almost  all  of  his  material  from  Lawson), 
speaks  of  our  "  pheasants  "  differing  from  those  in  Ireland,  and 
being  "  rather  better  and  finer  meat ;"  "  their  flesh,"  he  adds,  "  is 
good  in  hectick  fevers,  the  gall  sharpens  the  sight,  and  the  blood 
resists  poison." 


No.  42. 

Colinns  virginianus. 

Male.  Principally  reddish  brown,  but  with  touches  of  black, 
gray,  buff,  and  considerable  white.  Stripe  along  upper  part  of 
eye,  white  or  nearly  so ;  throat-patch  white,  ending  below  against 


No.  42.    Male,  and  glimpse  of  Female. 


black  collar-like  shading ;  the  white  also  speckling  sides  of  neck, 
mixing  with  reddish  brown  and  numerous  waved  and  V-shaped 
lines  of  black  upon  the  breast  and  along  the  sides  of  the  body, 


148  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  42. 

and  showing  broadly  in  the  vicinity  of  lower  belly.  Bill  black. 
Legs  gray. 

Length  about  ten  and  a  quarter  inches  ;  extent  fifteen  to  six- 
teen inches. 

Female.  Eesembling  male  in  general  appearance,  but  a  little 
smaller ;  throat-patch  and  line  over  eye  yellowish  brown  or  buff 
(instead  of  white) ;  marking  beneath  throat-patch  much  less  dark ; 
reddish  brown  of  head  lighter ;  under  parts  of  body  less  broken 
by  markings.  Bill  blackish,  with  lower  part  at  base  flesh-colored. 

BOB-WHITE,  so  termed  in  imitation  of  its  whistle,  and  the 
species  is  perhaps  more  widely  recognized  by  this  name  than  by 
any  other,  and  though  the  name  has  been  generally  regarded  as 
belonging  rather  to  the  pet-name  or  nickname  order,  it  is  now 
dignified  by  the  endorsement  of  the  American  Ornithologists' 
Union,  in  its  Code  and  Check  List,  1886.  There  are  several 
other  imitations  (regarded  by  none  as  names),  like  "no  more 
wet,"  "  more  wet,"  "  more  wheat,"  "  buck-wheat,"  etc. 

Other  titles  copied  from  early  and  late  authors  are  VIR- 
GINIAN PARTRIDGE,  MARYLAND  PARTRIDGE,  AMERICAN 
PARTRIDGE,  COMMON  AMERICAN  PARTRIDGE,  VIRGINIAN 
QUAIL,  MARYLAND  QUAIL,  AMERICAN  QUAIL,  VIRGINIAN 
COLIN,  AMERICAN  COLIN:  the  word  "colin"  being  a  Mexican 
name  (for  birds  of  the  "  quail-partridge  "  kind)  brought  to  the 
notice  of  European  naturalists  by  the  work  of  Hernandez  on  the 
Natural  History  of  Mexico,  1628,  best  known  by  edition  of  1651. 

Just  how  far  north  this  bird  is  found  in  the  West  I  cannot 
say,  but  in  New  England  it  is  seldom  seen  as  far  north  as 
Maine.  From  these  northern  limits  to  as  far.  south  as  New 
Jersey  it  is  the  QUAIL,  and  in  Southern  States  the  PARTRIDGE 
(see  No.  41).  "Frank  Forester"  (Herbert)  covered  the  ground 
as  follows :  "  Where  the  ruffed  grouse  [No.  41]  is  called  a  part- 
ridge, the  bird  of  which  we  are  now  speaking  [No.  42]  is  called 
a  quail  .  .  .  where  the  ruffed  grouse  is  called  the  pheasant,  our 
bird  becomes  the  partridge." — American  edition  of  Hawker, 
1846.  To  this  rule  there  are  now  numerous  exceptions.  In 
New  Jersey,  for  instance,  in  many  places  where  No.  42  is  called 


No.  42.]  BIRD  NAMES.  149 

Quail,  No.  41  is  Pheasant,  and,  whether  for  better  or  for  worse, 
the  name  Quail  is  growing  more  and  more  widely  into  fashion 
and  favor.  Southern  pot-hunters,  as  well  as  sportsmen,  in- 
stantly recognize  No.  42  as  the  "quail"  in  numerous  localities 
where,  in  former  years,  the  name  would  as  soon  have  been  as- 
sociated with  a  buzzard  as  a  bob -white.  In  a  communication 
from  Memphis  to  Forest  and  Stream,  October  1,  1885,  concern- 
ing this  bird's  nomenclature,  the  writer,  "  Coahoma,"  says :  "  I 
never  heard  the  term  '  quail '  applied  to  it  until  after  the  war, 
when  a  large  influx  of  Northern  sportsmen  brought  the  name 
with  them.  Some  Southern  sportsmen,  rather  of  the  'dude' 
order,  have  come  to  affect  that  name,  but  it  is  generally  re- 
garded as  an  innovation." 

Captain  John  Smith  certainly  thought  this  bird  looked  more 
like  a  partridge  than  a  quail,  for  he  says,  in  his  description  of 
Virginia,  1612,  "Patrridges  there  are  little  bigger  than  our 
Quailes"  (the  "quailes"  to  which  he  referred  being  European, 
of  course). 

A  variety  found  in  Florida  is  now  distinguished  in  the 
books  as  "Florida  Bob- white"  (Colinus  virginianus  Jloridanus). 
It  is  a  little  smaller  than  No.  42,  with  general  plumage  some- 
what darker,  and  black  markings  of  under  parts  broader.  It 
is  unnecessary  to  mention  in  this  work  the  other  representa- 
tives of  the  genus,  such  as  the  "  Cuban  Bob-white,"  "  Texan 
Bob-white,"  etc. 
10* 


No.  43. 
Philohela  minor. 

Prevailing  tint  of  plumage  tan  color,  variegated  above  with 
black  and  gray,  and  nearly  plain  below ;  tail-feathers  tipped  on 
under  side  with  white ;  bill  and  legs  grayish  flesh  color,  the 
former  becoming  black  at  end ;  eyes  black,  situated  high,  and 
far  back.  Sexes  alike,  but  female  the  larger. 

Length  ten  and  a  half  to  twelve  inches ;  extent  sixteen  to 
eighteen  inches ;  length  of  bill  about  two  and  three  quarter 
inches ;  weight  five  and  a  half  to  nine  ounces. 

Western  range  of  this  favorite  of  Eastern  sportsmen,  accord- 
ing to  A.  O.  U.  Check  List,  1886,  "  to  Dakota,  Kansas,  etc." 


No.  43. 


No.  43.]  BIRD  NAMES.  j-gj 

Dr.  Coues  says  :  "  This  is  the  game  bird,  after  all,  say  what 
you  please  of  Snipe,  Quail,  or  Grouse."  Yes,  Doctor,  either  in 
the  field  or  on  toast. 

AMERICAN  WOODCOCK:  this  (its  correct  name)  distinguishing 
it  from  the  European  woodcock,  Scolopax  rusticola.  It  has  been 
likewise  termed  LITTLE  WOODCOCK  and  LESSER  WOODCOCK,  be- 
ing considerably  smaller  than  the  Okl  World  species. 

In  Bartram's  Travels  through  North  and  South  Carolina, 
etc.,  1791,  GREAT  RED  WOODCOCK.  (See  "little  woodcock"  ap- 
plied to  No.  44.) 

Though  known  very  generally  as  WOODCOCK  in  populous 
regions,  we  should  bear  in  mind  that  this  name  is  applied  by 
backwoodsmen  and  other  country-folk  to  the  Pileated  Wood- 
pecker— Ceophlcew  pileatus — wherever  that  big  red-crested  bird 
of  the  tall  timber  is  found.  Many  funny  stories  are  told  of 
sportsmen  being  led  far  into  the  woods  by  promises  of  good 
"  woodcock  "  shooting,  only  to  find  at  the  end  of  their  journey 
that  woodpeckers  were  the  birds  referred  to. 

It  may  be  added  that  the  popularization  of  the  name  "  wood- 
cock "  for  No.  43  is  quite  a  modern  accomplishment.  Almost 
any  old  man  that  you  may  ask  concerning  the  truth  of  this 
statement  will  tell  you  that  he  never  associated  the  name  with 
species  now  in  hand  during  his  boyhood.  Many  old  people  will 
tell  you  that  as  children  they  knew  this  bird  by  the  name  of 
SNIPE.  Not  merely  as  a  snipe,  be  it  understood,  but  as  the 
snipe,  and  our  woodcock  is  the  "snipe"  still,  in  rural  districts 
far  too  numerous  to  mention,  the  species  being  commonly  re- 
ferred to  collectively  as  "snipes"  in  these  localities.  See  our 
true  snipe,  the  snipe  of  most  city  people,  sportsmen,  and  market- 
gunners,  No.  44. 

In  an  article  entitled  Woodcock  Shooting,  in  Cabinet  of  Nat. 
Hist.,  Vol.  I.,  1830,  the  author  speaks  of  the  present  species  as' 
called  BIG  SNIPE,  RED -BREASTED  SNIPE  (see  No.  45),  and 
MUD  SNIPE ;  and  "  big  snipe  "  is  the  popular  appellation  among 
the  crackers  and  negroes'  at  Jacksonville,  Fla.,  though  many  of 
them  recognize  the  bird  by  its  name  "  woodcock." 


152  JB1RJ)  NAMES.  [No.  43. 

Dr.  Barton,  in  his  Fragments  of  Nat.  Hist,  of  Penn.,  1799, 
mentions  the  species  as  the  COMMON  SNIPE,  as  well  as  "  wood- 
cock ;"  and  Frank  Forester  gives  BIG-HEADED  SNIPE  and  BLIND 
SNIPE  as  two  of  the  names  by  which  "  country  folks  "  know  it.* 
The  latter  name  is  also  mentioned  by  De  Kay  (1844)  as  used  "  in 
some  parts  "  of  New  York  State,  and  Mr.  George  A.  Boardman 
tells  me  of  hearing  the  bird  so  termed  in  the  vicinity  of  Calais, 
Me.  For  the  sake  of  those  who  are  wondering  why  this  bird 
should  have  been  called  "  blind,"  I  will  state  that  in  spite  of 
its  large  handsome  eyes,  its  sight  is  noticeably  dull  in  the  full 
sunlight. 

Hallock,  in  his  Sportsman's  Gazetteer  (1879),  credits  the 
species  with  WOOD  SNIPE,  f  and  Dr.  William  Jarvis  writes  of 
hearing  it  termed  WHISTLING  SNIPE  and  MUD  HEN  some  ten 
years  ago  at  Cornish,  K.  H.  (For  name  "  mud-hen  "  as  applied 
to  other  birds,  see  Isos.  32,  33,  35,  36.) 

Audubon  speaks  of  its  being  known  in  New  Brunswick  as 
BOG-SUCKER.  Frank  Forester,  in  Warwick  Woodlands  and  else- 
where, frequently  refers  to  it  as  the  TIMBER-DOODLE,  and  in 
Lewis's  American  Sportsman  it  is  credited  with  the  names 
MARSH  PLOVER  (see  No.  51)  and  WOOD  HEN  ;  the  author  adding 
that  the  latter  title  "  is  not  often  applied." 

"Homo"  (the  late  C.  S.  Westcott)  says,  in  an  article  on 
Autumn  Woodcock  Shooting,  Forest  and  Stream,  Jan.  22,  1874, 
"  In  the  counties  of  Carbon  and  Lehigh,  of  Pennsylvania,  capital 
grounds  for  autumn  cock-shooting  can  be  found  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Easton,  Mauch  Chunk  and  Lehighton,  and  I  may  state 
here  that  it  is  useless  to  inquire  of  the  natives  of  these  parts 
of  the  whereabouts  of  woodcock;  very  few  know  it  by  that 
name.  I  have  heard  it  called  SHRUPS  and  BOG  BIRD  by  some." 
The  term  COCK  used  by  "Homo,"  though  heard  in  some  lo- 


*  Graham's  Magazine,  December,  1843,  "A  Day  in  the  Woods." 
t  Since  quoting  the  above  name  from  Mr.  Hallock,  a  friend  writes  me  that 
he  pointed  out  a  stuffed  woodcock  to  a  colored  servant  from  Loudouu  County, 
Va.,  and  asked  him  if  he  knew  what  it  was,  and  that  the  man  immediately  re- 
plied that  it  was  what  they  called  Wood  Snipe  in  his  part  of  the  country. 


No.  43.J  EIRD  NAMES. 


153 


calities,  is  oftener  met  with  in  print  (the  expression  "  cocking " 
meaning  woodcock-shooting  sometimes,  as  well  as  rooster-fight- 
ing). I  only  remember  hearing  the  name  "  cock  "  popularly  ap- 
plied to  the  species  in  hand  at  Detroit ;  the  gunners  and  market- 
men  there  use  it  quite  commonly. 

At  Pocomoke  City  (Worcester  Co.),  Md.,  and  Eastville 
(Northampton  Co.),  Va.,  NIGHT  PARTRIDGE ;  in  the  first-named 
locality,  however,  it  is  more  commonly  termed  the  HOOKUM- 
PAKE ;  the  latter  name  being  imitative  of  its  notes,  or  those 
notes  uttered  immediately  after  its  well-known  spiral  flight,  the 
imitation  being  more  intelligible  if  written  as  follows:  hookum, 
-  hookum,  —  -  p-a-k-e. 

To  the  darkies  about  Matthews  Court  House,  Va.,  MOUN- 
TAIN PARTRIDGE,  and  though  we  commonly  associate  wood- 
cock with  bogs  and  low-lying  land,  we  must  not  forget  the  good 
shooting  we  have  sometimes  had  higher  up,  nor  the  fact  that 
many  of  these  birds  retire  for  a  time  to  the  hill-tops  each  year. 
In  this  connection  the  following  from  Mr.  George  B.  Bennett's 
Birds  of  Western  North  Carolina  is  interesting  (Auk,  July, 
1887).  He  writes :  "  I  saw  a  pair  of  these  birds  on  the  summit 
of  Roan  in  a  clump  of  balsams;  the  overflow  from  numerous 
springs  which  had  their  sources  at  this  spot  formed  an  open 
adjoining  marsh  of  several  acres ;  altitude  fully  six  thousand 
feet.  One  or  two  pairs  have  been  known  to  breed  here  every 
year." 

Dr.  G.  B.  Grinnell,  in  Century  Company's  Sport  with  Rod 
and  Gun,  tells  us  that  the  woodcock  is  known  to  some  in  the 
seaboard  counties  of  Virginia  as  Night  Partridge  (a  name  al- 
ready recorded),  and  also  as  PEWEE,  and  in  portions  of  North 
Carolina  as  the  NIGHT  PECK. 

In  an  article  on  woodcock  in  Minot's  Land  and  Game  Birds  of 
New  England,  1877,  the  writer  says  :  "  Every  sportsman  is  famil- 
iar with  those  very  small,  wiry,  compactly  feathered,  weather- 
tanned  birds  who  appear  in  October,  and  who  are  called,  per- 
haps locally, '  Labrador  Twisters.'  "  The  birds  referred  to  are 
probably  those  that  when  once  disturbed  and  not  immediately 
brought  to  bag,  whirl  away  with  surprising  velocity  upon  a 


154  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  43. 

flight  often  too  long  to  follow.  Some  old  gunners  believe  that 
these  "  whistlers,"  or  "  little  whistlers,"  as  they  are  called  in 
western  Massachusetts  and  portions  of  Connecticut,  are  late 
birds  from  the  far  North,  and  that  their  appearance  is  always 
indicative  of  the  end  of  the  season's  flight-shooting ;  while  others 
claim  that  our  fall  shooting  is  as  apt  to  close  with  large  birds  as 
with  small  ones,  and  that  these  very  quick  little  fellows  are  old 
male  "  ground-keepers  "  (native  stock).  I  incline  myself  to  the 
latter  theory,  and  will  add  that  as  these  home  birds  are  not 
fatigued  by  a  journey  from  the  North,  they  are  naturally  in 
good  condition  for  rapid  and  protracted  flight,  and  for  a  suc- 
cessful one,  knowing  well  the  ins  and  outs  of  home  swamps 
and  hillsides. 

In  many  localities  remote  from  bird-dogs  and  city  influences 
the  woodcock,  though  present  perhaps  in  goodly  number,  has  no 
name  at  all,  is  never  pursued,  and  when  accidentally  flushed  is 
regarded  with  little  interest,  or  as  a  quagmire  creature  unfit  for 
the  food  of  man. 


No.   44. 

Gallinago  delicata. 

Upper  parts  chiefly  dark  brown  and  yellowish  tan,  the  tan 
color  of  tail  more  reddish;  the  markings  forming  lengthwise 
stripes  along  the  back  (while  wings  are  closed),  and  striping  the 
upper  part  of  head ;  chin  and  cheeks  whitish ;  neck  near  head 
brown  and  pale  tan,  the  colors  of  the  upper  parts  shading  here 
completely  around ;  breast,  sides  of  body,  thighs,  and  lining  of 


No.  44. 


wings,  white  and  gray,  principally  in  fine  bars ;  the  belly  white 
with  a  few  touches  of  gray.  Bill  averaging  about  two  and  a 
half  inches,  and  slightly  flattened  and  spread  near  the  tip,  this 
flattened  portion,  in  dried  specimens,  looking  and  feeling  very 
much  like  a  fine  file ;  color  of  bill  greenish  gray  near  base,  and 
blackish  at  the  end.  Legs  light  greenish  gray. 


156  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  44. 

Length  ten  and  a  half  inches;  extent  about  seventeen  to 
eighteen  inches. 

A  freshly  killed  bird  now  in  hand  weighs  a  little  over  four 
ounces,  and  its  bill  measures  along  the  top  a  trifle  less  than  two 
and  three  quarter  inches. 

WILSON'S  SNIPE:  AMERICAN  SNIPE:  COMMON  SNIPE:  SNIPE 
(see  No.  43) :  mentioned  in  Bartram's  Travels  through  North 
and  South  Carolina,  etc.,  1791,  and  in  Barton's  Fragments  of  the 
Natural  History  of  Pennsylvania,  1799,  as  MEADOW-SNIPE  (see 
No.  51) ;  the  latter  author  caUing  it  also  LITTLE  WOODCOCK* 

This  favorite  of  our  sportsmen  and  epicures  is  found  through- 
out the  United  States.  Its  name  ENGLISH  SNIPE  (the  bird  was 
regarded  up  to  the  time  of  Wilson  as  identical  with  European 
species)  and  that  of  JACK  SNIPE  (see  Nos.  46,  51)  I  have  not 
assigned  to  individual  localities  with  any  thoroughness,  as  both 
these  names  are  so  widely  and  popularly  applied  to  it.  A  few 
scattering  memoranda  found  among  my  notes  are  as  follows : 
Known  as  English  Snipe  in  Maine  at  Bangor,  Bath,  and  Pine 
Point,  in  Massachusetts  at  Plymouth  and  Barnstable,  in  Con- 
necticut at  Stonington  and  Stony  Creek,  on  Long  Island  at 
Moriches  and  Seaford,  and  in  Florida  at  Enterprise  and  Sanford. 
Known  as  Jack  Snipe  at  Portsmouth,  N.  II.,  in  Massachusetts  at 
Rowley  and  Salem,  in  Illinois  at  Chicago  and  in  Putnam  County, 
at  Havre  de  Grace,  Md.,  Washington,  D.  C.,  Alexandria,  Va.,  and 
in  Florida  at  Enterprise  and  Sanford  (the  two  titles  being  about 
equally  popular  in  the  last  two  localities). 

In  New  Jersey  at  Pleasantville  (Atlantic  Co.),  Atlantic  City, 
and  Somers  Point,  BOG  SNIPE,  and  at  Crisfield,  Md.,  MARSH 
SNIPE. 


*  At  least  there  is  no  doubt  in  my  own  mind  that  Wilson's  Snipe  was 
the  one  referred  to.  Bartram  mentions  "Scolopax  Americana  rufa,  great  red 
woodcock,"  following  it  immediately  with  "  S.  minor  arvewis,  the  meadow 
snipe."  Barton  gives  "  Scolopax  minor  (G),  little  wood-cock  (meadow-snipe)," 
and  again  "  Scolopax  minor,  Scolopax  minor  arvensis  of  Bartram,  Pi-si-co-lis  ? 
of  the  Delaware  Indians."  In  Zeisberger's  Delaware  Indian  Spelling  Book, 
1776,  we  read,  "  Me  me  u— a  Woodcock,"  and  "  Pi  si  co  Us — a  Snipe." 


No-  44.]  BIRD  NAMES.  ^57 

Xuttall  (1834)  speaks  of  its  being  known  in  the  vicinity  of 
Cambridge,  Mass.,  as  the  ALEWIFE  BIRD,  "  from  its  arrival  with 
the  shoals  of  that  fish ;"  and  Dr.  Grinnell  writes,  in  Century 
Magazine  of  October,  1883 :  "  Few  of  our  birds  are  so  poor  in 
local  names  as  this  one,  for  it  is  almost  everywhere  known  either 
as  the  '  English '  or  the  '  jack '  snipe.  Along  the  New  England 
coast,  however,  it  has  an  appellation  which  is  rather  curious. 
As  the  bird  arrives  about  the  same  time  as  the  shad,  and  is 
found  on  the  meadows  along  the  rivers  where  the  nets  are 
hauled,  the  fishermen  when  drawing  their  seines  at  night  often 
start  it  from  its  moist  resting-place,  and  hear  its  sharp  cry  as  it 
flies  away  through  the  darkness.  They  do  not  know  the  cause 
of  the  sound,  and  from  the  association  they  have  dubbed  its 
author  the  SHAD  SPIRIT."  Another  and  similar  name  associ- 
ating this  bird  with  the  coming  of  the  fish,  is  found  in  the  fol- 
lowing quotation  from  Krider's  Sporting  Anecdotes  :  "  We  have 
long  noticed  that  when  the  nights  are  cool,  with  high  winds 
from  the  northwest,  towards  the  latter  end  of  March,  very  few 
birds  are  to  be  found  on  the  marshes.  The  prevalence  of  south- 
erly winds  and  a  hazy  sky,  with  drizzling  rain,  is  much  more 
favorable  to  their  migration  northward.  The  same  remark  holds 
good  in  reference  to  the  appearance  of  shad  in  the  Delaware. 
Indeed,  snipe  are  called  SHAD-BIRDS  by  many  of  the  fishermen, 
and  the  abundance  or  scarcity  of  the  one  is  considered  highly 
indicative  of  that  of  the  other." 

Mr.  Ridgway  tells  me  that  the  species  is  very  commonly 
called  GUTTER  SNIPE  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Illinois,  and 
he  so  terms  it  in  his  catalogue  of  the  birds  of  Illinois,  1874. 

In  Wood's  New  England's  Prospect,  1634,  "snites"  are  men- 
tioned among  other  birds,  but  we  can  only  guess  at  the  species 
referred  to.  Halliwell  gives  this  old  Anglo-Saxon  name  as 
"still  in  use"  in  parts  of  England  in  1847,  and  in  Drayton's 
Owl,  1604,  we  read  of  "  the  witless  woodcock,  and  his  neighbour 
snite,"  and  in  Baret's  Alveary,  1580,  "a  snipe  or  snite,  a  bird 
lesse  than  a  woodcocke." 

The  "  simpes  •'  mentioned  in  Morton's  New  English  Canaan, 
1637,  perhaps  meant  wipe,  but  I  cannot  speak  more  confidently, 


158  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  44. 

as  some  have  done,  in  regard  to  the  matter.  Josselyn,  in  his 
Voyages  to  New  England,  1674,  speaks  of  "  widgeons,  simps, 
teal,"  etc.  If  "  simpes  "  and  ."  simps  "  are  synonymous,  one  can 
easily  believe  them  to  be  of  the  duck  kind,  from  the  manner  in 
which  the  latter  author  includes  them. 


No.  45. 

Macrorhamphus  griseus. 

Adult  in  summer.  Upper  parts  of  body  plumage  (as  viewed 
with  wings  closed)  blackish  brown,  light  cinnamon  brown,  and 
yellowish  white,  the  latter  tint  paling  to  purer  white  here  and 
there  ;  shaft  of  longest  wing-feather,  and  the  lower  back,  white, 
the  latter  becoming  mottled  towards  the  tail;  the  tail  itself 


barred  with  blackish  brown,  light  tan,  and  white ;  top  of  head 
and  streak  along  line  of  eye  dark  (blackish  brown  predominat- 
ing) ;  sides  of  head  and  neck,  and  the  under  parts  of  plumage, 
light  cinnamon  brown,  or  buff,  mottled  with  black ;  this  black  ap- 
pearing more  in  the  form  of  bars  along  the  flanks  and  beneath 
the  tail,  where  the  feathers  are  bordered  and  otherwise  marked 


ICQ  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  45. 

with  white.  Bill  greenish  black,  lighter  at  the  base,  and  thor- 
oughly snipe -like  (the  end  being  flattened  and  having  little 
inequalities  much  as  in  No.  44).  Legs  and  feet  dull  yellowish 
green,  the  outer  and  middle  toes  connected  at  base  by  a  small, 
though  noticeable,  membrane. 

Winter  plumage.  Light  gray,  nearly  plain  about  the  head, 
neck,  and  fore  part  of  body ;  wings  and  shoulder  feathers  va- 
riegated with  grayish  brown  and  edgings  of  yellowish  white; 
lower  back  white ;  the  sides  of  head  whitish,  with  a  dusky  line 
from  bill  through  the  eye ;  region  about  flanks  and  back  of  the 
thighs  white ;  bill,  legs,  and  feet  as  in  summer. 

Measurements  about  as  follows  :  length  ten  and  a  quarter  to 
eleven  inches ;  extent  seventeen  and  a  half  to  nineteen  inches ; 
bill  two  and  a  quarter  to  two  and  five  eighths  inches. 

Eange,  as  given  in  A.  O.  U.  Check  List :  "  Eastern  North 
America,  breeding  far  north-" 

RED-BREASTED  SNIPE  (commonly  so  termed  in  the  books ; 
see  Western  Red-breasted  Snipe,  No.  46,  found  East  occasion- 
ally):  GRAY  SNIPE:  BROWN  SNIPE:  NEW  YORK  GODWIT  of 
Swainson  and  Richardson,  1831. 

In  Maine  at  Portland  and  Pine  Point,  at  Portsmouth,  N.  IL, 
in  Massachusetts  at  Salem,  Provincetown,  and  West  Barnstable, 
in  New  Jersey  at  Barnegat  and  Tuckerton,  and  on  Hog  Island, 
Va.,  BROWN-BACK ;  and  Giraud  mentions  this  name  as  common 
at  Egg  Harbor,  N.  J.,  1844  (see  No.  51).  In  Massachusetts  at 
Salem,  Rowley,  Ipswich,  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston,  and  at  Chat- 
ham, and  in  Connecticut  at  Lyme  and  Saybrook,  ROBIN-SNIPE 
(see  No.  52).  At  North  Plymouth,  Mass.,  DRIVER.  At  Stratford, 
Conn.,  and  Seaford  (Hempstead),  L.  I.,  DOWITCHER ;  on  Long 
Island  at  Shinnecock  Bay,  Moriches,  and  Bellport,  and  at  Barne- 
gat, N.  J.,  DOWITCH  (see  No.  51).  These  names  Dowitch  and 
Dowitcher  meant  originally  that  this  was  the  Dutch,  or  German, 
snipe  (Duitsch,  Deutscher),  and  were  probably  employed  to  dis- 
tinguish No.  45  particularly  from  the  "English"  snipe,  No.  44. 
Giraud  says,  in  his  Birds  of  Long  Island,  1844 :  "  Our  gunners, 
as  if  fearful  that  nothing  would  be  left  to  connect  the  past  with 


No.  45.]  BIRD  NAMES.  1Q± 

the  present  generation,  cling  to  the  old  provincial  names  for  birds, 
recognizing  this  species  by  the  singular  and  unmeaning  name  of 
4  Dowitcher.' "  It  is  interesting  to  note  in  this  connection  that 
the  name  Dowitcher  is  the  one  lately  adopted  by  the  American 
Ornithologists'  Union,  in  their  Code  of  Nomenclature  and  Check 
List.  The  name  has  been  ajso  written  Dowitchee  and  Doe- 
witch.  Giraud  mentions  also  the  name  QUAIL  SNIPE  as  used 
"  in  some  sections  of  the  Island ;"  and  Colonel  J.  H.  Powell,  of 
Newport,  R.  I.,  writes  (1885)  of  hearing  it  called  GERMAN  SNIPE 
on  Long  Island  "  some  twenty-five  years  ago." 

In  New  Jersey  at  Manasquan,  Atlantic  City,  Somers  Point, 
Cape  May  C.  H.,  and  Cape  May  City,  in  Virginia  at  Eastville, 
and  Cobb's  Island,  GRAY-BACK  (see  No.  52);  more  commonly 
termed,  however,  at  Cape  May  City,  SEA -PIGEON.  (It  is 
scarcely  necessary  to  mention  that  the  latter  is  a  guillemot 
name,  as  guillemots  are  not  liable  to  be  confused  with  birds  that 
interest  gunners  and  sportsmen.) 
11 


No.  46. 
Macrorhamphns  scolopaceus. 

Very  similar  to  No.  45  (one  picture  answering  well  for  both), 
but  the  cinnamon  brown  or  reddish  tint  of  the  summer  plu- 
mage, covering — and  more  uniformly — the  entire  lower  parts. 
Winter  dress  as  in  No.  45. 

Length  eleven  to  twelve  inches ;  extent  eighteen  to  twenty 
inches ;  bill  two  and  a  quarter  to  three  inches. 

Eange,  as  given  in  A.  O.  U.  Check  List :  "  Mississippi  Yalley 
and  Western  Province  of  North  America,  from  Mexico  to  Alaska. 
Less  common  but  of  regular  occurrence  along  the  Atlantic  coast 
of  the  United  States." 

WESTERN  RED-BREASTED  SNIPE :  GREATER  GRAY-BACK : 
GREATER  LONG-BEAK:  LONG-BILLED  SNIPE:  RED-BELLIED 
SNIPE:  LONG-BILLED  DOWITCHER:  WESTERN  DOWITCHER. 

Not  being  popularly  recognized  as  distinct  from  the  common 
Eastern  variety  No.  45,  it  naturally  receives  the  latter's  com- 
mon names. 

Mr.  N.  T.  Lawrence  says :  "  The  gunners  in  the  vicinity  of 
Rockaway,  L.  I.,  make  a  distinction  between  the  two  birds,  call- 
ing M.  scolopaceus  the  WHITE-TAIL  DOWITCHER."— Bull.  Nutt. 
Ornith.  Club,  July,  1880. 

In  the  markets  of  Los  Angeles,  according  to  Dr.  Cooper, 
JACK  SNIPE  (see  Nos.  44,  51). 


No.  47. 

Symphemia  semipalmata. 

Adult  in  summer.  Wings  broadly  marked  with  white  and 
blackish  brown,  the  white  being  on  inner  portions  of  the  quill- 
feathers,  and  presenting  (while  wings  are  spread)  a  very  con- 
spicuous band  across  them ;  extreme  lower  part  of  back  at  base 


of  tail  white ;  tail  pale  gray,  more  or  less  touched  with  dusky 
bar-like  markings.  Plumage  in  general  light  warm  gray,  mot^ 
tied  and  shaded  with  brown  and  pale  tan  tints ;  the  markings 
streaky  about  head  and  neck,  spotty  on  the  fore-breast,  and  in 


1£4  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  47. 

narrow,  acutely  waved  bars  upon  the  sides;  markings  much 
less  numerous  on  the  lower  parts,  leaving  belly  nearly  white. 
Bill  dark,  paler  towards  base.  Legs  and  feet  dull  gray,  nails 
black. 

Winter  plumage.  Upper  parts  chiefly  pale  warm  gray  nearly 
or  quite  free  from  markings ;  under  parts  wholly  white,  with  the 
exception  of  some  grayish  shading  on  the  lower  neck ;  tail  very 
pale,  with  white  around  its  base.  Wings,  bill,  and  feet  about  as 
in  summer. 

Length  fifteen  and  a  half  to  sixteen  and  a  half  inches ;  ex- 
tent twenty-seven  to  thirty  inches.  Bill  two  and  one  eighth  to 
two  and  five  eighths  inches ;  toes  with  noticeable  webs  between 
them. 

Range :  "  Temperate  North  America,  south  to  the  West 
Indies  and  Brazil "  (A.  O.  U.  Check  List,  1886). 

SEMIPALMATED  TATTLER:  SEMIPALMATED  SNIPE. 

On  the  coast  of  Maine  this  bird  is  too  infrequently  met  with 
to  be  familiar  to  the  gunners,  and,  indeed,  the  species  does  not 
occur  abundantly  anywhere  in  New  England.  We  soon  begin 
to  find  it  common,  however,  as  we  move  southward. 

In  Massachusetts  at  Rowley,  Ipswich,  Salem,  Boston  mar- 
kets, North  Scituate,  Provincetown,  North  Plymouth,  West 
Barnstable,  Chatham,  and  New  Bedford,  HUMILITY*  (see  Nos. 
48,  50);  and  Mr.  Raymond  L.  Newcomb  tells  me  of  hearing  it 
also  called,  at  Salem,  the  PIED-WINGED  CURLEW. 

At  Chatham,  Mass,  (to  some  of  the  gunners  at  least),  at  New- 
port, R.  I.,  and  southward  along  the  entire  Eastern  coast,  WILLET, 
though  in  Florida  it  is  occasionally  termed  the  BILL -WILLIE. 
In  Lawson's  Carolina,  1709,  WILL- WILLET;  elsewhere  in  print, 

*  On  the  Massachusetts  coast  this  bird  is  sometimes  confused  with  the 
Hudsonian  Godwit,  No.  61 ;  I  have  heard,  for  example,  the  Godvvit  called 
"  Humility,"  and  a  gentleman  tells  me  of  a  Willet  (No.  47)  being  sent  him  from 
Chatham,  labelled  with  the  Godwit's  name  "  Goose-bird."  As  these  occur- 
rences, however,  are  simply  mistakes,  no  further  reference  to  them  need  be 
made.  That  gunners  note  a  resemblance  between  the  two  species  is  instanced 
by  the  New  Jersey  name  of  "  Carolina  Willet  "  for  the  Godwit. 


No-  4?J  BIRD  NAMES. 


165 


PILL-WILLET;*  in  Linsley's  Birds  of  Connecticut,  1843,  PILL- 
WILL -WILLET.  (These  last  five  names  being  imitative  of  the 
bird's  shrill  cries). 

Audubon  wrote  of  it  as  follows :  "  In  the  Middle  States  the 
Semipalmated  Snipe  is  known  to  every  fisherman-gunner  by  the 
name  *  Willet,'  and  from  the  Carolinas  southward  by  that  of 
'  STONE  CURLEW.' "  Bryant,  in  his  Birds  of  the  Bahamas,  1859, 
speaks  of  its  being  known  to  the  inhabitants  as  DUCK- SNIPE; 
and  March  says,  in  Birds  of  Jamaica,  1863-64,  "  Known  here  as 
the  SPANISH' PLOVER." 

Mr.  William  Brewster  writes,  in  the  Auk  of  April,  1887,  that 
Mr.  J.  M.  Southwick  has  called  his  attention  to  the  fact  that 
Western  specimens  of  the  Willet  differ  from  those  of  the  At- 
lantic coast.  The  Western  Willet,  Symphemia  semipalmata  in- 
ornatci,  as  Mr.  Brewster  terms  it,  differs  from  S.  semipalmata  in 
being  a  little  larger,  with  "  longer,  slenderer  bill ;"  and  (in  breed- 
ing dress)  having  the  dark  markings  above  "  fewer,  finer,  and 
fainter,"  on  a  much  paler  ground,  and  those  beneath  duller,  more 
confused,  "  and  bordered  by  pinkish-salmon  "  which  often  "  suf- 
fuses the  entire  under  parts  excepting  the  abdomen."  In  the 
winter  dress  the  two  forms  "  appear  to  be  distinguishable  only 
by  size."  Range  (of  Western  variety) :  "  Interior  of  North 
America  between  the  Mississippi  and  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
wintering  along  the  coasts  of  the  Gulf  and  Southern  Atlantic 
States  (Florida,  Georgia,  South  Carolina)." 


*  Mr.  Dresser  (cited  by  Baird,  Brewer,  and  Ridgway)  speaks  of  this  name 
"Pill-willet"  being  applied  by  his  boatman  in  Galveston  Bay  to  the  American 
Oyster-catcher — a  bird  seldom  found  north  of  New  Jersey,  and  one  which  may 
be  briefly  described  as  follows,  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  do  not  know  it : 
Head  and  neck  black ;  upper  parts  of  body  brown ;  under  parts  white ;  a  white 
bar  on  the  wing;  and  a  red  bill  shaped  for  opening  shell-fish.  Again,  in  Bar- 
tram's  Travels,  1791,  we  read  of  "the  Will-willet  or  Oyster  -  catcher,"  and 
Audubon  wrote  of  No.  47,  "Its  movements  on  wing  greatly  resemble  those  of 
the  Oyster-catcher." 
11* 


No.  48. 
Totamis  melanoleucus. 

Head  and  neck  streakily  marked  with  dusky  gray  and  white, 
the  throat  nearly  plain  white ;  back  and  wings  pale  brown  and 
blackish  brown  speckled  with  white  and  dull  white,  the  colors  of 
tail  similar  but  forming  bars ;  feathering  just  above  tail  white 


barred  with  grayish  brown.  Under  parts  including  lining  of 
wings  principally  white,  wavily  and  brokenly  barred  with  gray- 
ish brown,  the  belly  and  neighborhood  of  tail  nearly  plain  white. 
Bill  blackish,  two  to  two  and  a  quarter  inches  long.  Legs  bright 
yellow. 


No.  48.]  BIRD  NAMES.  167 

Length  thirteen  to  fourteen  inches;  extent  twenty-three  to 
twenty-five  inches. 

Found  during  its  migrations  throughout  the  country ;  flesh 
delicious  in  the  fall,  far  better  at  this  time  than  in  spring. 

GREATER  YELLOW -LEGS:  GREATER  YELLOW  -  SHANKS : 
GREATER  TELLTALE:  TELLTALE:  TELLTALE  SNIPE:  TELL- 
TALE GODWIT:  TELLTALE  TATTLER:  VARIED  TATTLER:  LONG- 
LEGGED  TATTLER:  YELPER:  YELLOW-SHANKS  PLOVER. 

Compare  above  names  with  those  beginning  list  No.  49. 

Wilson  says  (1813)  of  this  bird  and  No.  49 :  "  Well  known 
to  our  duck-gunners  along  the  sea-coast  and  marshes,  by  whom 
they  are  detested,  and  stigmatized  with  the  names  of  the  greater 
and  lesser  telltale,  for  their  faithful  vigilance  in  alarming  the 
ducks  with  their  loud  and  shrill  whistle  on  the  first  glimpse 
of  the  gunner's  approach."  These  birds  are  equally  noisy  and 
vigilant,  however,  when  the  ducks  are  absent,  and  they  care  very 
little  about  the  welfare  of  other  species  than  their  own. 

Called  also  STONE  SNIPE,  and  in  a  communication  to  Forest 
and  Stream  of  June  13,1878,  from  Lebanon,  Illinois,  STONE  BIRD. 

In  Maine  at  Eastport,  Machiasport,  Jonesport,  Millbridge,  and 
vicinity  of  Frenchman's  Bay,  Nos.  48  and  49  are  both  known  as 
YELLOW-LEG  or  YELLOW-LEGGED  PLOVER.  At  Machiasport, 
however,  I  am  told  by  Captain  James  Robinson,  the  best -in- 
formed and  one  of  the  oldest  gunners  there,  that  many  people 
in  his  locality  apply  the  name  PLOVER  to  this  the  larger  species 
only,  permitting  the  smaller  one  (No.  49)  to  monopolize  that  of 
Yellow-leg. 

Audubon  speaks  of  its  being  known  in  Maine  as  the  HUMILITY 
(see  Nos.  47,  50),  adding  that  this  is  "  an  appellation  that  ill  ac- 
cords with  its  vociferous  habits."  In  1885  I  made  many  inquiries 
in  various  parts  of  the  state  for  this  old  name,  but  found  only 
one  man  who  remembered  hearing  it  so  applied,  viz.,  the  aged 
gunner  Samuel  Foote,  residing  near  Bath,  who  referred  to  it  as 
an  appellation  more  or  less  common  for  the  species  during  his 
youth,  but  very  seldom,  or  never,  heard  now. 

In  Maine  at  Portland  and  Pine  Point,  in  Massachusetts  at 


168  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  48. 

Rowley,  Ipswich,  Salem,  North  Scituate,  Provincetown,  North 
Plymouth,  West  Barnstable,  and  to  some  at  Newport,  R.  I.,  WIN- 
TER (though  originally  an  abbreviation  of  "  Winter  Yellow-leg," 
this  is  now  a  well-established  title  by  itself). 

At  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  in  Massachusetts  at  North  Scituate, 
Fairhaven,  New  Bedford,  and  Falmouth,  and  at  Shinnecock  Bay, 
L.  I.,  WINTER  YELLOW-LEG ;  and  at  Stonington,  Conn.,  HORSE 
YELLOW-LEG. 

At  Salem,  Mass.,  the  larger  birds  of  the  species  have  long 
been  distinguished  from  the  others  under  the  name  of  TURKEY- 
BACK;  some  of  the  gunners  there  believing  these  biggest  of 
"  big  "  yellow-legs  a  separate  variety. 

I  have  spoken  of  the  name  "  Winter  "  as  used  "  by  some  "  at 
Newport ;  the  bird  is  commonly  called  there  the  BIG  YELLOW- 
LEG  ;  and  this,  it  may  be  added,  is  the  name  by  which  the  bird 
is  best  known  throughout  the  country. 

In  Mr.  Browne's  list  of  "  gunners'  names,"  at  Plymouth  Bay 
(Forest  and  Stream,  November  9, 1876),  LARGE  CUCU;  and  a  cor- 
respondent ("  Cohannet ")  in  the  same  newspaper,  December  2, 
1886,  speaks  of  its  being  known  as  CU-CTJ  on  the  south  shore  of 
Cape  Cod. 

In  New  Jersey  at  Dennisville,  Cape  May  C.  II.,  and  Cape 
May  City,  KILL-CU ;  this  name  being  used  by  many  of  the  gun- 
ners for  No.  49  as  well.  At  Barnegat  it  is  the  Large  or  Big 
Yellow-leg,  though  we  hear  the  old  name  Telltale  there  occa- 
sionally, and  perhaps  more  often  at  Tuckerton  and  Atlantic  City. 
Generally  termed  in  last  two  localities  BIG  YELLOW-LEGGED 
PLOVER. 

At  EastviUe  (Northampton  Co.),  Ya.,  YELLOW- SHINS,  for 
both  this  bird  and  No.  49. 


No.  49. 

Totamis  flavipes. 

Form,  colors,  and  markings  practically  like  No.  48  (the  picture 
of  the  latter  bird  will  do  for  both) ;  its  range  also  similar. 

Length  ten  to  eleven  inches;  extent  about  twenty  inches; 
bill  one  and  a  half  inches. 

YELLOW-LEGS  :  COMMON  YELLOW-LEGS  :  LESSER  YELLOW- 
SHANKS  :  YELLOW-SHANKS  SNIPE:  YELLOW-SHANKS  PLOVER: 
YELLOW-LEGGED  GODWIT  (so  termed  by  J.  Sabine,  Appendix  to 
Franklin's  Journal,  1823) :  YELLOW-SHANKS  TATTLER :  TELL- 
TALE. 

Compare  above  names  with  those  beginning  list  No.  48. 

In  Maine  at  Eastport,  Machiasport,  Jonesport,  Millbridge, 
and  vicinity  of  Frenchman's  Bay,  YELLOW-LEG  and  YELLOW- 
LEGGED  PLOVER  (see  No.  48) ;  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Henniker, 
N.  H.,  PLOVER  simply. 

At  Portland  and  Pine  Point,  Me.,  in  Massachusetts  at  Row- 
ley, Ipswich,  Salem,  North  Scituate,  Provincetown,  North  Plym- 
outh, West  Barnstable,  and  by  some  at  Newport,  R.  I.,  SUMMER ; 
the  full  name  SUMMER  YELLOW-LEG  being  commonly  employed 
at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  and  in  Massachusetts  at  Fairhaven,  New 
Bedford,  and  Falmouth ;  often  heard  at  North  Scituate,  and  gen- 
erally used  at  Shinnecock  Bay,  L.  I. 

At  Plymouth  Bay,  according  to  Browne's  list.  1876,  SMALL 
CUCU;  at  Newport,  LITTLE  YELLOW-LEG — a  name  by  which 
the  bird  is  widely  known  throughout  the  country. 

Though  commonly  known  at  Barnegat,  N.  J.,  as  Little  or 
Small  Yellow-leg,  the  old  name  Telltale  is  heard  occasionally, 
and  we  hear  this  latter  title  still  more  often  perhaps  at  Tucker- 


170  BIRD   NAMES.  [No.  49. 

ton  and  Atlantic  City,  the  bird  being  commonly  distinguished, 
however,  in  these  last  two  localities  as  SMALL  YELLOW-LEGGED 
PLOVER. 

Again  in  New  Jersey  at  Dennisville,  Cape  May  C.  H.,  and 
Cape  May  City,  KILL-CU;  this  name  being  loosely  applied  to 
Nos.  48  and  49,  though  used  by  some  at  Cape  May  City  for  No. 
48  only. 

AtfEastville,  Ya.,  YELLOW-SHINS  for  both  Nos.  48  and  49. 


No.  5O. 
Bartramia  longicauda. 

Above,  a  mixture  of  blackish  browns,  the  feathers  edged  with 
slightly  reddish  or  rusty  white ;  neck  lighter,  a  yellowish  brown 
with  dusky  streaks ;  sides  of  head  light  also ;  top  of  head  dark 
brown ;  arrow-head  markings  about  front  of  breast  and  lower 


neck ;  throat  and  belly  white  with  buff  tints ;  inner  surface  of 
wings  prettily  barred  gray  and  white ;  tail,  a  mixture  of  yellow- 
ish brown  and  white  speckled  and  blotched  with  black.  Legs 
light  gray  tinged  with  greenish  yellow.  Bill  black  above  and 
at  tip,  the  remainder  bright  yellow. 


172  BIRD   NAMES.  [No.  50. 

Measurements  (derived  from  seven  freshly  killed  birds) : 
length  eleven  and  a  quarter  to  twelve  and  a  quarter  inches ; 
extent  twenty-one  and  three  eighths  to  twenty-two  and  one 
eighth  inches  ;  bill,  measured  along  its  top,  about  one  and  three 
sixteenths  inches. 

BARTRAM'S  SANDPIPER:  BARTRAM'S  TATTLER:  UPLAND 
SANDPIPER:  BARTRAMIAN  SANDPIPER:  BARTRAMIAN  TAT- 
TLER: BARTRAM'S  HIGHLAND  SNIPE.*  Wilson  says,  Yol.  VII., 
1813 :  "  This  bird  being,  as  far  as  I  can  discover,  a  new  species, 
undescribed  by  any  former  author,  I  have  honored  it  with  the 
name  of  my  very  worthy  friend  [William  Bartram],  near  whose 
botanic  gardens,  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Schuylkill,  I  first 
found  it." 

This  is  proverbially  a  difficult  bird  to  approach  ;  is  found 
throughout  the  country  east  of  the  Eocky  Mountains,  and  is 
a  great  favorite  among  sportsmen  and  epicures. 

In  Maine  at  Bangor,  Eockland,  Bath,  Portland,  and  Pine 
Point,  at  Portsmouth,  N.  II.,  in  Massachusetts  at  Ipswich,  Prov- 
incetown,  and  West  Barnstable,  UPLAND  PLOVER. 

Concerning  its  book-name,  Bartram's  Sandpiper,  Mr.  E.  E.  T. 
Seton,  of  Manitoba,  says  in  an  article  on  popular  names  of  birds 
(Auk,  July,  1885) :  "  Ever  since  Wilson's  time  this  name  has  been 
continually  thrust  into  the  face  of  the  public,  only  to  be  as  con- 
tinually rejected ;  Upland  Plover  it  continues  to  be  in  the  East, 
and  QUAILY  on  the  Assiniboine." 

At  Bangor,  Me.,  and  in  New  Jersey  at  Barnegat,  Tuckerton, 
and  Cape  May  C.  H.,  FIELD  PLOVER;  and  Dr.Wheaton  writes 
in  a  report  of  the  birds  of  Ohio  (Columbus,  1879) :  "  Field  Plover, 
as  it  is  commonly  termed  with  us." 

At  Bath  and  Portland,  Me.,  HIGHLAND  PLOVER ;  at  Ports- 
mouth, N.  II.,  and  Salem,  Mass.,  PASTURE  PLOVER ;  at  Prov- 
incetown,  UPLANDER;  in  Maynard's  Birds  of  Eastern  Massa- 
chusetts, HILL  BIRD ;  at  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  Newport,  K.  I., 

*  So  termed  by  Dr.  Woodhouse,  Sitgreaves'  Expedition,  Zuui  and  Colorado 
Rivers,  1853. 


No.  60.]  BIRD  NAMES.  173 

and  Stonington,  Conn.,  and  to  some  at  Shinnecock  Bay,  L.  I., 
GRASS  PLOVER ;  on  Long  Island  at  Shinnecock  Bay  and  Mo- 
riches, HUMILITY  (see  Nos.  47,  48) ;  at  Bellport,  GRAY  PLOVER 
(see  No.  55) ;  at  Seaford  (Hempstead),  PLAIN  PLOVER ;  and  we 
hear  CORN-FIELD  PLOVER  among  other  names  at  Washing- 
ton, D.  C. 

Dr.  Coues,  in  Birds  of  the  Northwest  (1874),  speaks  of  the 
species  as  very  numerous  during  its  migrations  "in  most  parts 
of  the  West  between  the  Mississippi  and  the  Eocky  Mountains," 
and  "commonly  known  as  the  PRAIRIE  PIGEON"  (see  No. 56); 
and  we  find  the  following  in  Water  Birds  of  North  America 
( Baird,  Brewer,  and  Kidgway) :  "  In  Southern  Wisconsin,  Mr. 
Kumlien  informs  me,  in  1851  this  bird,  then  very  common  there, 
was  known  as  the  PRAIRIE  PLOVER,  and  also  as  the  PRAIRIE 
SNIPE."  Mr.  Seton,  previously  cited,  calls  it  also  Prairie  Plover 
(as  well  as  Quaily)  in  his  Birds  of  Western  Manitoba,  Auk,  April, 
1886. 

At  New  Orleans,  La.,  it  is  the  PAPABOTE ;  this  is  Audubon's 
spelling  of  the  name ;  it  is  also  written  "  Papabot "  and  "  Papa- 
botte." 

Concerning  the  name  Frost  Bird,  credited  to  the  species  by 
Herbert,  see  No.  56. 


No.  51. 
Tringa  macnlata. 

Bill  practically  straight,  though  with  a  very  slight  downward 
curve,  3'ellowish  or  dull  yellowish  olive  at  base,  the  remainder 
black;  the  two  central  feathers  of  the  tail  projecting  beyond  the 
others  and  more  pointed ;  the  top  of  head  dark,  a  brownish  mixt- 
ure; throat  white;  sides  of  head,  neck  all  around,  and  breast 
streakily  grayish  buff  and  dusky  brown ;  the  sides  of  the  head 


having  an  indistinct  whitish  and  a  dusky  stripe.  Upper  plumage 
in  general  a  mixture  of  light  yellowish  or  reddish  brown,  with 
dark  or  blackish  brown  and  a  few  touches  of  white.  Lower 
parts  (back  of  the  breast-markings)  white.  Legs  dull  yellowish 
olive. 

Measurements  about  as  follows :  length  eight  and  a  quarter 


No.  61.]  BIRD  NAMES.  175 

to  nine  and  a  quarter  inches ;  extent  sixteen  to  seventeen  and  a 
half  inches;  bill  measured  on  top  from  feathers  to  tip  one  to 
one  and  three  sixteenths  of  an  inch. 

Range  wide,  including  during  migrations  all  of  North  America ; 
a  good  little  bird  for  the  table,  and  as  a  rule  easily  walked  up  to 
and  shot  where  it  stands,  neck  drawn  in  as  though  asleep.  It 
will  sometimes,  however,  mount  into  the  air  from  concealment, 
and  whirl  away  upon  a  snipe-like  flight  that  is  not  easily  stopped. 

PECTORAL  SANDPIPEE  (so  termed  in  the  books) :  JACK  SNIPE 
(see  No.  44,  to  which  this  name  is  more  generally  applied ;  also 
No.  46).  As  I  have  never  happened  to  hear  the  latter  title  in 
use  for  this  species,  I  must  quote  others  concerning  it.  In 
Water  Birds  of  North  America  (Baird,  Brewer,  and  Ridgway) 
we  find  the  following :  "  Mr.  Boardman  informs  me  that  this 
species  is  quite  common,  both  in  the  spring  and  in  the  fall,  near 
Calais,  Me.,  where  it  is  seen  in  company  with  the  Common  Snipe, 
and  where  it  feeds  exclusively  on  the  fresh-water  marshes  and 
in  the  uplands.  It  is  distinguished  from  the  Common  Snipe  by 
the  name  of  the  Jack  Snipe."  Mr.  E.  S.  Bowler  (Taxidermist), 
of  Bangor,  tells  me  that  this  name  is  so  used  in  his  locality. 
Giraud  writes,  1844:  "  Mr.  Baird  has  informed  me  that  it  occurs 
in  Pennsylvania,  in  which  section  it  has  received  the  appellation 
of  '  jack  snipe ;' "  and  in  "  Philadelphia  Notes "  to  Forest  and 
Stream,  October  1, 1885,  "  Homo"  (the  lateC.  S.  Westcott)  says: 
"A  few  flocks  of  creakers,  jack  snipe  they  call  them  here, 
occupy  the  mud  flats  of  the  Delaware." 

At  Pine  Point,  Me.,  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  in  Massachusetts  at 
Rowley,  Ipswich,  Salem,  North  Scituate,  Provincetown,  Plym- 
outh, West  Barnstable,  Chatham,  New  Bedford,  and  Falmouth, 
GRASS-BIRD,  and,  infrequently,  GRASS  SNIPE.  Known  also  to 
some  at  Rowley  and  Ipswich  as  BROWN -BACK  (see  No.  45); 
"  X.  Y.  Z.,"  in  Forest  and  Stream,  November  18, 1886,  speaks  of 
its  being  "  generally  called  BROWNIE  "  in  the  vicinity  of  New- 
buryport ;  and  Mr.  F.  C.  Browne,  in  his  list  of  gunners'  names 
at  Plymouth  Bay  (Forest  and  Stream,  November  9, 1876),  gives 
MARSH  PLOVER  (see  No.  43). 


176  BIRD  NAMES.     .  [No.  51. 

At  Newport,  K.  I.,  on  Long  Island  at  Shinnecock  Bay,  Mo- 
riches, and  Bellport,  and  at  Barnegat,  K  J.,  KRIEKER.  I  write 
this  name  as  it  is  usually  spelled.  It  was  not  applied,  as  popu- 
larly believed,  because  of  the  bird's  creaking  note,  but  because 
of  its  crouching  or  squatting  habit — German  Kriecher,  a  cring- 
ing person. 

Known  "  to  some  of  the  residents  "  of  Long  Island  (Giraud 
writes,  1844),  as  MEADOW  SNIPE  (see  No.  44).  At  Essex,  Conn., 
and  mouth  of  Connecticut  Kiver,  DOWITCH  (a  name  belonging  to 
the  Red -breasted  Snipe,  No.  45,  and  interpreted  under  that 
head).  In  Connecticut  at  Milford,  SQUAT-SNIPE ;  at  Stratford, 
SQUATTER.  At  Seaford,  L.  I.,  SHORT-NECK.  In  New  Jersey  at 
Tuckerton,  FAT-BIRD ;  at  Pleasantville  (Atlantic  Co.),  Atlantic 
City,  and  Cape  May  City,  HAY-BIRD.  Known  also  to  some  At- 
lantic City  gunners  as  TRIDDLER.  At  Alexandria,  Ya.,  COW- 
SNIPE. 

In  Water  Birds  of  North  America  the  name  "  Crouching 
Shore-bird  "  is  given  as  used  at  Trinidad.  This  (like  Krieker  or 
Kriecher,  Squatter,  etc.),  is  an  appropriate  appellation,  but  a 
translation,  and  a  very  free  one  it  seems.  Leotaud,  in  Oiseaux 
de  Vile  de  la  Trinidad,  1866,  gives  under  the  head  of  T.  macu- 
lata,  "  Vulg.  Couchante /"  and  Mr.  Bldgway  writes  me  that  "  this 
appears  to  be  the  only  basis  of  Dr.  Brewer's  statement." 


No.   52. 
Tringa  camitus. 

Adult  in  spring.  Upper  parts  a  mixture  of  light  buff,  gray, 
black,  dull  brown,  and  grayish  white;  the  feathers  near  the 
tail  (upper  tail  coverts)  barred  with  brownish  black  and  white. 
Under  parts  uniformly  reddish  buff  or  orange  brown,  sometimes 


No.  M. 

fading  to  white  on  the  lower  part  of  belly ;  this  reddish  color 
much  like  that  on  the  breast  of  our  common  garden  robin. 

Adult  in  autumn.  Above  almost  uniformly  gray.  Below 
nearly  white,  having  little  or  no  robin  color;  front  of  neck, 
breast,  and  sides  streakily  freckled  and  otherwise  flecked  with 
dusky. 

Young.  Upper  parts  gray,  with  crescent -like  dusky  and 
12 


178  SIRD  NAMES.  [No.  52. 

whitish  borderings  to  the  feathers.  Lower  parts  white  or  nearly 
so,  the  breast  sometimes  tinged  with  buff.  The  neck  and  front 
of  body  streakily  flecked,  the  sides  faintly  and  irregularly  barred, 
with  dusky. 

The  different  plumages  of  this  species  ("  red,"  "  ash-colored," 
and  the  variations  between  these)  have  caused  some  of  its  names 
to  appear  as  very  contradictory. 

Length  ten  and  a  half  inches ;  extent  twenty  inches  or  more ; 
legs  and  bill  nearly  black,  the  latter  one  and  three  eighths  to 
one  and  a  half  inches  long. 

A  very  good  bird  for  the  table,  and  well  known  to  most  of 
the  world. 

KNOT:*  RED-BREASTED  SANDPIPER:  RED  SANDPIPER:  ASH- 
COLORED  SANDPIPER:  FRECKLED  SANDPIPER:  GRISLED  SAND- 
PIPER. The  last  two  titles  are  given  (among  other  names)  by 
Latham,  Syn.,  1785.  Giraud  says,  in  his  Birds  of  Long  Island, 
1844 :  "  Late  in  September  it  moves  southward ;  at  this  period 
the  lower  plumage  is  white,  spotted  on  the  neck,  breast,  and 
flanks  with  dusky  ;  the  upper  plumage  ash  gray ;  in  this  dress  it 
is  the  WHITE  ROBIN  SNIPE  of  our  gunners."  "Wilson  says: 
"  The  common  name  of  this  species  on  our  sea-coast  is  the  GRAY- 
BACK"  (see  No.  45),  and  we  find  the  following  in  Audubon: 
"My  friend,  John  Bachman,  states  that  this  species  is  quite 
abundant  in  South  Carolina,  in  its  autumn  and  spring  migrations, 
but  that  he  has  never  seen  it  there  in  full  plumage.  Tn  that 
country  it  is  called  the  MAY-BIRD,  which,  however,  is  a  name 
also  given  to  the  Rice-bird.  Along  the  coasts  of  our  Middle 
District,  it  is  usually  known  by  the  name  Gray -back."  In 

*  Canute,  or  Knut,  king  of  Denmark  and  conqueror  of  England,  was 
forced  to  retreat— we  are  told— before  the  incoming  tide  (in  a  manner  to 
shame  certain  courtiers  who  claimed  that  the  sea  would  obey  him)  even  as 
this  big  sandpiper  is  driven  by  the  waves,  in  common  with  smaller  birds.  It 
has  been  stated  also,  that  this  species  was  a  great  favorite  with  the  old  king— 

"  The  Knot  that  called  was  Canutus'  bird  of  old, 
Of  that  great  king  of  Danes  his  name  that  still  doth  hold, 
His  appetite  to  please  that  far  and  near  was  sought." — DRAYTON. 


No.  52.]  BIRD  NAMES.  179 

March's  Birds  of  Jamaica  (1863-64),  it  is  the  WHITE-BELLIED 
SNIPE. 

At  Pine  Point,  Me.,  and  in  Massachusetts  at  Boston  markets, 
North  Scituate,  Provincetown,  Plymouth,  and  West  Barnstable, 
RED -BREAST  PLOVER;  in  the  above  localities,  and  at  Chatham, 
Mass.,  in  Atlantic  County,  N.  J.,  and  at  Eastville,  Va.,  RED- 
BREAST. At  Ipswich,  Mass.,  BUFF-BREAST,  BLUE  PLOVER,  and 
SILVER-BACK.  At  Newport,  R.  I.,  on  Long  Island  at  Shinne- 
cock  Bay,  Moriches,  Bellport,  and  Seaford  (Hempstead),  in  New 
Jersey  at  Barnegat,  Tuckerton,  Pleasantville  (Atlantic  Co.),  and 
Cape* May  City,  and  at  Eastville,  Va.,  ROBIN-SNIPE,  this  being 
often  shortened  (particularly  among  the  Long  Island  gunners)  to 
ROBIN.  Again  at  Moriches,  L.  I.,  and  at  Morehead,  N.  C.,  BEACH- 
ROBIN  ;  at  Manasquan,  N.  J.,  ROBIN-BREAST;  and  at  Pleasant- 
ville above  mentioned,  HORSE-FOOT  SNIPE  (see  No.  54). 


No.  53. 
Tringa  alpina  pacifica. 

Bill  with  slight  downward  bend  ;  the  two  central  feathers 
of  the  tail  a  little  longer  than  the  others  and  more  pointed ;  the 
bill  and  legs  black. 

Summer  plumage.  Above  cinnamon  brown,  or  light  reddish 
brown,  with  elongated  touches  of  black  along  the  centres  of  the 
feathers  ;  wings  chiefly  gray  and  dark  brown,  the  feathers  edged 


No.  63.    Summer  Plumage. 

and  otherwise  marked  with  white ;  sides  of  headl  the  neck,  and 
breast,  grayish  white  streakily  marked  with  dusky ;  throat  white ; 
reddish  tone  of  upper  parts  extending  in  greater  or  less  degree 
up  back  of  neck  and  over  crown.  Belly  writh  large  black  blotch ; 
remaining  under  parts  white. 

Winter  plumage.     Above  plain  warm  gray;  an  indistinct 


No.  53.]  BIRD  NAMES.  ^j 

whitish  streak  along  by  the  eye,  from  the  upper  part  of  the  bill. 
Under  parts  white  (or  very  nearly  so)  excepting  lower  part  of 
neck  and  the  fore  breast,  which  are  streakily  grayish. 


• 


No.  63.    Winter  Plumage. 

Length  eight  and  a  half  inches ;  extent  fifteen  inches. 

The  range  of  this  species  includes  our  whole  country ;  in  the 
fall  it  is  numerous  along  the  sea-coast,  often  collecting  in  very 
large  flocks.  No  apology  is  necessary  for  introducing  it  here ; 
it  has  (notwithstanding  its  diminutive  size)  appeared  manv  times 
in  lists  of  gunners'  birds ;  is  plump  and  palatable  in  the  autumn, 
and  affords  some  sport  even  to  adults,  when  bigger  birds  are 
absent.  A  record  of  its  aliases  may  also  prevent  us  from  con- 
fusing it  with  other  species. 

DUNLIN :  more  correctly  AMERICAN  DUNLIN  (to  distinguish  it 
from  the  European  dunlin,  T.  alpina) :  BED-BACKED  SANDPIPER : 
AMERICAN  RED-BACKED  SANDPIPER :  BLACK-BELLIED  SAND- 
PIPER: BLACK-BREASTED  SANDPIPER:  PURRE (Pennant,  1785): 
OX-BIRD  (Nuttall,  1834). 

Wilson  (1813)  speaks  of  its  being  known  "  along  the  shores 
of  New  Jersey  "  as  the  RED-BACK ;  and  Mcllwraith,  in  Birds  of 
Ontario,  1886,  mentions  it  as  the  "BLACK -HE ART  PLOVER  of 
sportsmen ;"  and  again  as  BLACK-HEART  simply,  and  we  find 
this  latter  form  in  E.  E.  T.  Seton's  Birds  of  Western  Manitoba, 
Auk,  April,  1 886.  In  Forest  and  Stream,  Nov.  18, 1886,  "  X. Y.  Z." 


182  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  53. 

(Raymond  L.  Newcomb)  tells  of  its  being  known  in  the  vicinity 
of  Gloucester,  Mass.,  as  SIMPLETON ;  and  F.  C.  Browne  gives 
STIB  in  his  list  of  gunners'  names  at  Plymouth  Bay  (Forest  and 
Stream,  Nov.  9, 1876). 

At  Pine  Point,  Me.,  Seaford,  L.  L,  and  Pleasantville  (Atlan- 
tic Co.),  N.  J.,  FALL  SNIPE;  in  Massachusetts  at  Chatham, 
CROOKED -BILLED  SNIPE;  at  West  Barnstable,  CALIFORNIA- 
PEEP  ;  at  Newport,  R.  I.,  and  in  New  Jersey  at  Tuckerton  and 
Atlantic  City, WINTER  SNIPE;*  at  Stratford, Conn.,  and  Shinne- 
cock  Bay,  L.  L,  LITTLE  BLACK-BREAST ;  at  Seaford,  L.  L,  in 
New  Jersey  at  Tuckerton,  Pleasantville,  above  mentioned,  At- 
lantic City,  Cape  May  C.  H.,  Cape  May  City,  and  Cobb's  Island, 
Va.,  BLACK-BREAST  (see  Nos.  55,  56) ;  at  Shinnecock  Bay,  LEAD- 
BACK  ;  in  New  Jersey  at  Barnegat  and  Tuckerton,  BRANT- 
SNIPE  ;  and  at  Atlantic  City,  BRANT-BIRD  (see  Nos.  54,  60,  61). 
The  gunners  of  the  last-named  localities  claim  that  this  little 
sandpiper  is  more  closely  associated  than  other  birds  with  the 
Brant  (No.  3) ;  is  more  often  found  with  the  latter  species  on 
sandbars,  sea-weed  bunches,  etc. 


*  This  name  is  also  applied  to  the  Purple  Sandpiper,  Tringa  maritima,  a 
bird  which  comes  down  from  the  North  in  cold  weather,  is  never  seen  by  us 
before  late  autumn  nor  after  the  early  spring,  and  whose  appearance  at  this 
time  may  be  briefly  described  as  follows :  very  dark  brownish  slate  color, 
showing  purplish  gloss  in  certain  lights;  belly  white;  length  nine  inches,  or 
thereabouts ;  extent  fifteen  to  sixteen  inches ;  bill  about  one  and  a  quarter 
inches,  and  nearly  straight.  Perhaps  it  would  have  been  better  to  include 
this  sandpiper  more  formally  in  my  list,  but  it  is  practically  an  unknown 
bird  to  other  of  our  gunners  than  those  of  New  England  (though  occasion- 
ally found  on  the  Great  Lakes  and  elsewhere).  The  isolated  bits  of  rocky 
coast  which  it  inhabits  are  not  inviting  during  wintry  weather,  and  the  bird 
is  fallen  in  with  generally  by  accident,  for  gunners  are  not  on  the  lookout 
for  shore-bird  shooting  at  such  times.  Mr.  George  A.  Boardman  (cited  by 
Baird,  Brewer,  and  Ridgway),  states  that  T.  maritima  is  the  Winter-snipe  at 
Calais,  Me. ;  and  Mr.  William  Brewster  tells  me  of  its  being  so  termed  at 
Swamscott,  Mass.  I  have  heard  it  called  Winter  Rock-bird  at  Ash  Point, 
Me.  (the  gunners  there  usually  finding  it  at  Green  Island,  ten  miles  south- 
ward);  and  it  is  the  Rock -bird,  Rock  Plover,  and  Rock  Snipe  at  Rowley 
and  Salem,  Mass. 


No.  53. J  BIRD  NAMES.  183 

The  great  difference  between  the  winter  and  summer  dress 
has  caused  much  confusion,  and  the  "  Black -heart,"  "  Black- 
breast,"  etc.,  is  very  generally  regarded  as  a  species  quite  dis- 
tinct from  the  "  Winter-snipe,"  "  Lead-back,"  etc. 


No.  54. 

Arenaria  interpres. 

Adult  male.  Head,  neck,  and  breast  broadly  pied  black  and 
white ;  much  of  the  upper  plumage  blotched  conspicuously  with 
mahogany  color  and  black;  the  back  (under  the  overlaying 
feathers  of  wings  and  shoulder  region)  white,  with  a  blackish 
patch  upon  the  rump ;  the  tail,  showing  a  blackish  field,  skirted 


No.  64.    Adult. 

unevenly  with  white.  Under  parts  white  (from  the  black  of  the 
breast  backward),  and  a  bar  of  white  crossing  wing.  Bill  nearly 
black.  Legs  and  toes  rich  orange  red. 

Adult  female.    Similar  to  adult  male,  but  with  the  mahogany 
color  and  black  less  positive. 


No.  54.]  BIRD  NAMES.  135 

Young.  "Without  mahogany  color  or  black ;  upper  parts  un- 
evenly marked  instead  with  brown  and  yellowish  gray;  the 
breast  duskily  mottled,  or  showing  in  a  shadowy  and  imperfect 
way  the  markings  of  the  adult,  the  whole  plumage  having  a 
very  commonplace  and  washed-out  appearance,  compared  with 
that  of  the  full-dressed  bird ;  the  bill  less  black ;  the  legs  and 
feet  pale  orange. 

Length  eight  and  a  half  to  nine  inches ;  extent  seventeen  to 
eighteen  inches.  Bill  about  seven  eighths  of  an  inch  long. 

A  "  nearly  cosmopolitan  "  species,  found  chiefly  along  the 
sea-coast,  but  met  with  also  on  the  shores  of  large  inland  waters. 

I  have  eaten  this  kind  several  times,  but  can  now  only  re- 
member my  sensations  upon  one  occasion.  I  tried  them  a  year 
or  two  ago  on  the  Jersey  coast,  and  though  I  was  very  hungry 
at  the  time,  they  proved  altogether  too  strong  for  me. 

TURNSTONE  (so  called  from  its  habit  of  turning  over  small 
stones  in  search  of  food) :  COMMON  TURNSTONE  (distinguish- 
ing it  from  A.  melanocephala  of  the  Pacific  coast,  a  similar 
but  blacker  bird,  without  the  mahogany  color  of  this  species) : 
SEA  DOTTEREL  (Catesby) :  HEBRIDAL  SANDPIPER  (Pennant, 
and  Hearne) :  Hearne  tells  also  of  its  being  known  at  Hudson's 
Bay  as  WHALE-BIRD,  on  account  of  its  "feeding  on  the  car- 
casses of  those  animals,"  and  he  remarks  concerning  its  flesh : 
"They  are  usually  very  fat,  but  even  when  first  killed  they 
smell  and  taste  so  much  like  train-oil  as  to  render  them  by 
no  means  pleasing  to  the  palate"  (Journey  to  Northern  Ocean, 
1769-72,  published  1795). 

Wilson  says  (1813) :  "  On  the  coast  of  Cape  May  and  Egg 
Harbor  this  bird  is  well  known  by  the  name  of  the  HORSE-FOOT 
SNIPE,  from  its  living  during  the  months  of  May  and  June 
almost  wholly  on  the  eggs  or  spawn  of  the  great  king  crab, 
called  here  by  the  common  people  the  horse-foot."  I  have  made 
many  inquiries  along  "the  coast  of  Cape  May  and  Egg  Har- 
bor," but  can  nowhere  find  the  latter  name  so  applied  (see 
No.  52),  yet  in  some  out-of-the-way  corner  No.  54  may  still  be 
the  Horse-foot  Snipe  as  it  was  in  Wilson's  time.  I  will  add 


IQQ  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  54. 

that  this  "horse-foot"  spawn  is  very  greedily  devoured  by  most 
of  our  shore -birds.  (See  "Horse -foot  Marlin"  under  Nos.  58 
and  60.) 

Giraud  (1844)  gives  BEACH-BIRD  as  used  at  Egg  Harbor  to 
designate  the  young ;  and  Mr.  William  Gaskill,  the  oldest  and 
perhaps  best-informed  gunner  in  the  neighborhood  of  Tucker- 
ton,  N.  J.,  tells  me  that  he  remembers  this  as  a  name  formerly 
used  for  the  species,  but  not  as  confined  to  the  young  bird.  It 
is  not  a  very  distinctive  title,  and  has  been  given  to  the  King- 
necked  Plover — ^Egialitis  semipalinata,  Piping  Plover — ^E.  iirie- 
loda,  Sanderling — Calidris  arenaria,  etc. 

De  Kay,  in  Zoology  of  New  York,  1844,  gives  HEART-BIRD 
as  one  of  the  names  applied  to  the  species  by  "  our  gunners,  a 
class  of  men  who  earn  a  livelihood  by  shooting  birds."  This 
author  was  evidently  afraid  that  we  might  confuse  the  gunner 
with  that  helpless  but  interesting  creature  "  the  true  sportsman." 

In  Hallock's  Sportsman's  Gazetteer,  SAND-RUNNER. 

In  Maine  at  Portland  and  Pine  Point,  in  Massachusetts  at 
Rowley,  Ipswich,  Salem,  Boston  markets,  North  Scituate,  Prov- 
incetown,  West  Barnstable,  and  Martha's  Vineyard,  CHICKEN- 
PLOVER  and  CHICKEN-BIRD;  at  Chatham,  CHICKEN  simply; 
and  referred  to  in  Forest  and  Stream  of  September"  4,  1873, 
as  CHICKLING.  Again,  in  Massachusetts  at  New  Bedford, 
RED -LEGS,  and  Maynard  gives  RED-LEGGED  PLOVER  in  his 
Birds  of  Eastern  Massachusetts ;  at  Falmouth,  SPARKED-BACK, 
STREAKED-BACK,  and  BISHOP  PLOVER;  at  Nantucket,  CRED- 
DOCK.  In  Connecticut  at  Saybrook  and  Lyme,  SEA  QUAIL. 
On  Long  Island  at  Shinnecock  Bay,  Moriches,  Bellport,  and  Sea- 
ford,  BRANT-SNIPE  and  BRANT-BIRD  (see  Nos.  53,  60,  61); 
again  at  Moriches,  MAGGOT-SNIPE ;  at  Amity ville,  JINNY.  In 
New  Jersey  at  Manasquan,  Pleasantville  (Atlantic  Co.),  Atlantic 
City,  throughout  Cape  May  County,  and  in  Virginia  at  Eastville, 
CALICO-BACK.  Again,  in  New  Jersey  at  Cape  May  City,  CALICO- 
BIRD  ;  at  Pleasantville,  above  mentioned,  CALICO-JACKET ;  at 
Barnegat,  CHECKERED-SNIPE;  at  Tuckerton,  GANNET;*  at  Som- 

*  The  true  Gannets  are  large  fish-devouring  sea-fowl  of  the  genus  Sula. 


No.  54.]  BIRD  FAMES.  jgf 

era  Point,  CHUCKATUCK ;  and  at  St.  Augustine,  Fla.  (to  some  na- 
tive gunners  at  least),  SALT-WATER  PARTRIDGE. 

Yarrell  tells  of  its  being  known  in  Dorsetshire,  England,  as; 
the  VARIEGATED  PLOVER ;  and  the  following  name*  appear 
in  Swainson's  Provincial  Names  of  British  Birds,  1885 :  STANE- 
PECKER  (Shetland  Isles) :  SKIRL  CRAKE  (East  Lothian,  Shet- 
land Isles):  TANGLE  PICKER  (Norfolk)  — " tangle  is  a  kind  of 
weed  beset  with  small  bladders"  (Gfumey):  STONE  RAW  (Ar- 
magh) :  SEA  LARK  (Ireland)  —  and  in  the  same  work  under 
Sanderling,  C.  arenaria,  we  find  again  "  Sea  Lark  (Ireland)." 

Our  Common  Gannet  (S.  6a«ana),  known  also  as  White  Gannet,  Solan  Goose, 
etc.,  measures  about  three  feet  in  length.  Under  the  head  of  Royal  Tern 
(Sterna  maxima),  in  Notes  on  Birds  found  Breeding  on  Cobb's  Island,  Va. 
(Bull.  Nutt.  Ornith.  Club,  April,  1876),  Mr.  Bailey  says,  "  called  Gannets  by  the 
natives;"  and  Audubon  writes  as  follows  concerning  the  Wood  Ibis  (Tantalu* 
loculator) :  "  The  Spaniards  of  East  Florida  know  them  by  the  name  of '  Gan- 
nets.' ...  At  St.  Augustine  I  was  induced  to  take  an  excursion  to  visit  a 
large  pond  or  lake,  where  I  was  assured  there  were  Gannets  in  abundance, 
which  I  might  shoot  off  the  trees  provided  I  was  careful  enough.  On  asking 
the  appearance  of  the  Gannets,  I  was  told  that  they  were  large  white  birds, 
with  wings  black  at  the  end,  a  long  neck,  and  a  large  sharp  bill.  The  de- 
scription so  far  agreeing  with  that  of  the  Common  Gannet  or  Solan  Goose,  I 
proposed  no  questions  respecting  the  legs  or  tail,  but  went  off.  Twenty-three 
miles,  reader,  I  trudged  through  the  woods,  and  at  last  came  in  view  of  the 
pond ;  when  lo !  its  borders  and  the  trees  around  it  were  covered  with  Wood 
Ibises.  Now,  as  the  good  people  who  gave  the  information  spoke  according 
to  their  knowledge,  and  agreeably  to  their  custom  of  calling  the  Ibises  Gan- 
nets, had  I  not  gone  to  the  pond  I  might  have  written  this  day  that  Gannets 
are  found  in  the  interior  of  the  woods  in  the  Floridas,  that  they  alight  on  trees, 
etc.,  which  if  onpc  published,  would  in  all  probability  have  gone  down  to  future 
times  through  the  medium  of  compilers,  and  all  perhaps  without  acknowledg- 
ment" 


No.  55. 
Charadrius  sqiiatarola. 

Sometimes  confused  with  the  next  species,  but  differing  from 
it  in  many  ways.  This  is  a  four-toed  plover,  having  a  minute  but 
perfectly  distinct  hind  toe  (No.  56  being  without  this  rudimen- 
tary appendage).  It  is  also  larger,  stockier,  bigger  billed,  is  a 
less  numerous  and  more  timid  species,  with  louder,  fuller  note, 
and  is  found  far  more  often  on  the  sea-shore  proper,  upon  sand- 
bars, mud  flats,  and  beaches. 


No.  55.    Breeding  Plumage. 

Adult  in  breeding  dress.  Upper  part  of  head  and  back  of 
neck  white,  more  or  less  marked  with  pale  grayish  brown ;  re- 
maining upper  parts  mottled  with  white,  black,  and  two  shades 
of  brown ;  tail  barred  with  white  and  black.  Lower  part  of  head 
and  most  of  the  lower  plumage  plain  black  (or  brownish  black), 
changed  to  white  about  vent  and  root  of  tail.  Bill  and  legs 
black. 


No.  68.] 


BIRD  NAMES. 


189 


Adult,  and  young,  in  fall  and  winter.  Not  now  "  black- 
bellied,"  but  a  "gray"  plover;  without  the  positive  contrasts  just 
described ;  clothed  instead  with  Quaker-like  simplicity.  Upper 
parts  with  neck  and  portions  of  breast  finely  streaked  and 
speckled  with  grayish  brown  and  white ;  the  upper  parts  some- 
times washed  here  and  there  with  faint  yellow.  Kemaining 
under  parts  white.  Bill  and  legs  less  black,  or  grayish  in  tone. 


No.  68.    Fall  or  Winter  Plumage. 

Measurements  about  as  follows :  length  eleven  and  a  quarter 
to  twelve  inches;  extent  twenty-three  and  a  half  inches;  bill 
one  and  a  quarter  inches. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind,  in  this  connection  and  others, 
that  a  bird  does  not  change  its  dress  as  a  snake  does  its  skin, 
but  that  while  passing  from  one  plumage  to  another  (as  in  the 
case  of  this  bird's  belly  from  black  to  white,  and  vice  versa)  vari- 
ous combinations  are  produced. 

"  Nearly  cosmopolitan,  but  chiefly  in  the  Northern  Hemi- 
sphere, breeding  far  north,  and  migrating  south  in  winter ;  in 
America  to  the  West  Indies,  Brazil,  and  New  Granada"  (A.  O.  U. 
Check  List). 


190  BIRD  NAMES.  [Xo.  55.; 

BLACK -BELLIED  PLOVER:  SWISS  PLOVER:  WHISTLING 
PLOVER  (see  No.  56) :  OX-EYE  (given  also  to  those  very  com- 
mon and  very  small  sandpipers,  Tringa  minutilla  and  Ereunetes 
pusillus,  better  known  as  "  peeps ") :  SWISS  SANDPIPER  and 
GRAY  SANDPIPER  of  Pennant,  and  GRAY  LAPWING  of  Swain- 
son  and  Kichardson.  Wilson  writes :  "  Called  by  many  gunners 
along  the  coast  the  BLACK-BELLIED  KILLDEER;"  and  again: 
"  This  bird  is  known  in  some  parts  of  the  country  by  the 
name  of  the  large  whistling  field  plover.  It  generally  makes  its 
first  appearance  in  Pennsylvania  late  in  April ;  frequents  the 
countries  towards  the  mountains ;  seems  particularly  attached 
to  newly  ploughed  fields,  where  it  forms  its  nest."  Audubon 
speaks  of  its  breeding  "  in  the  mountainous  parts  of  Maryland, 
Pennsylvania,  and  Connecticut,"  and  of  finding  its  nests  "  in 
the  same  localities  as  those  of  Totanus  bartramius "  (now  Bar- 
tramia  longicauda),  and  he  adds  that  it  is  known  "  in  Penn- 
sylvania by  the  name  of  whistling  field  plover."  Nuttall  also 
calls  it  "  large  whistling  field  plover,"  and  speaks  of  its  being 
"  known  to  breed  from  the  open  grounds  of  Pennsylvania  to  the 
very  extremity  of  the  Arctic  regions ;"  and  Dr.  Lewis,  in  his 
American  Sportsman,  tells  of  its  returning  from  the  South  early 
in  May,  and  soon  after  retiring  to  the  "  high  upland  districts  to 
breed,"  and  of  its  being  known  "  at  this  time  more  particularly 
as  the  old  field -plover  or  whistling  plover,"  and  he  adds:  "A 
most  capital  manoeuvre,  and  one  adopted  by  some  of  our  sport- 
ing friends  in  the  country,  is  to  approach  them  in  a  careless  man- 
ner, either  in  an  old  wagon  or  cart  or  on  horseback,  as  they 
seldom  take  alarm  at  a  horse  or  a  vehicle  of  any  description." 
Now  No.  55  does  not  breed  in  the  United  States,  and  Wilson 
and  the  rest  got  it  sadly  mixed  up  with  the  Bartramian  Sand- 
piper, No.  50 ;  and  Dr.  Lewis's  account  of  the  manner  in  which 
his  birds  were  pursued  is  plainly  a  description  of  a  venerable 
trick  still  practised  on  "  field  plover  "  No.  50. 

I  have  found  neither  this  bird  (No.  55)  nor  the  following 
plover  (No.  56),  sufficiently  well  known  or  common  enough  along 
the  Maine  coast  from  Eastport  to  Ash  Point  to  have  any  well- 
established  names.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  individuals  who 


No.  55.]  BIRD  NAMES.  191 

shoot  over  dogs  in  the  brush,  the  gunners  of  this  section  are 
principally  seafowl-shooters  who  know  very  little,  and  care  less, 
about  shore-birds.* 

At  Ash  Point  (near  Rockland),  Me.,  Seaford  (Hempstead), 
L.  I.,  and  Barnegat,  N.  J.,  GRAY  PLOVER  (see  No.  50).  In  Maine 
at  Bath,  Portland,  and  Pine  Point,  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  in 
Massachusetts  at  Ipswich,  Salem,  North  Scituate,  Provincetown, 
West  Barnstable,  Chatham,  and  New  Bedford,  at  Stratford, 
Conn.,  and  Shinnecock  Bay,  L.  L,  BEETLE-HEAD ;  at  Eastville, 
Va.,  BEETLE  simply.  Again,  at  Bath  and  Portland,  CHUCKLE- 
HEAD.  At  North  Plymouth,  Mass.,  BOTTLE-HEAD.  On  Long 
Island  at  Shinnecock  Bay,  and  in  New  Jersey  at  Manasquan, 
Tuckerton,  Atlantic  City,  Somers  Point,  Cape  May  C.  H.,  and 
Cape  May  City,  BULL-HEAD  (see  No.  56) ;  at  Stonington,  Conn., 
BULL-HEAD  PLOVER.  "  In  the  Eastern  States,"  Audubon  wrote, 
"  as  well  as  in  Kentucky,  it  is  called  the  Bull-head ;  but  in  the 
South  its  most  common  appellation  is  Black -bellied  Plover." 
In  New  Jersey  at  Pleasantville (Atlantic  Co.),  and  Atlantic  City, 
HOLLOW-HEAD;  and  again  at  Pleasantville,  OWL-HEAD.  At 
Pine  Point,  Me.,'  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  in  Massachusetts  at  Prov- 
incetown, West  Barnstable,  Chatham,  New  Bedford,  and  Fal- 
mouth,  and  at  Stratford,  Conn.,  BLACK-BREAST  (see  Nos.  53, 
56).  On  Long  Island  at  Moriches,  Bellport,  and  Seaford,  and 


*  The  term  *«  shore-birds,"  as  commonly  used,  means  such  species  as  the 
curlews,  plovers,  sandpipers,  etc.,  these  being  also  termed  "  bay-birds "  by 
many;  and  Wilson  wrote,  while  describing  the  red-backed  sandpiper,  No.  53 : 
"  Tliis  is  one  of  the  most  numerous  of  our  strand  birds  as  they  are  usually 
called."  Shore  gunners  very  naturally  associate  birds  of  this  kind  almost 
wholly  with  the  beaches  and  meadows  that  border  the  sea,  yet  the  same 
species  are  to  be  met  with,  as  well,  away  back  upon  the  prairies  of  the  interior, 
particularly  during  the  vernal  migrations.  Other  titles  used  to  designate  these 
birds  collectively  I  have  noted  as  follows:  At  Ash  Point,  Me.,  "sand-birds." 
In  Maine  at  Bath  and  Kennebunk,  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  in  Massachusetts  at 
Rowley,  Salem,  North  Scituate,  Provincetown,  North  Plymouth,  and  Barn- 
stable,"  and  at  Newport,  R.  I.,  "marsh-birds."  On  Long  Island,  and  in  its 
vicinity,  "  bay-snipe  "  and  "  shore-snipe."  These  are  the  only  notes  of  the  kind 
that  I  can  mid  among  my  memoranda,  and  I  will  not  attempt  to  continue  the 
list  from  memory. 


192  -BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  55. 

in  New  Jersey  at  Barnegat,  Tuckerton,  and  Cape  May  City, 
BLACK-BREAST  PLOVER. 

In  numerous  localities  gunners  divide  this  speciqs ;  for  exam- 
ple, the  name  Beetle-head  is  commonly  restricted  to  birds  in 
autumn  dress,  these  being  regarded  as  distinct  from  the  Black- 
breasts. 

Known  also  at  West  Barnstable,  Mass.,  as  MAY  COCK;  and  in 
that  interesting  pamphlet  about  Shore  Birds — No.  1,  of  the  Forest 
and  Stream  series,  1881,  we  find  the  following :  "  On  the  coast 
of  Virginia  about  Cobb's  Island,  the  name  of  PILOT  has  been 
given,  as  it  is  always  seen  leading  the  large  flights  of  birds 
which  the  rising  tides  drive  from  the  shoals  and  oyster  rocks, 
and  it  is  supposed  to  direct  the  flocks  '  to  pastures  new.'  This, 
however,  is  not  the  case.  It  is  the  fastest  flying  bird  of  all  the 
bay  snipe,  and  it  cannot  fly  slow  enough  for  the  other  species."  • 

Mr.  Swainson  writes,  in  his  Provincial  Names  of  British  Birds, 
1885:  "Its  habit  of  frequenting  the  sea-shore  has  obtained  for 
it  the  names  SEA  PLOVER:  SEA  COCK  (Waterford) :  STRAND 
PLOVER  (Cork):  MUD  PLOVER,  STONE  PLOVER  (North  and 
South  Ireland) :  ROCK  PLOVER  (Wexford)." 


No.  56. 

Charadrins  dominions. 

Sometimes  confused  with  No.  55,  but  smaller,  with  a  more 
slender  bill  and  three-toed  (the  latter  species  having  a  minute 
hind  toe);  much  more  of  an  upland  bird;  partial  to  rather  bar- 
ren or  closely  cropped  fields,  particularly  to  patches  that  have 
been  recently  burned  over. 

Adult  in  breeding  dress.  Forehead  and  stripe  over  eye  white ; 
upper  parts  generally  brownish  black  speckled  with  yello\v  and 
white,  the  tail  grayish  brown  with  lighter  markings.  Under 
parts,  including  the  lower  part  of  head,  rich  brownish  black. 
Bill  nearly  black.  Legs  dark  bluish  gray. 

Adult  at  beginning  of  autumn  (as  we  kill  it  on  its  journey 
southward).  Under  parts  white  or  ashy  white,  blotched  irregu- 


No.  66.    "  Muddy-breast "  Plumage. 


13 


194  SIRD  NAMES.  [Xo.  56. 

larly  with  brown  or  brownish  black*  ("Muddy-breast"  now); 
top  of  head  dark ;  the  stripe  over  the  eye  light,  but  not  white ; 
remaining  upper  plumage  much  as  in  the  breeding  dress,  but 
more  dull  in  tone. 

Young  (reaching  us,  the  greater  part  of  them,  a  little  later 
than  the  adults).  Upper  parts  dark  brown  and  brownish  gray 
speckled  with  yellow  and  dull  white;  the  yellow  showing  no- 
ticeably on  the  crown,  nape,  and  lower  back  (all  the  speckles  of 
the  lower  back  yellow) ;  head  and  neck  streakily  marked,  the 


No.  56.    Young. 

neck  lighter  in  color  than  top  of  head  or  back ;  sides  of  head  and 
all  around  base  of  bill  white  or  whitish  streakily  marked  with 
dusky.  Under  parts  of  plumage  and  sides  of  neck  dull  white 
freckled  with  brownish  gray,  the  chin  pure  white,  the  brownish 
gray  markings  much  paler  on  the  lower  surface  of  body,  particu- 
larly about  the  abdomen,  and  nearly  or  wholly  disappearing  in 
neighborhood  of  vent. 


*  These  blackish  markings  wholly  disappearing  in  winter,  at  which  time 
the  plumage  throughout  is  practically  that  of  the  young  bird. 


No.  56.]  BIRD  NAMES.  195 

This  species  closely  resembles  the  Golden  Plover  of  Europe 
(C.  apricariuz),  but  in  our  bird  the  lining  of  the  wings  is  gray, 
while  in  the  European  it  is  white. 

Measurements  about  as  follows :  length  ten  and  a  half  inches ; 
extent  twenty -two  inches ;  bill  one  inch  long. 

A  delicious  bird  for  the  table,  and  everywhere  regarded  as 
such ;  breeding  in  the  Arctic  regions,  and  migrating  in  large 
flocks  to  the  southern  extremity  of  South  America. 

AMERICAN  QOLDEN  PLOVER:  COMMON  PLOVER:  WHISTLING 
PLOVER  (see  No.  55) :  GOLDEN-BACK:  BULL-HEAD  (see  No.  55). 
1-M wards,  1750,  describing  it  under  the  name  of  the  SPOTTED 
PLOVER,  says :  "  This  bird  was  brought  from  Hudson's  Bay  by 
Mr.  Isham.  I  suppose  when  it  is  living  it  has  a  bright  shining 
eye,  because  I  find  by  my  friend  Mr.  Isham's  account  that  the 
English  settled  in  Hudson's  Bay  call  it  the  HAWK'S  EYE." 
Wilson,  citing  Pennant,  credits  the  Black-bellied  Plover,  No. 
55,  with  this  name  Hawk's-eye,  believing  Pennant's  "Al war- 
grim  Plover  "  (Arctic  Zoology,  p.  483,  No.  398)  to  be  the  latter 
species. 

In  Maine  at  Ash  Point,  FIELD-BIRD;  at  Bath,  THREE-TOED 
PLOVER ;  and  a  venerable  gunner  of  Bath,  Mr.  Samuel  Foote, 
remembers  this  latter  name  as  so  applied  in  his  early  childhood. 
At  Portland,  Me.,  and  in  Massachusetts  at  Rowley,  Ipswich, 
North  Scituate,  North  Truro,  and  North  Plymouth,  and  at 
Stonington,  Conn.,  BLACK-BREAST  (see  Nos.  53,  55).  At  Port- 
land, Me.,  Bellport,  L.  I.,  and  Stratford,  Conn.,  GOLDEN  PLOVER. 
At  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  and  in  Massachusetts  at  Salem  and  Chat- 
ham, GREEN  PLOVER.  At  Provincetown,  Mass.,  and  Moriches, 
L.  L,  GREEN-BACK.  In  Massachusetts  at  Rowley,  BRASS-BACK; 
at  I|>s\\  ic-h  and  North  Scituate,  PALE-BREAST;  at  Provincetown, 
New  Bedford,  and  Chatham,  PALE-BELLY ;  these  last  two  names 
being  applied  only  to  the  young  birds,  which  are  regarded  by 
many  as  a  distinct  species  or  variety.  At  West  Barnstable  and 
New  Bedford  (Mass.),  and  Newport,  R.  L,  GREEN-HEAD ;  and 
to  the  old  people  of  West  Barnstable,  PASTURE-BIRD  (a  name 
now  seldom  heard,  but  used  there  by  every  one  until  fifteen  or 


196  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  56- 

twenty  years  ago).     At  Newport,  K.  I.,  MUDDY-BREAST ;  and 
at  Seaford,  L.  L,  FROST-BIRD.* 

Mr.  Henry  P.  Ives,  of  Salem,  tells  of  its  being  known  as  TROUT- 
BIRD  at  Hamilton,  Mass.  Mr.  Browne  records  SQUEALER  in 
his  list  of  gunners'  names  at  Plymouth  Bay  (Forest  and  Stream, 
November  9,  1876).  Mr.  John  Murdoch  (Forest  and  Stream, 
December  9,  1886)  speaks  of  hearing  it  called  TOAD-HEAD  on 
Cape  Cod ;  stating  that  most  of  his  "  shore-bird  nomenclature 
for  Cape  Cod  was  learned  in  the  town  of  Orleans  in  the  seasons 
of  1869-72,  and  chiefly  from  the  older  generation  of  gunners." 
Mr.  M.  A.  Howell,  Jr.,  writes  (Forest  and  Stream,  March  1, 
1877) :  "  From  the  regularity  of  the  visits  of  these  birds  in  for- 
mer years  to  the  sand  bars  of  the  upper  Illinois  and  Kankakee, 
they  have  been  called  by  the  resident  shooters,  KANKAKEE  BAR 
PLOVER."  Mr.  Warren  Hapgood,  in  Forest  and  Stream  Shore 
Bird  pamphlet,  1881,  speaks  of  its  being  known  in  the  West 
as  PRAIRIE  PIGEON  (see  No.  50);  and  writes  in  reply  to  in- 
quiries of  mine  that  he  has  forgotten  just  where  he  heard  the 
name  in  use  ;  but  he  adds,  "  It  was  common  talk  when  I  was  in 
Iowa,  before  the  article  was  written,  that  the  earlier  settlers 
were  annoyed  by  these  birds,  which,  in  the  absence  of  a  better 
name,  they  called  Prairie  Pigeons." 


*  Herbert,  in  his  Field  Sports,  credits  the  Bartramian  Sandpiper,  No.  50, 
with  this  name  Frost-bird,  but  later  on  applies  it  correctly  to  No.  56. 


No.  57. 
Numenius  longirostris. 

Plumage  brownish  buff  or  cinnamon  brown,  nearly  plain  be- 
low, the  upper  parts  mottled  and  barred  with  dark  brown,  the 
markings  more  streaky  upon  the  head  and  neck.  Bill  blackish, 
changing  to  flesh  color  below  about  base.  Legs  bluish  gray. 

Measurements  as  follows:  length  about  twenty-five  inches; 
extent  thirty-eight  to  forty  inches;  bill  varying  in  length  from 
five  to  eight  inches. 


198  BIRD   NAMES.  [No.  57. 

Kange :  "  Temperate  North  America,  migrating  south  to 
Guatemala  and  the  West  Indies.  Breeds  in  the  South  Atlantic 
States,  and  in  the  interior  through  most  of  its  North  American 
range"  (A.  O.  U.  Check  List). 

Not  now  a  common  species  in  New  England  or  north  of  New 
Jersey,  and  noticeably  less  common  along  the  shores  of  New 
Jersey,  Delaware,  Maryland,  and  Virginia,  than  in  former  years. 
In  South  Carolina  and  southward,  and  in  interior  parts  of  the 
country,  it  is  met  with  in  goodly  numbers. 

SICKLE -BILL  CURLEW,  or  SICKLE -BILL;  very  generally 
known  as  such,  or  as  the  BIG  CURLEW,  along  the  coast  as 
far  south  as  Maryland  at  least,  though  otherwise  designated  as 
shown  in  the  following  list. 

In  Massachusetts  at  Rowley  and  New  Bedford,  HEN  CUR- 
LEW, or  OLD-HEN  CURLEW.  "At  Shinnecock  Bay,  Moriches, 
Bellport,  and  many  other  Long  Island  localities,  this  is  the  only 
CURLEW ;  the  Hudsonian,  No.  58,  being  the  "Jack,"  and  the  Es- 
kimo, No.  59,  the  "  Fute  "  or  "  Doe-bird  "  (see  "  Curlew  "  as  ap- 
plied to  the  Marbled  Godwit,  No.  60).  In  New  Jersey  at  Tucker- 
ton,  LONG-BILLED  CURLEW;  at  Absecum,  Pleasantville  (Atlan- 
tic Co.),  and  Somers  Point,  BUZZARD  CURLEW  (its  flight  re- 
sembling that  of  a  turkey-buzzard) ;  known  also  at  Pleasantville 
to  some  of  the  gunners  as  SMOKER  or  OLD  SMOKER  (the  bill 
curving  downward  like  the  stem  of  a  pipe,  and  the  enlarge- 
ment at  the  end  answering  for  the  bowl);  again  at  Pleasant- 
ville, LOUSY-BILL  (the  bird  being  frequently  found  infested  with 
lice) ;  at  Cape  May  C.  H.,  MOWYER  (an  old-fashioned  word  mean- 
ing one  who  mows).  To  many  gunners  along  the  shores  of  South 
Carolina  and  Georgia,  and  at  St.  Augustine,  Fla.,  it  is  the  SPAN- 
ISH CURLEW — this  name  being  given  in  books  to  the  White 
Ibis,  Guard  alba.  Mr.  Ridgway  (in  Survey  of  Fortieth  Parallel, 
1877)  speaks  of  its  being  "  called  SNIPE  by  the  people  of  the 
Salt  Lake  Valley  ;"  and  also  of  its  being  "  particularly  abundant 
along  the  southern  shore  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  and  some  of 
the  larger  islands." 

In  Hallock's  Gazetteer  (1877),  SABRE-BILL. 


No.  58. 
Numenins  hudsonicus. 

Upper  parts  brown,  the  feathers  edged  and  otherwise  marked 
with  whitish ;  general  appearance  similar  to  species  No.  57,  but 
paler  in  tone  and  more  gray.  Throat  and  belly  whitish  with 
some  pale  buff.  Crown  of  the  head  blackish  brown,  divided  in 
the  middle  by  a  white,  or  nearly  white,  streak  running  from  the 


No.  53. 


bill  backward ;  also  a  dark  stripe  running  from  the  bill  along  the 
side  of  the  head— the  head  alone  easily  distinguishing  this  bird 
from  our  other  curlews,  Nos.  57  and  59.  Bill  black  or  blackish, 
flesh-colored  below  near  base.  Legs  blue  or  bluish. 

Length  seventeen  to  eighteen  inches;  extent  about  thirty- 


200  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  58. 

two  inches;  bill  varying  in  length,  say  from  two  and  three 
quarter  to  three  and  three  quarter  inches. 

Kange,  according  to  A.  O.  U.  Check  List :  "  All  of  North  and 
South  America,  including  the  West  Indies ;  breeds  in  the  high 
North,  and  winters  chiefly  south  of  the  United  States." 

HUDSONIAN  CURLEW:  called  by  Wilson  and  Nuttall,  ESQUI- 
MAUX CURLEW  (see  Esquimaux  Curlew  proper,  No.  59),  these 
authors  following  the  lead  of  Pennant,  who,  according  to  Fauna 
Boreali  -  Americana,  had  "  misapplied  Mr.  Hutchins's  notes." 
Pennant  also  refers  to  the  present  species  as  the  ESQUIMAUX 
WHIMBREL  (because  of  its  resemblance  to  the  European  curlew, 
N.  phceopus,  which  is  known  as  Whimbrel). 

At  Pine  Point,  Me.  (I  have  no  notes  of  hearing  the  gunners 
name  it  north  of  this  place),  and  in  Massachusetts  at  Province- 
town  and  Chatham,  JACK  CURLEW.  On  Long  Island  at  Shinne- 
cock  Bay,  Bellport,  and  Seaford,  JACK,  and  Mr.  William  Butcher, 
in  Forest  and  Stream,  August  5, 1886,  speaks  of  its  being  called 
"almost  universally  on  Long  Island,  Jack."  Not  Jack- curlew 
be  it  understood,  the  only  surname  ever  added  in  that  locality 
being  "snipe;"  all  the  waders  are  "snipe"  or  "bay-snipe"  there. 
In  New  Jersey  at  Barnegat,  SMALL  CURLEW;*  at  Tuckerton 
and  Cape  May  City,  SHORT-BILLED  CURLEW;  at  Pleasant ville 
(Atlantic  Co.),  and  Cape  May  C.  II.,  MARLIN  (see  No.  60) ;  again, 
at  Pleasant  ville  and  at  Somers  Point,  CROOKED-BILLED  MARLIN; 
in  last-named  locality,  HOOK-BILLED  MARLIN;  and  at  Atlantic 
City,  HORSE-FOOT  MARLIN,  because  of  its  fondness  for  the  spawn 
of  that  big  crustacean  known  as  "horse -foot,"  "horseshoe," 
"king-crab,"  etc.,  but,  as  elsewhere  remarked,  this  food  is  re- 
garded as  very  desirable  by  most  of  our  shore  birds.  While  the 
Atlantic  City  gunners  claim  that  No.  58  is  the  species  to  which 
the  latter  name  has  been  always  applied  in  their  region,  the 

*  This  is  the  most  common  curlew  along  the  coast  of  New  Jersey,  and  the 
most  common  (I  speak  from  my  own  experience)  along  the  coasts  of  Dela- 
ware, Maryland,  Virginia,  and  North  Carolina,  and  gunners  in  that  part  of  the 
country  know  very  little  about  the  Eskimo,  No.  59,  to  which  species  the  name 
Small  Curlew  more  appropriately  belongs. 


No.  58.]  BIRD  NAMES.  201 

"  Horse-foot  Marlin  "  of  the  Somers  Point  gunners  (same  county) 
is  the  Marbled  Godwit,  No.  60. 

At  Eastville,  Va.,  STRIPED -HEAD,  in  which  vicinity  the  spe- 
cies is  exceedingly  numerous  during  its  vernal  migration;  ar- 
riving from  the  South  at  the  beginning  of  May,  and  congre- 
gating in  enormous  flocks  in  and  about  the  broad  marshes.  I 
originally  intended  to  print  the  number  locally  reported  as 
killed  on  New.  Marsh,  between  Cobb's  Island  and  the  mainland, 
by  one  discharge  of  a  gun  held  by  Nathan  Cobb  (familiarly 
known  as  "  Big  Nathan  "),  but  my  best  friends  strongly  advise 
me  not  to  do  so.  While  on  my  way  through  these  marshes  in 
the  spring  of  1885 — frightening  into  the  air  clouds  of  these  big 
birds,  more  in  a  minute  than  I  had  seen  before  in  my  whole  life — 
it  impressed  me  oddly  to  hear  my  old  boatman  complaining  over 
a  yearly  decrease.  I  forced  him  to  confess,  however,  at  one  point 
where  the  birds  were  particularly  crowded,  that  "  a  right-smart 
of  curlews"  was  still  left. 

For  the  name  u  Doe-bird  "  with  which  this  species  has  been 
credited,  see  note  (t)  under  No.  59. 


No.  59. 
Numenins  borealis. 

This  bird  may  be  briefly  described  by  comparing  it  with  the 
other  curlews.  General  markings  and  coloration  very  similar 
to  No.  57 ;  prevailing  tone  of  plumage  warmer  or  more  reddish 
than  that  of  No.  58,  and  bill  much  slenderer,  as  well  as  shorter ; 


No.  59. 

differing  also  from  No.  58  in  having  no  white  stripe  on  top  of 
the  head.  Bill  blackish,  flesh-colored  beneath  about  base.  Legs 
grayish  blue. 

Measurements  about  as  follows :   length  fourteen  inches ; 
extent  twenty-eight  inches;  bill  two  and  a  quarter  inches. 


No.  59.]  BIRD  NAMES.  203 

Range,  as  given  in  A.  O.  U.  Check  List :  "  Eastern  Province 
of  North  America,  breeding  in  the  Arctic  regions,  and  migrating 
south  to  the  southern  extremity  of  South  America." 

A  better  bird  for  the  table  than  either  of  the  other  curlews ; 
much  more  of  an  upland  species ;  very  fond  of  berries  and  grass- 
hoppers, and  frequently  found  in  the  company  of  Golden  Plover 
(migrating  from  the  North  at  about  the  same  time).  Its  visits 
to  us  are  more  irregular  and  less  protracted  than  those  of  No. 
58,  with  which  it  has  been  sometimes  confounded. 

ESQUIMAUX  CURLEW  (now  written  Eskimo  Curlew.  See 
No.  58) :  LITTLE  CURLEW,  and  SMALL  CURLEW  (again  see  No. 
58);  and  Nuttall  (1834),  having  applied  the  name  Esquimaux 
Curlew  to  No.  58,  called  this  the  SMALL  ESQUIMAUX  CURLEW. 

At  Pine  Point,  Me.,  in  Massachusetts  at  Ipswich,  Salem, 
North  Scituate,  Provincetown,  North  Truro,  North  Plymouth, 
West  Barnstable,  Chatham,*  and  Nantucket,  and  at  Moriches, 
L.  I.,  DOE-BIRD  f  (written  also  Dough-bird).  At  Stratford,  Conn., 

*  This  species  appears  on  the  more  eastern  uplands  of  Cape  Cod  the  last 
of  August  or  during  the  early  days  of  September,  and  if  severe  easterly 
storms  prevail,  it  arrives  in  very  large  numbers.  The  Hudsonian,  No.  58,  is 
far  less  numerous  here,  and  the  Long-billed,  No.  57,  may  now  be  called  rare. 
No.  59  is  a  great  favorite  with  Boston  epicures,  and  the  gunners  get  from 
seventy-five  cents  to  a  dollar  apiece  for  them ;  as  a  table  dainty  I  consider 
them  superior  to  all  other  birds,  but  they  should  hang  with  the  feathers  on,  in 
a  shady,  breezy  place,  for  four  or  five  days  before  being  cooked. 

t  Other  species  have  been  credited  with  this  name,  but  I  do  not  remem- 
l>er  ever  hearing  it  in  actual  use  for  any  bird  but  the  Eskimo,  to  which  it 
now,  at  least,  most  certainly  belongs.  Nuttall,  who  was,  of  course,  thinking 
more  of  the  birds  themselves  than  of  their  common  names,  and  who  did  not 
perhaps  fully  realize  the  importance  of  such  names  as  bearing  upon  the  science 
itself,  tells  us  that  the  three  species  Nos.  58,  59,  and  60  were  included  "  un- 
der the  general  name  of  Doe-birds."  It  is  hard  to  believe  that  the  gunners 
ever  mixed  up  these  birds  so  indiscriminately.  It  is  possible,  of  course,  that 
some  used  the  name  as  we  use  "  bay-bird,"  "  sea-coot,"  etc.,  but  I  am  inclined 
to  think  that  "  Doe-bird  "  was  used  then  by  intelligent  gunners,  as  it  is  now, 
for  No.  59  only.  Later  writers— more  or  less  influenced  perhaps  by  Nuttall's 
testimony— must  also  be  referred  to  in  this  connection.  De  Kay,  in  Zoology 
of  New  York,  credits  Nos.  59  and  60  with  this  name.  Samuels,  in  Ornithology 


204  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  59; 

and  on  Long  Island  at  Shinnecock  Bay  and  Seaford  (Hemp- 
stead),  FUTE. 

In  Water  Birds  of  North  America  we  read  of  its  being  known 
to  "  Southern  sportsmen  "  as  Jack  Curlew  and  Short-billed  Cur- 
lew, and  that  "  it  is  said  to  reach  the  Middle  States  from  the 
South  early  in  the  spring,  remaining  only  a  short  time,  feeding 
in  the  salt-marshes  and  on  the  mud-flats ;"  and  again,  that  the 
Hudsonian  Curlew  is  "  generally  known  to  sportsmen  "  by  these 
two  names.  Both  these  items  were  designed,  perhaps,  for  a  place 
under  the  head  of  the  last-named  species  (No.  58),  to  which  the 
names  belong  and  the  description  applies. 

of  New  England  gives  it  as  an  alias  of  No.  60,  mentions  it  under  the  head  of 
No.  59  only  in  a  quotation  which  he  makes  from  Nuttall,  and  speaks  of  No. 
61  as  "  called  by  the  gunners  the  Smaller  Doe-bird." 


No.  GO. 
Limosa  fedoa. 

Prevailing  tone  pale  reddish  cinnamon ;  closely  variegated 
above  with  dusky  brown ;  dusky  markings  sometimes  about  the 
breast  and  sides;  the  lighter  tints  of  the  plumage  having  an 


No.  60. 


occasional  pinkish  cast.  Bill  (curved  slightly  upward  as  in  pict- 
ure) flesh  colored  from  the  base  more  than  half-way  to  tip,  the 
remainder  blackish  brown.  Legs  dark  slate  color. 

Size  varying  according  to  different  authors,  about  as  follows : 


206  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  60. 

length  from  sixteen  to  twenty-two  inches ;  extent  thirty  to  forty 
inches ;  bill  three  and  a  half  to  five  and  a  half  inches ;  and  Wil- 
son describes  the  bill  as  "  nearly  six  inches  in  length."  I  have 
measured  only  one  freshly  killed  specimen ;  its  measurements 
were:  length  twenty-one  and  a  quarter  inches;  extent  thirty- 
one  inches ;  bill  three  and  three  quarter  inches. 

Kange,  as  given  in  A.  O.  U.  Check  List :  "  North  America, 
breeding  in  the  interior  (Missouri  region  and  northward),  migrat- 
ing in  winter  southward  to  Central  America  and  Cuba." 

MAEBLED  GODWIT:  GREAT  MARBLED  GODWIT:  GREAT 
GODWIT:  AMERICAN  GODWIT:  GREATER  AMERICAN  GODWIT.* 
Wilson  (1813)  speaks  of  its  being  sometimes  called  RED  CURLEW 
by  "our  gunners;"  and  Maynard,  in  Birds  of  Eastern  Massa- 
chusetts, 1870,  records  BADGER -BIRD  and  BRANT -BIRD  (see 
Nos.  53,  54,  61). 

I  have  but  one  note  of  hearing  this  species  named  between 
New  Brunswick  and  Khode  Island,  where  it  is  too  little  known 
to  bear  any  very  well-established  names.  An  old  gunner  at 
Salem,  Mass.,  to  whom  I  showed  a  stuffed  specimen,  said,  "  We 
call  that  a  curlew  here." 

At  Newport,  E.  L,  COMMON  MARLIN ;  at  Shinnecock  Bay, 
L.  L,  RED  MARLIN  (and  referred  to  by  this  latter  name  in  an 
article  about  shooting  near  Barnegat  Light,  N.  J.,  the  communica- 
tion being  headed  Snipe  at  Forked  Kiver — Forest  and  Stream, 
October  3,  18T8).  On  Long  Island  at  Moriches,  Bellport,  and 
Seaford,  in  New  Jersey  at  Manasquan,  Barnegat,  Tuckerton, 


*  The  name  godwit  is  probably  from  the  Anglo-Saxon  god,  good,  and  wiht 
or  wihta,  creature,  animal,  wight.  A  good  bird  to  eat,  in  other  words.  We 
read  in  Dr.  Thomas  Moufet's  Health's  Improvement, "  corrected  and  enlarged  " 
by  Chr.  Bennet,  1655  :  "A  fat  godwit  is  so  fine  and  light  meat,  that  noblemen, 
yea,  and  merchants  too,  by  your  leave,  stick  not  to  buy  them  at  four  nobles  a 
dozen."  In  Hearne's  Journey  to  the  Northern  Ocean,  1795,  the  name  is  printed 
"  godwait;"  and  Dr.  Merriam  refers  as  follows  (1877)  to  the  spelling  in  Rev. 
J.  H.  Linsley's  Catalogue  of  Connecticut  Birds,  1843:  "  The  good  old  preacher 
in  speaking  of  these  birds  could  not  take  his  Lord's  name  in  vain  on  so  slight 
a  provocation,  hence  he  called  them  '  goodwits.'1 " 


No.  60.]  BIRD  NAMES.  207 

and  Cape  May  City,  and  at  Eastville,  Va.,  MARLIN  (see  No.  58) ; 
and  Mr.  William  Dutcher  mentions  it  as  "  BROWN  MARLIN  of 
the  Long  Island  gunners,"  Auk,  October,  1886.  The  name  Mar- 
lin  comes  from  a  resemblance  in  the  bird's  bill  to  the  old-fash- 
ioned marline-spike,  which  was  more  or  less  curved  in  shape. 

In  New  Jersey  at  Pleasantville  (Atlantic  Co.),  Townsend  In- 
let, Cape  May  C.  II.,  and  Cape  May  City,  SPIKE-BILL,  and  less 
frequently,  SPIKE-BILLED  CURLEW.  At  Atlantic  City,  N.  J., 
Eastville,  Va.,  to  some  at  Morehead,*  N.  C.,  and  in  the  vicinity 
of  Charleston,  S.  C.,  STRAIGHT-BILLED  CURLEW;  but  more  com- 
monly termed  in  the  last  two  localities,  CURLEW  simply  (the  true 
curlews,  genus  Numenius,  being  generally  referred  to  as  the 
"crooked -billed  curlews").  Latham  (1785)  tells  of  its  being 
known  as  "  curlew  "  at  Hudson's  Bay,  and  I  have  before  spoken 
of  hearing  it  so  termed  at  Salem,  Mass. 

At  Somers  Point,  N.  J.,  HORSE-FOOT  MARLIN  (see  No.  58). 

For  the  name  Doe-bird,  with  which  the  species  has  been  cred- 
ited, see  note  (f)  under  No.  59. 

*  I  killed  near  Morchead,  December  20th,  one  of  the  specimens  from  which 
my  description  was  taken.  The  species  is  quite  common  there,  though  not  often 
seen  so  late  in  the  year. 


No.  61. 
Limosa  hsemastica. 

Summer  plumage.  Back  and  wings  grayish  and  blackish 
brown  with  rather  angular  pale  tan  markings ;  tail-feathers 
black  (or  brownish  black)  with  ends  narrowly  tipped  with 
white  ;  lower  back  nearly  plain  dark  brown  separated  from  the 


No.  61.    Summer  Plumage. 

black  of  the  tail  by  a  broad  white  patch  ("  Spot-rump  ") ;  head 
and  neck  streakily  marked  with  pale  gray  and  blackish ;  the 
longer  wing-feathers  (primaries)  deep  brown  with  white  shafts 
and  touches  of  white  about  their  bases.  Under  parts  reddish 


No.  61.]  BIRD  NAMES.  209 

brown  or  chestnut  barred  with  narrow  dusky  and  whitish  lines, 
the  markings  much  broader  and  more  conspicuous  behind  or  in 
the  neighborhood  of  tail ;  the  reddish  or  chestnut  tint  continuing, 
up  faintly  to  a  whitish  throat;  the  lining  of  the  wings  chiefly 
sooty  brown.  Bill  flesh  color,  becoming  brownish  black  at  the 
end.  Legs  and  feet  slate  color. 

1 1 "///  /.  /  j>l  mnnye.  Above  light  warm  gray,  nearly  plain,  with 
win«rs  and  tail  about  as  in  summer ;  the  white  rump  still  conspicu- 
ous. Under  parts  warm  grayish  white  without  noticeable  mark- 
ings, and  becoming  purer  white  behind.  Bill  and  legs  as  in 
summer. 

Immature  birds  and  adults  passing  from  one  plumage  to  an- 
other, of  course  show  intermediate  tints  and  markings. 

Length  fourteen  and  a  half  to  seventeen  inches ;  extent 
twenty -six  to  twenty -nine  inches;  bill  (curving  slightly  up- 
ward as  in  picture)  two  and  three  quarters  to  three  and  a  half 
inches. 

Kange,  as  given  in  A.  O.  U.  Check  List,  1886 :  Eastern  North 
America,  and  the  whole  of  Middle  and  South  America.  Breeds 
only  in  the  high  North. 

HUDSONIAN  GODWIT:  AMERICAN  BLACK-TAILED  GODWIT: 
RED -BREASTED  GODWIT:  ROSE  -  BREASTED  GODWIT:  BAY- 
BREASTED  GODWIT. 

I  have  failed  to  fall  in  with  this  bird  on  the  coast  of  Maine, 
and  none  of  the  many  gunners  conversed  with  there  are  at  all 
familiar  with  it. 

In  Mr.  Everett  Smith's  Birds  of  Maine,*  BRANT-BIRD  (see 
Nos.  53,  54,  60).  In  Massachusetts  at  Rowley,  Salem,  Boston 
markets,  Provincetown,  West  Barnstable,  and  New  Bedford, 
GOOSE-BIRD;  at  Ipswich  and  Salem,  BLACK-TAIL;  at  North 
Scituate,  Provincetown,  and  Chatham,  SPOT-RUMP;  at  West 
Barnstable,  WHITE -RUMP.  I  know  of  no  other  part  of  the 
United  States  where  this  species  can  be  more  surely  found  dur- 
ing its  migrations  than  upon  certain  portions  of  the  Massachu- 

*  Published  in  Forest  and  Stream,  1382-83. 
14 


210  BIRD  NAMES.  [No.  61. 

setts  coast.  Though  in  no  part  of  the  country  is  it  a  common 
species,  so  far  as  I  can  ascertain. 

At  Newport,  R.  I.,  at  all  places  visited  on  Long  Island,  in 
New  Jersey  at  Manasquan,  Barnegat,  Atlantic  City,  and  Somers 
Point,  and  on  Cobb's  Island,  Ya.,  RING-TAILED  MARLIN.  Again, 
in  New  Jersey  at  Pleasantville  (Atlantic  Co.),  CAROLINA  WILLET ; 
at  Somers  Point,  FIELD  MARLIN. 

(For  the  name  "  Smaller  Doe-bird,"  with  which  this  species 
has  been  credited,  see  note  (f)  under  No.  59.) 


INDEX. 


Assemblyman,  99. 

Beetle-head,  1-01. 

« 

ACORN  duck,  34. 

Aythya  affinis,  57. 
americana,  49. 

Bell-tongue  coot,  99. 
Big  curlew,  198. 

Aix  sponsa.  82. 

collaris,  59. 

gray  goose,  1. 

Alt-wife  bird.  157. 

marila  nearctica,  53. 

fail,  127. 

Alwargrim  plover,  195. 

vallisnera,  45. 

sea-duck,  94. 

American  black  scoter.  106. 

snipe,  151. 

black  -tailed    godwit, 

B. 

yellow-leg,  168. 

209. 
colin,  148. 

BADOER-bird,  206. 
Bald  brant,  9. 

yellow-legged  plover, 
168. 

coot.  117. 

coot,  119. 

Big-headed  snipe,  152. 

dunlin.  181. 

Bald-crown.  21. 

Bill-willie,  164. 

eider,  94. 

Bald-face,  20. 

Birch  partridge,  146. 

gallinule,  121. 
godwit,  206. 

Bald-faced  widgeon,  21. 
Bald-head,  20. 

Bishop  plover,  186. 
Black  and  white  coot,  94. 

golden-eye,  77. 

Bald-headed  brant,  9, 

Black-bellied  killdeer,  190. 

golden  plover,  195. 
green  -winged  teal,  27. 

Bald  pate,  20,  103. 
Bardrake,  69. 

plover,  190. 
sandpiper,  181. 

merganser,  64. 

Barnacle,  6. 

Black  brant,  6. 

partridge,  148. 
pochard.  50. 

goose,  6. 
norway,  6. 

Black-breast,  182,191,  195. 
little,  182. 

quail,  148. 

wexford,  6. 

plover,  192. 

rail,  131. 

Barren  hen,  136. 

Black-breasted  sandpiper, 

red-backed  sandpiper, 
181. 

Barrow's  golden-eye,  78. 
Bartramia  longicauda,171. 

181. 
Black  butter-bill,  107. 

scaup  duck,  53 

Bartramian  sandpiper,  172. 

coot,  107. 

scoter,  106. 

tattler,  172. 

diver,  106. 

sheldrake,  64. 

Bartram's  highland  snipe, 

duck,  17,  99,  103. 

snipe.  156. 

172. 

english  duck,  17. 

teal.  2a 

sandpiper,  172. 

flusterers,  119. 

white  -  fronted  goose, 

tattler,  172. 

gallinule,  123. 

11. 

Bastard  broad-bill,  61. 

grouse,  141. 

widgeon,  20.  55. 

Batter-scoot,  110. 

Black-head,  55. 

woodcock,  151. 

Bay  Iiirds,  191. 

bay,  55. 

Anas  americana,  18. 

Bay  black-head,  55. 

creek.  58. 

boschas,  13. 
carolinensis,  26. 
dNrors,  29. 

Bay-breasted  godwit,  209. 
Bay  broad-bill,  55. 
coot,  104. 

ring-billed,  61. 
ring-necked,  60. 
Black-headed  goose,  3. 

obscura,  17. 

goose,  1. 

raft-duck,  55. 

strepera,  22. 

shuffler,  55. 

Black-heart,  181. 

Anser  albifrons  garabeli, 

snipe,  191,  200. 

plover,  181. 

10. 

Beach-bird,  186. 

Black  mallard,  17. 

hutchinsii,  4. 

Beach  robin,  179. 

scoter,  106. 

Arpnaria  iiitrrpres,  184. 

Bcc  scie,  75. 

sea-duck,  104. 

melanocephala,  185. 

sea,  69. 

white-wing,  98. 

Ash-colored  sandpiper,  1  78. 

Beetle,  191. 

Black-jack,  61. 

212 


INDEX. 


Black-neck,  55. 

Brant,  pied,  11. 

Bustard,  1. 

Black-tail,  209. 

prairie,  12. 

Butler  duck,  43. 

Bladder-scoot,  110. 

sea,  99. 

Butter  back,  83. 

Blaten  duck,  24. 

speckled,  12. 

Butter  ball,  83,  110. 

Blather-scoot,  110. 

white,  9. 

spoon-billed,  110. 

Blatherskite,  110. 

Brant-bird,  182,  186,  206, 

Butter-bill,  107. 

Blind  snipe,  152. 

209. 

Butterboat-bill,  104. 

Blossom-bill,  104. 

Brant-snipe,  182,  186. 

Butterboat-billed  t;oot,  104 

Blossom-head,  104. 

Branta  bernicla,  5. 

Butter-bowl,  110. 

Blue-bill,  54,  110. 

canadeusis,  1. 

Butter-box,  83. 

lake,  54. 

canadensis  hutchinsii, 

Butter-duck,  83,  110. 

little,  57. 

3. 

Butter-nose,  107. 

marsh,  57,  60. 

Brass-back,  195. 

Buzzard  curlew,  198. 

mud,  57. 

Brass  eye,  78. 

river,  57. 

Brass-eyed  whistler,  78. 

C. 

Blue-billed  widgeon,  54. 

Breakhorn,  65. 

CA  CCA  WEE,  89. 

Blue  goose,  9. 

Brent,  6. 

Calaw,  89. 

marsh-  hen,  117. 

goose,  6. 

Calico-back,  186. 

plover,  179. 

Bristle-tail,  112. 

Calico-bird,  186. 

snow  goose,  9. 

Broad-bill,  43,  55,  110. 

Calico-jacket,  186. 

wavey,  9. 

bastard,  61. 

California  peep,  182. 

Blue-peter,  118. 

bay,  55. 

widgeon,  20. 

Blue-peters,  119. 

coot,  107. 

Caloo,  89. 

Blue-wing,  30. 

creek,  58. 

Can,  48. 

Blue-winged  goose,  9. 

deep-water,  55. 

Canada  brant,  2. 

shoveller,  42. 

dipper,  110. 

goose,  1,  3,  4. 

teal,  30. 

fresh-water,  58. 

grouse,  141. 

Bobolink,  132. 

goshen,  58. 

Canvas,  100. 

Bob-white,  148. 

hard-headed,  110. 

Canvas-back,  47. 

cuban,  149. 

mud,  58. 

Washington,  51. 

tiorida,  149. 

pond,  58. 

Carolina  crake,  131. 

texan,  149. 

red-headed,  51. 

crake  gallinule,  131. 

Bog  bird,  152. 

river,  57. 

rail,  131. 

snipe,  156. 

salt-water,  55. 

willet,  210. 

Bog-sucker,  152. 
Bouasa  umbellus,  143. 

sleepy,  110. 
winter,  55. 

Cedar  partridge,  141. 
Channel  duck,  99. 

umbellus  sabini,  145. 

Broady,  43. 

Charadriusdominicus,193. 

umbellus  logata,  145. 

Brown-back,  160,  175. 

squatarola,  188. 

umbellus  umbelloides, 

Brown  coot,  104,  107. 

Charitonetta  albeola,  80. 

145. 

diving  teal,  112. 

Checkered-snipe,  186. 

Booby,  96,  111,  113. 

marlin,  207. 

Chen  caerulescens,  8,  9. 

Bottle-head,  191. 

snipe,  160. 

hyperborea,  8. 

Box  coot,  104. 

Brownie,  175. 

hyperborea  nivalis,  8. 

Bracket.  65. 

Buffalo-headed  duck,  81. 

Chickacock,  24. 

sheldrake,  65. 

Buff  -breast,  179. 

Chicken,  186. 

Brand  goose,  6. 

Buff  -breasted  merganser, 

Chicken-bill,  132. 

Brant,  6,  12. 

64. 

Chicken-billed  rail,  132. 

bald,  9. 

sheldrake,  64. 

Chicken-bird,  186. 

bald-headed,  9. 

Buffel's  head  duck,  81. 

Chicken-plover,  186. 

black,  6. 

Buffle  duck,  81. 

Chickling,  186. 

Canada,  2. 

Bufflc-head,  81. 

Chuckatuck,  187. 

coot,  99. 

Bull  coot,  99. 

Chuckle-head,  191. 

fish,  9. 

Bull-head,  79,  191,  195. 

Cinereous  coot,  117. 

goose,  4,  6. 

plover,  191. 

Clangula  hyemalis,  84. 

gray,  12. 

Bull-neck,  48,56,  111. 

Clapper-rail,  127. 

harlequin,  11. 

red-  headed,  48. 

lesser,  129. 

hutchins's,  3. 

Bumble-bee  coot,  110. 

Clatter-goose,  6. 

may,  6. 

Bunty,  61. 

Coal  and  candle-light,  89. 

IXDEX. 


213 


Cob-head.  79. 
Cock,  152. 
Cockawee.  89, 
Cock-  robin.  74. 
duck.  74. 

Coot,  pied-winged,  99. 
pumpkin-blossom,107 
quill-tail,  112. 
sleepy,  111. 
smuttv,  107. 

Curlew,  spike-billed,  207. 
stone,  165. 
straight-billed,  207. 
Curlews,    crooked  -  billed, 
207. 

Col-candle-wick,  89. 

speckled-bill,  103. 

Curre,  79. 

Coldie,  89. 
Colin.  148. 

spectacle,  103. 
summer,  123. 

Cuthbert  duck,  94. 

american,  148. 

uncle-sam,  99. 

D. 

Virginian,  148. 
Colinus  virginianus,  147. 
virginianus  floridanus 

whistling,  107. 
white-winged,  98. 
widgeon,  111. 

DAB  chick.  82. 
Dafila  acuta,  35. 
Dapper,  82,  110. 

149. 

Coots,  96. 

Darcall,  89. 

Columbian     sharp  -  tailet 

sea,  96. 

Daub-duck,  111. 

grouse,  139. 

Copper-bill,  107. 

Deaf  duck,  111. 

Common    american    pur 
tridge,  148. 
blue-  winged  teal,  31. 
brant,  6. 

Copper-  nose.  107. 
Corn-field  plover,  173. 
Cow-snipe,  176. 
Co  ween,  88. 

Deep  -  water     broad  -  bill, 
55. 
Dendragapus   canadensis, 
140. 

coot,  117. 

Cow-frog,  43. 

Devil-diver,  82. 

eider,  94. 

Cracker,  39. 

Dickey,  113. 

gallimilr.  121. 

Crake,  Carolina,  131. 

Die-dapper,  82. 

golden-eye,  77. 

Cravat  goose,  2. 

Die-dipper,  82. 

irniv  gOOee,  1. 

Creddock,  186. 

Dinkey,  118. 

marlin,  206. 

Creek  black-head,  58. 

Dip-chick,  82. 

plover,  195. 

broad-bill,  58. 

Dipper,  81,  82,  110. 

mil.  131. 

coot,  110. 

broad-bill,  110. 

sharp  -  tailed    grouse 

duck,  24. 

mud,  110. 

m. 

red  -head.  61. 

robin,  82. 

snipe,  152.  156. 

Crested  wood  duck,  84. 

scotch,  83. 

turnstone,  185. 

Crocker.  6. 

Dip-tail  diver,  112. 

wavev.  9. 

Crooked  -  billed    curlews 

Diver,  88. 

wild  duck.  15. 

207. 

black,  106 

wild  goose.  1. 

marlin.  200. 

devil,  82. 

yellow  legs.  169. 

snipe,  182. 

dip-tail,  112. 

Conjuring-duck,  78,  81. 

Crow-bill,  118. 

dun,  64,  112. 

Coot,   110,  117,  118,  123, 

Crow-duck.  118. 

gray,  70. 

m, 

Cub-head.  79. 

hell  82 

american,  117. 

Cu-cu,  168. 

hen-bill'.  82. 

bald,  119. 

large,  168. 

king,  79. 

bay.  104. 

Cur,  79. 

ruddy,  112. 

bell-tongue,  99. 

Curlew,  198,  206,  207. 

saw-bill,  73. 

black.  1117. 

big,  198. 

Dob-chick,  82. 

black  and  white,  94. 

buzzard,  198. 

Doe-bird.  203. 

box,  104. 

t->kiiuo,  203. 

smaller,  210. 

brant,  99. 

esquimaux,  200,  203. 

Doewitch,  161. 

broad-billed,  107. 

hen,  198. 

Dop-chick,  82. 

brown,  104,  107. 

hudsonian,  200. 

Copper,  82,  110. 

bull,  99. 

jack,  200.  204. 

dotterel,  sea,  185. 

humble-bee,  110. 

long-billed.  198. 

Dough-bird,  203. 

butter-boat-billed,  104. 

old-hen.  198. 

Dowitch,  160.  176. 

cinereous,  117. 

pied-  winged,  164. 

)owitchee,  161. 

common.  117. 

red,  206. 

Dowitcher,  160. 

creek,  110. 

short-billed.  200,  204. 

long-billed.  162. 

grav,  104,  107. 

sickle-bill.  198. 

western,  162. 

hollow-billed.104,107. 

small.  200.203. 

white-tail,  162. 

horse-  head,  103. 

small  esquimaux,  203. 

Driver,  160. 

patch-polled,  103. 

Spanish,  198. 

)rumming  grouse,  145. 

214 


INDEX. 


Drumming  partridge,  145. 

Duck,  pied  gray,  38. 

Esquimaux    curlew,   200, 

Duck,  15. 

raft,  55. 

203. 

acorn,  34. 

red-headed,  50. 

whimbrel,  200. 

american  scaup,  53. 

ring-necked,  60. 

big  sea,  94. 

rock,  91. 

. 

black,  17,  99,  103. 

round-crested,  73. 

PALL  duck,  51. 

black  english,  17. 

ruddy,  110. 

snipe,  182. 

blaten,  24. 

saint  cuthbert's,  94. 

Fan-crested  duck,  73. 

buffalo  headed,  81. 

scale,  69. 

Fat-bird,  176. 

buffel's  head,  81. 

scotch,  83. 

Field-bird,  195. 

buffle,  81. 

scoter,  106. 

Field  marlin,  210. 

butler,  43. 

sea,  55,  94. 

plover,  172. 

butter,  83,  110. 

sharp  tailed,  89. 

Fish  brant,  9. 

channel,  99. 

shoal,  94. 

duck,  65,  69,  73. 

cock-robin,  74. 

sleepy,  111. 

Fisherman,  65,  69. 

common  wild,  15. 

sleigh-bell,  107. 

Fishing-duck,  65,  69. 

conjuring,  78,  81. 

smoking,  21. 

Fizzy,  107. 

creek,  24. 

spectacle,  103. 

Flight  goose,  3,  4. 

crested  wood,  34. 

spirit,  78,  81. 

Flock-duck,  55,  58. 

crow,  118. 

squarn,  94. 

Flocking-fowl,  58. 

cuthbert,  94. 

stock,  16. 

Florida  gallinule,  121,  123. 

daub,  111. 

summer,  34. 

Flusterers,  118,  119. 

deaf,  111. 

surf,  103. 

Fool-duck,  111. 

dumpling,  113. 

swallow-tailed,  87. 

Freckled  sandpiper,  178. 

duuter,  94. 

tree,  34,  75. 

French  duck,  15. 

dusky,  14,  17. 

tufted,  60. 

Fresh-marsh  hen,  125. 

dusky  and  spotted,  91. 

velvet,  98,  99. 

Fresh-water  broad-bill,  58. 

english,  15. 

wheat,  21. 

hen,  125. 

fall,  51. 

whistle,  78. 

marsh-hen,  125,  129. 

fan-crested,  73. 

whistling,  107. 

mud-hen,  129. 

fish,  65,  69. 

white-faced,  30. 

sheldrake,  64. 

fishing,  65,  69. 
flock,  55,  58. 

white-winged  surf,  98. 
wild,  15. 

Frost-bird,  196. 
Fulica  americana,  115. 

fool,  111. 

winter.  39,  89. 

Fute,  204. 

french,  15. 

wood,  34,  75. 

german,  24. 

Duck-snipe,  165. 

G. 

gray,  15,  24,  37. 

Duckinmallard,  16. 

GADWALL,  24. 

great  black,  103. 

Dumpling-duck,  113. 

Gallinago  delicata,  155. 

greater  scaup,  53. 

Dun-bird,  112. 

Gallinula  galeata,  120. 

harle,  69. 

Dun-diver,  64,  112. 

Gallinule,  123. 

harlequin,  91. 

Dunlin,  181. 

american,  121. 

heavy-tailed,  112. 

americau,  181. 

black,  123. 

herald,  69. 

Dunter,  94. 

Carolina  crake,  131. 

isles  of  shoals,  94. 

duck,  94. 

common,  121. 

lesser  scaup,  57. 

goose,  94. 

florida,  121,  123. 

little  black  and  white, 

Dusky-duck,  14,  17. 

purple,  123. 

81. 

mallard,  17. 

scarlet-fronted,  121. 

little  brown.  81. 

soree,  131. 

long-tailed,  87. 

E. 

Gaunet,  186. 

maiden,  44. 

Earl  duck,  69. 

Gar-bill,  69. 

mire,  16. 

Eastern  white-wing,  99. 

Garrot,  78. 

moss,  16. 

Eider,  american,  94. 

German  duck,  24. 

mountain,  91. 

common,  94. 

snipe,  161. 

muir,  16. 
mussel,  55. 

English  duck,  15. 
rail,  132. 

Glaucionetta     clangula 
americana,  76. 

noisy,  87. 

snipe,  156. 

Godwait,  206. 

painted,  91. 

Erismatura  rubida,  108. 

Godwit,  206, 

pheasant,  -61,  38,  74. 

Eskimo  goose,  3. 

american,  206. 

1XDEX. 


215 


Godwit,  amcrican  black 
tailed,  209. 

Goose,  rat,  6. 
red,  9. 

Grisled  sandpiper,  178. 
Grouse,  136,  139. 

bay-breasted,  209. 

reef,  1. 

black,  141. 

great,  206. 

road,  6. 

brown  ruffed,  145. 

greater  american.  206. 

rood,  6. 

Canada,  141. 

great  marbled.  206. 

rott,  6. 

Columbian  sharp-tail- 

hudsonian, 209. 

small  gray,  3. 

ed,  139. 

marbled,  206. 
new  york,  160. 

snow,  9. 
southern,  4. 

common  sharp-tailed, 
139. 

red-  breasted,  209. 
rose-breasted,  209. 

texas,  9. 
white-fronted,  11. 

drumming,  145. 
long-tailed,  139. 

U-lltalc,  167. 
vellow-legged,  169. 

white-headed,  9. 
widgeon,  111. 

northern  sharp-tailed, 
139. 

Goggle-nose,  103. 

winter,  3,  4. 

pale  pinnated,  135. 

Golden-back.  195. 

yellow-legged,  13. 

pinnated,  135. 

Golden-eye,  79. 

Goose-bird,  209. 

pin-tailed,  138. 

american,  77. 

Goshen  broad-bill,  58. 

prairie    sharp  -  tailed, 

barrow's,  78. 

Grannv,  88. 

139. 

common,  77. 

Grass-bird,  175. 

ruffed,  145. 

Golden  eyes,  61. 

Grass  plover,  173. 

sharp-tailed,  138. 

Golden  plover,  195. 

snipe,  175. 

shoulder-knot,  145. 

Goodwits,  206. 

Gray  brant,  12. 

spotted,  141. 

Google-  nose,  103. 

coot,  104,  107. 

spruce,  141. 

Goosander,  68. 
rod  breasted,  68. 

diver,  70. 
duck,  15,  24,  37. 

southern  sharp-tailed, 
139. 

Goose,   american    white- 

lapwing,  190. 

southern  spike-tailed, 

fronted,   11. 

mallard,  16. 

139. 

baruacle,  6. 

plover,  173,  191. 

timber,  141. 

bay.  1. 

sandpiper,  190. 

tippet,  145. 

bifcKeaded,  2. 
blue,  9. 
blue  snow,  9. 

snipe,  160. 
white  wing.  98. 
widgeon,  24,  38. 
Gray  -back,   51,   55,   161, 

white,  139. 
wood,  141. 
Guttersnipe,  157. 

blue-winged,  9. 

178. 

H. 

brand,  6. 

greater,  162. 

HxiRY-crown,  69. 

brant,  4,  6. 

Greaser,  112. 

Hairy-head,  74. 

brent.  6. 

Great  black  duck,  103. 

Hard-head,  111. 

Canada,  1,  3,  4. 

godwit,  206. 

Hard  -  headed  broad  -  bill, 

clatter,  6. 

lake  sheldrake,  64. 

110. 

common  gray,  1. 

marbled  godwit,  206. 

Hard-tack.  113. 

common  wild,  1. 

may  white-wine,  98. 

Hareld,  long-tailed,  87. 

cravate,  2. 

red-breasted  rail.  125. 

northern,  »9. 

dunter,  94. 

Greater  american  godwit, 

Harlan,  39. 

eskimo,  3. 

206. 

land,  69. 

flight,  3,  4. 

gray-back,  16:?. 

Harle,  69. 

horie,  6. 

long-beak,  162. 

duck,  69. 

horra,  6. 

scaup  duck,  53. 

Harlequin  brant,  11. 

hutchius's,  3. 

snow  goose,  8. 

duck,  91. 

hutchins's  barnacle,  3. 

telltale,  167. 

Hawk's  eye.  195. 

Imtchins's  Canada,  3. 

yellow-legs,  167. 

Hay-bird,  176. 

laughing,  11. 
lesser  Canada,  3. 

yellow-shanks,  167. 
Great-head,  79. 

Heart-bird,  186. 
Heath-cock,  136. 

little  wild,  3. 

Green-back,  195. 

blackknd  spotted,  142. 

marsh,  4. 

Green-head,  15.  55,  195. 

pinna/ted,  136. 

mexican,  9. 

Green-headed  widgeon,  20. 

ruffetf,  145. 

mud,  4. 

Jreen  plover,  195. 

Heath-heu,  135.  136,  141. 

prairie,  4. 
quiuk,  6. 

»reen-wing,  27. 
Jreen-winged  teal,  27. 

Heavy-tailed  duck,  112. 
lebridal  sandpiper,  185. 

216 


INDEX, 


Hell-diver,  82. 

Krieker,  176. 

Mallard,  14,  15. 

Hen-bill,  82,  118. 

Kriecher,  176. 

black,  17. 

diver,  82. 

dusky,  17. 

Hen  curlew,  198. 

L. 

gray,  16. 

Herald,  69. 

LADY  bird.  39. 

Mangrove  hen,  127. 

duck,  69. 

Lake  blue-bill,  54. 

Marbled  godwit,  206. 

Hickory-head,  112. 

Land  harlan,  69. 

Marlin,  200,  207. 

Highland  plover,  172. 

Lapwing,  gray,  190. 

brown,  207. 

Hill-bird,  172. 

Large  cucu,  168. 

common,  206. 

Histrionicus  histrionicus, 

Laughing  goose,  11. 

crooked-  billed,  200. 

90. 

Lead-back,  182. 

field,  210. 

Hollow  -  billed  coot,  104, 

Least  green-winged  teal,  28. 

horse-foot,  200,  207. 

107. 

Leather-back,  113. 

red,  206. 

Hollow-head,  191. 

Lesser  Canada  goose,  8. 

ring-tailed,  210. 

Honker,  1. 

clapper  rail,  129. 

Marrionette,  82. 

Hooded  merganser,  73. 

prairie  hen,  135. 

Marsh  blue-  bill,  57,  60. 

sheldrake,  73. 

scaup  duck,  57. 

goose,  4. 

Hook-billed  marlin,  200. 

snow  goose,  8. 

plover,  152,  175. 

Hookurnpake,  153. 

woodcock,  151. 

pullet,  122. 

Horie  goose,  6. 

yellow-shanks,  169. 

snipe,  156. 

Horra  goose,  6. 

Light-wood  knot,  113. 

Marsh-birds,  191. 

Horse-foot  marlin.200,207. 

Limosa  fedoa,  205. 

Marsh-hen,  117,  122,  123, 

snipe,  179,  185. 

hfemastica,  208. 

125,  127. 

Horse-head,  103. 

Little  american  water-hen, 

blue,  117. 

coot,  103. 

131. 

fresh,  125. 

Horse  yellow-leg,  168. 

black-breast,  182. 

fresh-water,  125,  129. 

Hound,  87. 

blue-bill.  57. 

salt-water,  127. 

Hudsonian  curlew,  200. 

brown  duck,  81. 

Maryland  partridge,  148. 

godwit,  209. 

curlew,  203. 

quail,  148. 

Humility.  164,  167,  173. 

red-breasted  rail,  129. 

May  bird,  178. 

Hutchins's  barnacle  goose, 

saw-bill.  73. 

brant,  6. 

3. 

sheldrake,  73. 

cock,  192. 

brant,  8. 

wild  goose,  3. 

white-wing,  98. 

Canada  goose,  3. 

woodcock,  151,  156. 

Meadow-chicken,  132. 

goose,  8. 

yellow-leg,  169. 

Meadow-clapper,  127. 

Long-beak,  greater,  162. 

Meadow-hen,  117,  127. 

I. 

Long-  billed  curlew,  198. 

salt-water,  127. 

InoN-head,  79. 

dowitcher,  162. 

Meadow-snipe,  156,  176. 

Iron  pots,  96. 

rail,  129. 

Mealy-bird,  89. 

Isles  of  shoals  duck,  94 

snipe,  162. 

Merganser,  64. 

Long  island  sheldrake,  68. 

american,  64. 

J. 

Long-legged  tattler,  167. 

american  us,  62. 

JACK,  200. 

Long-neck,  39. 

buff-breasted,  64. 

curlew,  200,  204. 

Looby,  111. 

hooded,  73. 

snipe,  156,  162,  175. 

Lophodytes  cucullatus,71. 

red-breasted,  68. 

.Tingler,  79. 

Lord,  91. 

serrator,  66. 

Jinny,  186. 

Long-tailed  duck,  87. 

Merry-  wing,  78. 

K. 

grouse,  139. 

Mexican  goose,  9. 

hareld,  87. 

Mire  duck,  16. 

KANKAKEEbarj  over,196. 

Lord  and  lady,  91. 

Mommy,  88. 

Kill-cu,  168,  170. 

Lousy-bill,  198. 

Moon-bill,  61. 

Killdeer,black-b<  .ied,190. 

Moor  fowl,  146. 

King  diver,  79.  \ 

M. 

Moor  hen,  117,  122. 

ortolan,  122.  1 

MACnonnAMPiius  griseus, 

Morocco-head,  65. 

rail,  122,  12CJ 

159. 

Morocco-  jaw,  103. 

sora,  122. 

scolopaceus,  162. 

Morrillon,  78. 

Kite-tailed  widgeon,  89. 
Knot,  178. 

Maggot-snipe,  186. 
Maiden  duck,  44. 

Moss  duck,  16. 
Moss-head.  74. 

/.V//A-.V. 


217 


Mountain  duck,  91. 

Pile-start  39 

partridge,  146,  153. 

P. 

Pill-willet,  L6& 

pheasant,  146. 

PADDY,  112. 

Pill-will-willet,  165 

M'.WV.T,  1!'*. 

Paddy-whack,  118. 

Pilot,  192. 

Mud  blue  bill.  57. 
broad  bill 
dipper,  110. 

Painted  duck,  91. 
Pale  belly,  195. 
Pale-  breast,  195. 

Pinnated  grouse.  135. 
heath-cock,  136. 
Pin-tail.  38,  112  188 

goose,  4. 
plover,  192. 

pullrl,  123. 

snip,  l.")l. 

Pale  pinnated  grouse,  135. 
Piirwliote,  173. 
Partridge,  146,  148. 
american,  148. 

chicken,  139. 
gnmse.  138. 
Pishaug,  104. 
Pisk  a  sish,  3. 

teal 

Miid-hi-ii.   117,  122,  123, 

birch.  146. 

cedar.  111. 

Plain  plover,  173. 
Plaster-bill.  103. 

127.  152. 

com  moii  amcrican,  148 

Plover,  167,  169. 

fresh-  water,  129. 

red-billed,  122. 

drumming.  145. 
maryland,  148. 

american  golden,  195. 
big  yellow-legged,  168. 

small.  12J». 

mountain,  146,  153. 

bishop,  186. 

Mud  shoveller.  48. 

ni-lit.  153. 

black-bellied,  190. 

Muddy-l.reasi,  196. 

salt-water,  187. 

black-breasted,  192. 

Muir  duck,  16. 

spruce,  141. 

black-heart,  181. 

Muscle-bill.  103. 

swamp,  141. 

bull-head,  191. 

Mussel-duck,  55. 

virginiun,  148. 

chicken.  186. 

water,  1  1  J 

common,  195. 

N. 

wood.  141. 

corn-field,  173. 

N  i  w  york  godwit,  160. 
Niirht'partridire,  153. 
Night-peck,  158. 
Noddy,  112.118. 
Noisy  duck.  87. 
North  Carolina  sheldrake, 
64 

Pasture-bird,  195. 

Pasture  plover,  172. 
Patch-head,  103. 
Patch  polled  coot,  103. 
Pectoral  sandpiper,  175. 
Pediofa-tes    phasiauellus, 
139. 

field.  172. 
golden.  195. 
grass,  173. 
gray,  173,  191. 
green,  195. 
highland  172. 
kankakee  bar,  196. 

Northern  ban-Id,  89. 

phasianellus   campes- 

large  whistling  field, 

Norway  barnitclc.  6. 

Niimrnius  borealis.  202. 
hiidsonicus,  199. 
longirostris,  197. 

tris,  137. 
phasianellus     colum- 
bianus.  138. 
Peep.  California,  182. 
Pelick,  118. 

190. 
marsh,  152,  175. 
mud.  192. 
old  field,  190. 
pasture.  IT0 

Peure.  153. 

plain,  iT8. 

* 

Pheasant.  38,  65,  69,  74. 

prairie,  17o. 

OIDEMIA  americana,  105. 

146. 

mi-lei'in-d.  186. 

d.-L'hndi.  96. 

mountain,  146. 

rock.  182,  192. 

IK.-rspicillata,  101. 
Old  billy.  88. 

sea,  88. 

water.  8S.  «5.  71 

sea.  in- 
small  yellow  -  legged, 

granny,  88. 

Pheasant-duck.  21.  38,  74. 

170. 

hen  curlew,  198. 

Philohcla  minor,  150. 

Spanish,  lf>r>. 

honker,  1. 

Pieitail,  88. 

spotted,  195. 

injun.  87. 

Pickaxe  sheldrake,  73. 

stone,  192. 

iron  pots.  96. 

Picket-tail,  38. 

strand.  15(2. 

molly,  88. 

Pictured  bill,  103. 

-\\  Iss,  190. 

smoker.  i;>s 

Pied  brant.  11. 

three  toed,  195. 

M|iiaw.  S7,  88. 

gray  duck,  38. 

upland.  172. 

wife,  88. 

sheldrake.  69. 

variegated,  187. 

wives,  119. 

whistler,  78. 

wkisUing;  190.  195. 

Ortolan,  182. 

Pied-winged  coot,  99. 

whistling  field,  190. 

king.  122. 

curlew,  164. 

vellow  -  legged,    167, 

Owl-head,  191. 

Pigeon,  prairie,  173,  196. 

169. 

Ox  bird,  181. 

Pigeon-tail.  89. 

yellow  -  shanks,   167, 

Ox-eye,  190. 

Pike-tail,  38. 

169. 

218 


INDEX. 


'oacher,  20. 

Rail,  long-billed,  129. 

Robin-breast,  179. 

'ochard,  50. 

red,  129. 

Robin-dipper,  82. 

american,  50. 

sora,  131. 

Robin-snipe,  160,  179. 

'ond  broad-bill,  58. 

Virginia,  129. 

white,  178. 

hen,  117. 

Rail-bird,  132. 

Rock-bird,  182. 

saw-bill,  74. 

Rallus  elegans,  124. 

winter,  182. 

sheldrake,  64,  73. 

longirostris  crepitans, 

Rock  duck,  91. 

'oppiug  widgeon,  70. 
'orzana  Carolina,  130. 

126. 
virginianus,  128. 

plover,  182,  192. 
snipe,  182. 

We  d'eau,  117. 

Rat  goose,  6. 

Rodge,  25. 

'oulet  dean,  118. 

Red  curlew,  206. 

Rood  goose,  6. 

'rairie  brant,  12. 

goose,  9. 

Rook,  112. 

chicken,  135,  139. 

marlin,  206. 

Rose-breasted  godwit,  209. 

goose,  4. 

rail,  129. 

Rott  goose,  6. 

'rairie-hen,  135. 

sandpiper,  178. 

Round-crested  duck,  73. 

lesser,  135. 

Red-back,  181. 

Ruddy  diver,  112. 

texas,  135. 
rairie  pigeon,  173,  196. 

Red-backed  sandpiper,  181. 
Red-bellied  snipe,  162. 

duck,  110. 
Ruffed-grouse,  145. 

plover,  173. 

Red-billed  mud-hen,  122. 

Canadian,  145. 

sharp  -  tailed    grouse, 

Red-  breast,  179. 

gray,  145. 

139. 

plover,  179. 

Oregon,  145. 

snipe,  173. 

Red-breasted  godwit,  209. 

Ruffed  heath-cock,  145. 

ulldoo,  117. 

goosander,  68. 

umpkin  -  blossom    coot, 

merganser,  68. 

S. 

107. 

sandpiper,  178. 

SABRE-bill,  198. 

urple  gallinule,  123. 

shoveller,  42. 

Saint  cuthbert's  duck,  94. 

sandpiper,  182. 

snipe,  151,  160. 

Salt-marsh  hen,  127. 

'urre,  181. 

Red-head,  47.  50. 

Salt-water  broad-bill,  55. 

creek,  61. 

marsh-hen,  127. 

• 

Red-headed  broad-bill,  51. 

meadow-hen,  127. 

>UAIL,  148. 

bull-neck,  48. 

partridge,  187. 

american,  148. 

duck,  50. 

sheldrake,  69. 

maryland,  148. 

raft-duck,  51. 

teal,  111. 

sea,  186. 

teal,  28. 

Sand-birds,  191. 

Virginian,  148. 

Red-lesged  plover,  186. 

Sand-runner,  186. 

luail-snipe,  161. 

Red-legs,  186. 

Sand  widgeon,  25. 

uaily,  172. 

Red-neck,  47. 

Sandpiper,  american  red- 

uandy.  89. 

Reed-bird,  132. 

backed,  181. 

luill-tail  coot,  112. 

Reef  goose,  1. 

ash-colored,  178. 

uink-goose,  6. 

Rice-bird,  132. 

bartramian,  172. 

Rice  hen,  122. 

bartram's,  172. 

R. 

Ring-bill,  60. 

black-bellied,  181. 

lAFT-duck,  55. 

RirT-billed  black-head,  61. 

black-breasted,  181. 

black-headed,  55. 

shuffler,  61. 

freckled,  178. 

red-headed,  51. 

Rii  ^-necked    black-head, 

gray,  190. 

tail,  132. 

60. 

grisled,  178. 

american,  131. 

duck,  60. 

hebridal,  185. 

big,  127. 

scaup.  60. 

pectoral,  175. 

Carolina,  131. 
chicken-billed,  132. 

RJ  »g-tailed  marlin,  210. 
R,/er  blue-  bill,  57. 

purple,  182. 
red,  178. 

clapper,  127. 

broad-bill,  57. 

red-backed,  181. 

common,  131. 

f    sheldrake,  64. 

red-breasted,  178. 

english,  132. 

1     shuffler,  58. 

swiss,  190. 

great     red  -  breasted, 
125. 

H  >ad  goose,  6. 
I/  >bin,  68,  179. 

upland,  172. 
Saw-bill,  65,  69,  73. 

king,  122,  125. 

beach,  179. 

diver,  73. 

lesser  clapper,  129. 

cock,  74. 

little,  73. 

little  red-  breasted,  129. 

sea,  68. 

poud,  74. 

INDEX. 


219 


Saw-bill,  widgeon,  69. 

Sheldrake,  pied,  69. 

Smees,  38. 

Sawneb,  69. 

pond,  64,  73. 

Smethe,  38. 

Scale  duck,  69. 

river,  64. 

Smew,  74. 

Scarlet  -  fronted  gallinule, 

salt-water,  69. 

Smoker,  198. 

181. 

Scaup,  53.  54. 
ring  necked,  60. 
Scaup  duck,  american,53. 

spring,  68. 
summer,  78. 
swallow-tailed.  89. 
swamp,  64,  78. 

Smoking  duck,  21. 
Smutty  coot,  107. 
Snipe,  151,  156,  198,  200. 
american,  156. 

greater.  .">:{. 

weaser,  65. 

bartram's     highland 

lesser.  57. 

winter.  64. 

172. 

Scoldenore,  89. 

wood,  78. 

bay,  191  200 

Scolder.  89. 

Shelduck,  68. 

big.  151.' 

Scotch  dipper,  83. 

Shoal  duck,  94. 

big-headed.  152. 

teal.  83. 

Shore-bird,  crouching,  176 

blind,  152. 

Scotchman,  88. 

Shore-birds,  191. 

bog,  156. 

Scoter,  american,  106. 

Shore-snipe,  191. 

brant,  182,  186. 

black,  106. 

Short-  billed  curlew,  200 

brown,  160. 

duck.  106. 

204. 

checkered,  186. 

lake  liuron,  99. 

Short-neck,  176. 

common,  152,  156. 

surf.  103. 

Shot-pouch,  111. 

crooked-billed,  182. 

velvet,  98. 

Shoulder-knot  grouse,  145. 

duck,  165, 

white-winged,  98. 
Scoters,  96. 

Shovelard.  44. 
Shovel-bill,  43. 

english,  156. 
fall,  182. 

Sea  bec-scie.  69. 

Shoveller,  42. 

german,  161. 

brant,  99. 

blue-winged,  42. 

grass,  175. 

cock.  192. 

mud.  43. 

gray,  160. 

coots,  96. 

red-  breasted,  42. 

gutter,  157. 

crow.  118. 

Shrups,  152. 

horse-foot,  179,  185. 

dotterel.  185. 

Shuffler,  58. 

jack,  156,  162,  175. 

duck. 

bay,  55. 

long-billed,  162. 

duck  and  drake,  94. 

ring  billed,  61. 

maggot,  186. 

Inrk.  187. 

river,  58. 

marsh,  156. 

pheasant.  88. 

Silver  back,  179. 

meadow,  156,  176. 

pigeon,  161. 

Simpes.  157. 

mud,  151. 

plover.  192. 

Simpleton,  182. 

prairie,  173. 

quail.  186. 

Simps,  158. 

quail,  161. 

robin.  68. 

Sickle-bill,  198. 

red-bellied,  162. 

widgeon,  88. 

curlew,  198. 

red-breasted,  151,  160. 

Sedge-  hen.  127. 

Skirl  crake,  187.. 

robin,  160,  179. 

'Semblymen,  99. 

Skunk-bill,  103. 

rock,  182. 

Semipalmated  snipe,  164. 

Skunk-head.  103. 

semipalmated,  164. 

tattler,  164. 

Skunk-top,  103. 

shore,  191. 

Shad-birds.  157. 
Shad  spirit,  157. 

Sleepy  broad-bill,  110. 
brother,  111. 

squat,  176. 
stone,  167. 

Sharp-tail.  39.  188. 

coot.  111. 

telltale,  167. 

Sharp  tailed  duck,  89. 

duck.  111. 

western  red-breasted, 

grouse,  138. 
Sheldrake.  44,  47,  64,  68. 

Sleepy-head,  111. 
Sleigh-bell  duck,  107. 

162. 
whistling,  152.  ' 

american,  64. 

Small  cucu.  169. 

white-bellied,  179. 

bracket.  65. 

curlew,  200,  203. 

Wilson's,  156. 

buff  breasted,  64. 

esquimauxcurlew,203 

winter,  182. 

fresh-water,  64. 
great  lake.  64. 
hooded,  ::{. 

gray  goose.  8. 
mud-hen,  129. 
yellow-leg,  169. 

wood,  152. 
yellow-shanks,  169. 
Snites,  157. 

little.  :;{. 

yellow-legged  pbver, 

Snow  goose,  8,  9. 

long  island,  68. 

170. 

greater,  8. 

north  Carolina,  64. 

Smaller  doc-bird,  210. 

lesser,  8. 

pickaxe,  73. 

Smee,  38. 

Snowl,  74. 

220 


INDEX. 


Snu&taker,  103. 

Squealer,  91,  196. 

Teal,  least  green  -  winged, 

Somateria  dresseri,  91. 

Stane-pecker,  187. 

28. 

Sora,  132. 

Steel-head,  112. 

mud,  28. 

king,  122. 

Stib,  182.  ' 

red-headed,  28. 

rail,  181. 

Stick-tail,  112. 

salt-water.  111. 

Soree,  132. 

Stiff-tail,  112. 

scotch,  83. 

gallinule,  131. 

Stock  duck,  16. 

spoon-billed,  43. 

Sorus,  132. 

Stone  bird,  167. 

summer,  30. 

Sou'  southerland,  88. 

curlew,  165.  . 

white-faced,  30. 

Southerland,  88. 

plover,  192. 

winter,  28. 

Southerly,  88. 

raw,  187. 

Telltale,  167,  168,  169. 

Southern  goose,  4. 

snipe,  167. 

godwit,  167. 

sharp  -  tailed    grouse, 

Straight-billed  curlew,207. 

greater,  167. 

139. 

Strand-  birds,  191. 

snipe,  167. 

spike  -  tailed    grouse, 

Strand  plover,  192. 

tattler,  167. 

139. 

Streaked-back,  186. 

Texas  goose,  9. 

widgeon,  20. 

Striped-head,  201. 

prairie  hen,  135. 

South  southerly,  88. 

Stub-and-twist,  111. 

Three-toed  plover,  195. 

South  south  southerly,  88. 

Summer,  169. 

Timber-doodle,  152. 

Spanish  curlew,  198. 

coot,  123. 

Timber  grouse,  141. 

plover,  165. 

duck,  34. 

Tippet  grouse,  145. 

Sparked-back,  186. 

sheldrake,  73. 

Toad-head,  196. 

Sparling  fowl,  64. 

teal,  30. 

Totanus  flavipes,  169. 

Spatula  clypeata,  40. 

yellow-lee,  169. 

melanoleucus,  166. 

Speckle-belly,  24. 

Surf-duck,  103. 

Tough-head,  111. 

Speckled  brant,  12. 

long-billed,  104. 

Tow-head,  75. 

Speckled-belly,  12. 
Speckled-bill  coot,  103. 

trowbridge's,  104. 
white-winged,  98. 

Tree  duck,  34,  75. 
Triddler,  176. 

Spectacle  coot,  103. 

Surfer,  103. 

Tringa     alpina    pacifica, 

duck,  103. 

Surf  scoter,  103. 

180. 

Spike-bill,  74,  207. 

Swaddle-bill,  43. 

canutus,  177. 

Spike-billed  curlew,  207. 

Swallow-tailed  duck,  87. 

maculata,  174. 

Spike-tail,  38. 

sheldrake,  89. 

maritima,  182. 

Spindle-tail,  39. 

Swamp  sheldrake,  64,  73. 

Troop-fowl,  55. 

Spine-tail,  112. 

partridge,  141. 

Trout-bird,  196. 

Spirit,  81. 

Swiss  plover,  190. 

Tufted-duck,  CO. 

Spirit-duck,  78,  81. 

sandpiper,  190. 

Turkey-back,  168. 

Splatterer,  117. 

Symphemia  semipalmata, 

Turnstone,  185. 

Split-tail,  38. 

163. 

comnron,  185. 

Spoon-bill,  43,  110. 

Tweezer,  65. 

Spoon  -  billed  butter  ball, 

T. 

Tympanuchus  americanus 

110. 

TADPOLE,  75. 

134. 

teal,  43. 

Tangle  picker,  187. 

cupido,  135. 

widgeon,  43. 

Tattler,  bartramian,  172.             pallidicinctus,  135. 

Spot-rump,  209. 

bartram's,  172. 

Spotted  chicken,  139. 

long-legged,  167.                               L- 

grouse,  141. 

semipalinated,  164. 

UNCLE-sam  coot,  99. 

plover,  195. 

telltale,  167. 

Upland  plover,  172. 

Spreet-tail,  39. 

varied,  167. 

sandpiper,  172. 

Sprig,  38. 

yellow-shanks,  169. 

Uplander,  172. 

Sprig-tail,  38,  138. 

Teal,  american,  28. 

Sprig-tailed  widgeon,  39. 

american        green  - 

V. 

Spring  sheldrake,  68. 

winged,  27. 

VAHIED  tattler,  167. 

Spruce  grouse,  141. 
partridge,  141. 

blue-winged,  30. 
brown  diving,  112. 

Variegated  plover,  187. 
Velvet  duck,  98,  99. 

Squam  duck,  94. 

common  blue-winged, 

scoter,  98. 

Squat-snipe,  176. 

31. 

Velvet-breast,  65. 

Squatter,  176. 

green-winged,  27. 

Virginia  rail,  129. 

INDEX. 


221 


Virginian  colin,  148. 

White-belly,  20,  139. 

Winter  duck,  39,  89. 

partridge,  148. 
quail,  148. 

White-bellied  snipe,  179. 
White-bill.  118. 

goose,  3.  4. 
rock-bird,  182. 

White-faced  duck,  30. 

sheldrake,  64. 

W. 

teal,  30. 

snipe.  182. 

Wvxii',94. 

White-flesher,  145. 

teal,  28. 

Washington  canvas-back, 

White-fronted  goose,  11. 

yellow-leg,  168. 

.->!. 

White-head.  9,  103. 

Wood  duck,  34,  75. 

Water-  chicken.  122. 

White-beaded  goose,  9. 

grouse.  141. 

Wat.T  h.M),  117.  119,121. 

White-rump,  209. 

hen.  152. 

little  aincrican,  131. 

White-scop.  103. 

partridge,  141. 

Water  l.rns.  118,119. 

White-tail  dowitcher,  162. 

sheldrake,  73. 

Wat.-r-partri.L'f.  112. 
Water  pheasant.  38,65,74. 

White  wing,  98. 
White  winged  coot,  98. 

snipe,  152. 
widgeon,  34. 

Water  -witch,  82. 

scoter.  98. 

Woodcock,  151. 

\Vavi-v.  '.i 

surf-duck,  98. 

american,  151. 

blue.  9. 

Widgeon.  20,  24,  34,  39,  54, 

great  red,  151. 

common,  9. 

111. 

lesser,  151. 

american,  20,  55. 

little,  151,  156. 

sheldrake.  65. 

bald-faced,  21. 

Wool-head,  83. 

\\YMi  -Ink. 

blue-billed,  54 

:i  dowitchrr,  162. 

California,  20. 

Y. 

red  -  breasted     snipe, 

coot.  111. 

YELLOw-bill,  107. 

goose.  111. 

Yellow-leg.  167,  169. 

willet.  If,:, 

gray,  24.  38. 

big,  168. 

Wexfonl  banmcle,  6. 

green  headed.  20. 

horse,  168. 

Wlnlehir.l.  isr,. 

kite-tailed.  39. 

little,  169. 

Wheat  chirk,  21. 

popping,  70. 

summer,  169. 

Whitller,  79. 

sand.  25. 

winter,  168. 

Whimhrrl.rsquimaux.SOO. 

saw-hill,  69. 

Yellow  -  legged      godwit, 

Whinrard,44 

sea,  38. 

169. 

WhistV.liiek,  78. 

southern.  20. 

goose,  12. 

Whistle-wing.  78. 
Whist  I,T,  159'.  78. 

spoon-billed,  43. 
sprig  tailed,  39. 

plover,  167,  169. 
Yellow-legs.  169. 

brass  rved,  78. 

wood.  34. 

common,  169. 

pied,  78. 
Whist  ling  coot,  107. 
duck.  107. 

Wild  drake,  lo. 
duck,  15. 
Willet.  164. 

greater,  167. 
Yellow  -  shanks,    greater, 
167. 

plover,  190,  195. 
snipe.  l.VJ. 

Carolina,  210. 
western,  165. 

lesser,  169. 
plover,  167,  169. 

Whit<>  brant.  9. 

LTollse,   139. 

robin-snipe,  178. 

White  back,  47. 

Will-willet.  164. 
Wilson's  snipe,  156. 
Winter,  168. 
broad-bill,  55. 

snipe,  169. 
tattler,  169. 
Yellow-shins,  168,  170. 
Yelper,  167. 

THE   END. 


BY  HENRY  P.  WELLS. 


Fly-Rods   and   Fly-Tackle. 

Fly-Rods  and  Fly-Tackle.  Suggestions  as  to  thefr  Manu- 
facture and  Use.  By  HENRY  P.  WELLS.  Illustrated. 
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tions is  signally  enhanced  by  their  minuteness  and  lucidity.— N.  Y.  Sun. 

An  illustrated  volume,  elegantly  presented,  that  will  make  all  anglers  jealous  of  pos- 
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It  will  be  read  with  interest  by  professional  anglers,  and  for  the  vast  amount  of  in- 
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The  book  is  called  "  The  Fishing  Tourist,"  and  the  title  is  not  a  misnomer.  The  short- 
est routes  to  pleasure  are  laid  down,  and  correct  information  is  given  as  to  the  best 
means  of  conveyance,  the  expense  of  the  trip,  the  secrets  of  the  commissariat,  etc.  The 
author  has  avoided  the  use  of  technical  terms,  and  thus  made  his  volume  all  the  more 
acceptable  to  the  majority  of  readers. —  Turf,  Field,  and  Farm,  N.  Y. 


PUBLISHED  BY  HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  NEW  YORK. 

HARPER  &  BROTHERS  will  xend  either  of  the  above  works  by  mail,  postage  prepaid, 
to  any  part  of  the  United  States  or  Canada,  on  receipt  of  the  price. 


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