234 THE JERSEY COAST. 



the name of frost-bird, so called from being more 

 plentiful dming the early frosts of autumn, at which 

 season it is generally in line condition, and exceed- 

 ingly well flavored.' Then follow the ring-plover, or 

 ring-neck — charadrms sem'qmlmatus^ Wilson's plo- 

 ver; the piping-2>lover, or beach-bird — charadnus 

 melodius ; and theldldeer plover — charadrius voci- 

 ferus, these being all the varieties of American plo- 

 ver." 



Bill could stand it no longer; but rising as the 

 book was closed, burst forth at once : 



" Those writers are queer fellows ; they put the 

 oddest, hardest, longest names to birds that ever I 

 lieard. Who w^ould have thought of their calling 

 a two-penny beach-bird, a radish mellow-deuce ! 

 What I have to say is — we baymen will never learn 

 these new-fangled names." 



"That is exactly the trouble," I replied. "You 

 baymen will, in different sections of the country, 

 call the same bird by vaiious names, till no one can 

 tell what you are talking about ; and the man of 

 science has to step in and dig up a third name, 

 usually some Latin afliiir, which nobody will accept. 

 Thus it is that the older frost-birds, which, strange 

 to say, invariably arrive before the young, are 

 known as golden-plover, and their progeny as frost- 

 birds." 



" Speaking of the seasons," replied Bill, evasively, 

 " have you noticed that they are changing every 

 year ? The springs are later than they used to be. 

 In old times the English snipe arrived from the 



