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, 1844. 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 Machiasport 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 



