THE OSPREY. 



143 



occurred to Leach and he began the play upon 

 the letters and their transmutation. Verily, he 

 seems to have imbibed as much affection for 

 the name and been as much comforted by its 

 repetition as was the good old woman by "that 

 blessed word Mesopotamia" in her Bible. He 

 was so well satisfied with it in any form, that 

 he took the same letters (only substituting 

 sometimes e for a) and juggled them into not 

 less than seven new compounds, including a 

 name (Canolira) not adopted by recent system- 

 atise. Still another name (LlVONECA) may 

 have originated from a simple typographical 

 error for Lironeca, again an anagram of 

 Caroline. 



The example thus set was not avoided, but 

 actually followed by others. None was rejected 

 iax some ornithologists would have done in 

 analogous cases) but all have been accepted 

 without serious demur. Kossman followed with 

 anotheranagram (Cokilana) in 1880 and Hansen 

 with two more (Alcirona and Lanocira) in 

 1890. In this year of Grace 1901 and month of 

 September still another anagratnmatic name 

 (Naucora) has been proposed (by Dr. H. I'. 

 Moorei for another genus of the same series. 

 Carolina has not yet been used nor its palin- 

 drome Anii.okac; we may yet see them land 

 also Enii.okacI utilized for other genera! 



Perhaps some of the readers of the OSPREY 

 may recall the names of genera of birds that 

 ha\ebeeu coined on a like principle. The best 

 known are anagrams of the chief names of the 

 Kingfishers, Alcedo, Dacelo and Lacedo. Dacelo 

 (given by Leach) was rejected by Cabanis and 

 Heine, who took Gloger's substitute Pqralcyon, 

 but otherwise has been generally adopted. 



Lacedo (of Reichenbach) was replaced by Caba- 

 nis and Heine with a new name [Carcineuies] and 

 the latter has been almost universally accepted 

 though Lacedo was given ten years earlier and 

 really should be retained. The author of Lacedo 

 has given another anagratnmatic name in the 

 same family, Hylcaon, an anagram of Halcyon. 



Now, what will our classical friends do about 

 such names? They can't be corrected for they 

 never had a meaning or were intended to have. 

 In other words, they were what some would call 

 pure "nonsense names". Yet they are eupho- 

 nious and serve their purpose as well as the 

 most classical ones for those who are not too in- 

 quisitive about etymologies. But if it is con- 

 ceded that such names may be adopted, why 

 shouldn't misformed ones be also adopted — 

 ially if they are euphonious? Just call the 

 misformed abortion- ■"nonsense names" and 

 adopt them! 



We by no means defend the propriety of such 

 name-.: they are truly deplorable and if una- 

 nimity could be secured for their rejection we 

 would most heartily join the exclusionists. The 

 question i> a practical one. however. Unanimi- 

 ty cannot be secured. The majority of natu- 

 ralists throughout the world would favor their 

 adoption and retention. Therefore we are will- 

 ing to sacrifice our own preference and adopt 

 them in the interest of Law and Order. Diver- 

 sity of opinion will be sure to exist among clas- 

 sicist- as to what nanus should be retained and 

 what adopted. Let us follow rigorous laws. 

 linn, but curse, if we will, those perverse or 

 ignorant naturalists who throw such obstacles 

 in the way of concord. 



Notes. 



Another Instance ok the Spotted Sand 

 pipek (Actitis macularia) carrying its 

 Young. 



Mr. J. C. Merritt's article on this topic in the 

 January number of the Auk for 1897, page 52. 

 recalls a similar episode. 



On June 22, 1894. I was collecting in a sand 

 pit, a mile south of Gladstone, Henderson, 

 County. 111. Seeing a Spotted Sandpiper much 

 worried and distressed. I began to look for her 

 nest, but was unable to find it. Profiting by 

 former experiences I planted a mark in the 

 sand to designate the approximate locality of 

 the nest. An hour later I returned, and having 

 approached the stake from behind a sand mound 

 I had the pleasure to see Mrs. Sandpiper drag 

 herself away, the sickest looking bird I ever 

 beheld. In fact she seemed so completely pro- 

 strated, (drooping wings and spread tail,) that 



-lie resembled a turtle rather than our trim 

 little Tip-up. 



But by far more interesting to me were the 

 three little balls of cotton which were running. 

 (rolling I would almost wish to say), at such a 

 remarkable rate of speed, in three different 

 directions that, had my eyes not been riveted 

 on one and my feet in motion, all would no 

 doubt have been in safety. As it was I cap- 

 tured one of the downy bits of bird-life. 



While admiring this bluffy bit of animation, 

 I noticed the mother bird riving about me in 

 circles, uttering that plaintive note which to 

 me then sounded very much as if she was invit- 

 ing all nature to weep, weep, weep, weep, weep, 

 weep. 



Whether one of the little ones had responded 

 to the mothers note or whether she had dis- 

 covered it in too exposed a position I am unable 



