INTRODUCTION. 



FOLLOWING is a list of popular 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 ; 

 but simply that I happen to know of its use in that quarter. 

 Some may feel that I have been over-particular, or unnecessarily 



