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 "Doe-bird" with which this species has been 

 credited, see note (f) under No. 59. 



