THE OOLOGIST. 



103 



>is to find two nests with full comple- 

 ment of eggs in each. The first one I 

 found about five years ago, before I had 

 commenced collecting. It was simply 

 a slight depression in the sand, in a 

 long sand beach which had been thrown 

 Up by the waves. 



The second nest, fouud this last sum- 

 mer, was better placed, being situated 

 in a small clump of trailing evergreens, 

 which would completely have hidden it, 

 had I not been searching on my hands 

 and knees. In both cases the birds 

 ■showed the greatest distress. In the 

 last case the birds followed me fully a 

 mile along the beach trying to lead us 

 still farther from the nest though the 

 eggs were safe in my box. I have not 

 the eggs with me at present, but I think 

 they are almost identical to those of the 

 Spotted Sandpiper. On the day of find- 

 ing, July 1st, eggs were far advanced. 



July 21st was also a lucky day for me 

 While walking along an old road, I saw 

 a small stump in which was a hole 

 where it looked as if a knot had been 

 pulled out. Walking up and peering 

 in I was astonished by the flying out of 

 a small bird. On looking, there were 

 five eggs. Not knowing bird, I left 

 them promising myself a return the fol- 

 lowing day. Though rainy, I found 

 the place and creeping up placed my 

 cap over the hole. After some difficul- 

 ty I caught the bird, which I recognized 

 -as the Hudsoniau Tit. I secured the 

 •eggs and have them home at present. 



I have also beeu fortunate in finding 

 three nests of what I suppose is the 

 Red-breasted Merganser. I do not 

 Iknow very much'about the markings of 

 ^he bird, except that it has a red or 

 'chestnut colored head. The eggs were 

 laid on the ground, in one case under a 

 small spruce > in other two cases among 

 weeus near fallen trees. The eggs are 

 ^about two inches long', and are of a yel- 

 lowish color. Perhaps you could tell 

 me what they are for I cannot find out, 

 toot btfing able to shoot the birds. 

 A. C. Jost, 

 ^olfville, N. S. 



Scientific Names, Their Use and Beauty. 



When one has the charming self-con- 

 fidence to give, deliberately, the wrong 

 definition for a scientific term, he be- 

 comes amusing. In the November '91 

 Oologist I find the following: — 



"He (the Towhee) gets his name, 

 Erythrophthalma; Erythrops, Red, and 

 thalmay, eyes, the Greek for "red eyes" 

 etc." 



Now this is so palpably wrong that 

 it i sno petty criticism if one ventures to 

 say, that Erythrophthalma is from Ery- 

 thros, Reel, and Ophthalmas eye, a de- 

 rivative from the simple root Ops, which 

 primarily means, face. 



This charming little blunder calls to 

 remembrance the beautiful force and 

 accuracy of the scientific terms used in 

 Ornithology. The writer has never 

 ceased to admire that union of learning 

 with poetic insight which guided the ven- 

 erable fathers of our dear science in the 

 christenings of the birds; whom they 

 studied not for fame, but for love. 



It requires no learning and little ef- 

 fort to quote, in brackets, the scientific 

 name of every bird that may be causual- 

 ly mentioned in a single article treating 

 of bird life, but to give that name, at 

 first, was a work of genius. 



The trinomiual system of nomencla- 

 ture, is an admirable invention, and nice 

 in its resources for classification. The 

 Generic name gives the group of forms 

 that are joined by a few striking and 

 constant likenesses, the specific name 

 marks the forms that are still more 

 closely allied to one another, within 

 this group, while the sub-specific title 

 characterizes those that are separated, 

 in their relationships by very few and 

 often subtle points of difference. 



There was a "reunion" of the "Smith 

 clan," the other day. Numerous among 

 these were the "Smythes," of (Targan- 

 tua county, while among these, none 

 showed a more striking uniformity of 

 family likeness than the blonde "de 



