THE YOUNG OOLOGIST. 



147 



ORNITHOLOGICAL SYNONYMS. 



" MEXICAN CANARY," "HIVEL," "THUNDER 



PUMP." 



In looking over ''Queries Answered" in 

 the February number of tlie Young 

 OoLOGiST, I see ihat information is desired 

 concerning tiie local names of certain of 

 our birds, and, although 1 cannot answer 

 all the questions, I may give a pointer or 

 so on this, to me, very interesting subject. 



L. B. B. While in Texas, I often heard 

 the Painted Bunting, or Nonpareil (Passer- 

 ina ciris), called the Mexican "Canary," 

 and frequentlj^ saw the birds offered for 

 sale by the Mexicans. 



A. B. L. I have heard the name 

 "Hivel" applied to the Yellow-shafted 

 Flicker (Colaptes auratus), in Ohio, I 

 think, and, bj^ the way, was ever a bird 

 gifted with so manj' vernacular ai^pellations 

 as this familiar friend. 



J. W. L's. "Pump Thunder" is evi- 

 dentlj^ a transposition of "Thunder Pump" 

 by which name the American Bittern 

 (Botaurus lentiginosus) is known in this 

 locality, though the names of "Stake- 

 driver" and "Shitepoke" (I give the name 

 as pronounced), are common also. A 

 directory of ornithological sjmonyms will 

 be a welcome addition to anj^ bird lover's 

 librar3^ Dr. P., 



Minneapolis, Minn. 



of 5 and 7 of the same. These dates are 

 probably the earliest on record for this 

 species. Yours, 



J. L., Riverside, Cal. 



SPOTTED ROBIN EGGS. 

 I wish to record a find of a nest of two 

 spotted Robin's eggs, taken season of '83, 

 as I see several finds have been recorded in 

 the Young Oologist. which I always find 

 time — sometimes when I should be sleep- 

 ing to read through. 



M. D. M., Jr., M. D., 

 Cortland, N. Y. 



In your columns I have noticed several 

 articles about "Spotted Robin's Eggs." 

 Last season my brother found a nest with 

 two eggs, both of which were spotted just 

 like those in the Young Oologist. 



The eggs were found June 15, 1884. I 

 have shown them to several scientific men 

 and they say they never saw such a thing 

 before. A Bluebird's nest was also found 

 with snow-white eggs. 



J. G. R., 



Brookside, N. Y. 



H. H. R. , of Westerly, R. I. , also records 

 a set of spotted Robin eggs. 



FROM CALIFORNIA. 

 This season promises to be an unusually 

 early one in this locality. On February 

 4th I took sets of 4 and 8 Barn Owl ; incu- 

 bation advanced. February 8th, took sets 



J. S. of Anaheim, Cal,, reports his first 

 finds of the season 1885. 



February 8th. Found nest of the Cali- 

 fornia Thrasher containing two egg.s — quite 

 fresh, in a wild sage bush about a foot and 

 a half above ground. 



February 11th. Found nest of the Road- 

 runner containing two eggs which were 

 left over for more as they generally lay 

 four. 



February 13th. Found a nest of the 

 White-runiped Slirike containing one egg ; 

 this was in an orange tree, nine feet above 

 ground. This speciss has now fairly 

 begun, as several nests have been found in 

 this locality. 



NUTTALL'S POOR WILL. 

 In writing to us about the eggs of the 

 above bird which he found, B. L. B., of 

 Emporia, Kansas, says : There were two 

 in the nest. They were found on the side 

 of a slight hill in a hollow in tlie ground, 

 and the bird was sitting on them. The 

 eggs are greatly like those of turtle doves, 

 pure white and elliptical. The mother bird 

 greatly resembled a Whip-poor-will, but 

 was smaller. I am positive it was a Nut- 

 tail's Poor-will. 



MEADOW LARKS IN WINTER. 



Your catalogue and price list is very 

 neatly gotten up and a great aid to an egg- 

 collector. 



On December 31st, just after the snow 

 had disappeared from the fields I happened 

 to see four meadow larks which struck me 

 as being a very funny occurrence. 



It is the first time I can remember of 

 seeing this bird remaining until the last of 

 the year. 



This fact is worthy of mention in your 

 paper. 



Shall subscribe for your paper the com- 

 ing vear. Yours, 



T. McD. P., 



Bennington, Vt. 



FROM WISCONSIN. 

 I noticed in a recent number of the 

 Young Oologist, some notes from 

 Durand, Wisconsin. Speaking of the 

 Northern Waxwing, the writer says they 

 are found there in small flocks nearly every 

 winter. Last winter, during January and 

 February, hardly a day passed when flocks 

 of twenty or more could not be seen about 



