THE CANADIAN SPORTSMAN WD NATURALIST. 





Cenirocercus urophasianus, or the " bull 

 pheasanl of the centre of the continent." 



These same naturalists have taken sports- 

 men repeatedly to task for calling Orlyx Vir- 

 ginianm a partridge, when il approaches the 

 European bird oi that name nearer than to any 

 other species, and then they turn about and 

 bestow 1 1 1 >< > 1 1 it mi even greater misnomer, that 

 of " quail," a bird far more distantly related ; 

 it is neither the one or the other, bul simply a 

 col in. 



Then, too, the application ol the name 



" pheasant " to our ruffed grouse is sneered at 

 ami descried in every way, they telling US there 

 is not, a single pheasanl form in all the great 

 American continent ; yet, with wonderous con- 

 sistency, these would-be teachers have given 

 us, under scientific appellations, three pheas- 

 ants, to-wit : the wild turkey as belonging to the 

 family phasidnidce, the" pheasant that builds 

 in the plains"' (sharp-tailed grouse), and 

 " hull,' or" chief pheasant of the centre ot the 

 continent," (sage gi'ouse). 



It' one is wrong, all are wrong ; a misnomer 

 rendered in good or had Latin and Greek is no 

 better than when rendered in simple Anglo- 

 Saxon. A grouse is simply a grouse and no- 

 thing more, and as such should be known ; 

 and so, too, a colin is but a colin. All grouse 

 sprang originally from the one germ, and all 

 possess in the same general way, the same 

 general characteristics, habits, modes of lite, 

 etc., modified only by differences in surround- 

 ings, lood, climate, etc. Even the ptarmigan, 

 when removed for a lime from the region ol 

 snow, fails to renew his white coat with the 

 advent ol autumn, and it is nothing strange 

 thai the habitation of any one region lor any 

 period of lime, with difference in lood, enemies 

 and in surroundings should work changes ap- 

 propriate to surroundings and enforce charac- 

 ters adapted to individual wants. 



Gentlemen, we believe our game merits 

 belter treatment in tine future than in the past; 

 and classification and nomenclature in pure 



and simple form will aid the people at lai 

 the hitter study <>i species, their habit- ami 

 their wants, and the better in understand the 

 value hi laws in their behalf. Lei ne turn the 

 ccild shoulder to weah minded youthful en- 

 thusiasm whose Mile end is Bel f gratification. 

 Lei us call our deer a deer, and our grouse a 

 grouse, whether speaking of them scientifically 

 or vulgarly. The tendency ol true science 

 to-day is inwards conformity instead of, as in 

 the past, multiplicity, and it is our province to 

 aid and abet this end. 



In accordance with these view-, we submit 



the following nomenclature ol a few species ol 



our game — reserving the balance I'm- nature 

 consideration — and ask its adoption ami habit- 

 ual use by sportsmen. 



DEER GENUS. 



Elk (( ervus alces), commonly called in. 



This animal is identical with the elk of the old 

 world, and should be so called, although bis 



native American name, moose, i-; nut a mis- 

 nomer. 



Wapiti (Cervus C«nad!«isis),improperly call- 

 ed elk. and grey moose. This is an American 

 form, probably having no representation in any 

 Other part of the world. The name elk should 

 never be applied to him, as it belongs to an- 

 other species. 



Deer (Cervus Vtrginianus), also called Vir- 

 ginia deer. Red deer and American deer. 



Caribou (l\fcns tarandus), also called 

 woodland earahou. woodland rein-deer and 

 rein-deer.* 



GROUSE GENUS. 



Grouse, or pinnated grouse (Tetrao cupido), 

 also called prairie chicken or prairie hen. 



Untiled grouse, ( Tetrao umbellus), improper- 

 ly called partridge and pheasant. As this line 

 bird is neither a partridge nor a pheasant, but 

 a grouse, he should be respectfully addressed 

 by bis own name. 



Spruce grouse (Tetrao Canadetisis). Syn- 

 onyms — Canada grouse, spotted grouse, black 

 grouse, and Canada partridge and spruce 

 partridge. As it is not a partridge, ol course 



