Local Names of Migratory Game Birds. 3 
divided into two categories: (1) Those which are, or have been more or less recently, 
in actual vernacular use; and (2) book names. The latter include such names as have 
been invented by various authors and have never gained vernacular currency, and 
other names which, although they may have been spoken in the past, are now known, 
or thought, to be obsolete. 
EXPLANATORY NOTES. 
Under vernacular names, the heading ‘‘In general use,’’ is to be understood with 
relation to the range of the bird; thus names in general use for the southern black duck 
are only heard in the few States in which that species lives, not over the whole United 
States. On the other hand, a name in use in a considerably larger number of States 
may not be ‘‘in general use,”’ if the species ranges throughout the country. Trans- 
lations are given of names seeming to require it, as are explanations in the case of 
certain unusual English words. In many cases the “translations” do not literally 
give the meaning of the foreign term, as the latter is a specific name in that language 
for the bird in question, the derivation of which may be lost in antiquity; in such 
cases the explanatory term is an equivalent rather than a translation. 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 
The standard work on the local names of game birds since the time of its publication 
(1888), has been Gurdon Trumbull’s ‘‘Names and Portraits of Birds Which Interest 
Gunners.’’ All American names cited in this most excellent work have been incor- 
porated in the present publication, which, for the families covered, treats nearly three 
times as many species of birds and contains a total of more than twice as many names. 
Originals or electrotypes of Edwin Sheppard’s drawings in Trumbull’s work have been 
made available for reproduction by Mrs. Gurdon Trumbull, and by Harper & Brothers, 
and their courtesy is gratefully acknowledged. A large number of naturalists and 
sportsmen also have aided by contributing notes on vernacular names in response to a 
questionnaire sent out by the Biological Survey, and the assistance has been greatly 
appreciated. 
AN APPEAL FOR COOPERATION. 
Information will be appreciated both as to names not included in this glossary, and 
as to additional localities where included names are used. In fact, any and all data 
on the vernacular nomenclature, not only of game but of all birds, will be welcomed. 
