COCKTAIL 
255 
COCKTAIL 
Calamanihus fuliginosus albiloris 
I OBSERVE that this bird is called in the books the 
Striated Field-wren. I do not see why we should not 
call it Calamanthus simply : it is easy to say, and is 
probably used by quite a number of working ornith- 
ologists. But as it seems de rigueur to employ an 
English name, I choose one which has been used for 
years by some very old friends of mine for this bird, 
and has the merit of suggesting at once a character- 
istic attitude of the species. I do not like the name 
Striated Field-wren. Certainly the bird is streaked ; 
but it is not a Wren, and the word " field " is out of 
place in this country, even if the bird inhabited fields, 
which it does not. Also there are so many names 
of this type — Striated Field-wren, Grass-bird, Grass- 
warbler, Grass-wren, Ground-wren, Scrub-wren, and 
Little Field-wren, — none of which express any distinc- 
tive character, that one gets simply confused and 
cannot remember which is which. At least, speaking 
for myself, I never can. 
It is plentiful enough, this species, as soon as one 
gets a few miles out of town, along any road to the 
south and east. Furze hedges by the roadside are 
a great resort : you may see the bird, rather like a 
small Ground-lark, but with tail held up over its 
back after the manner of the Blue Wrens, perched 
a few moments on the fence-post, pouring forth a 
