Mar., 1916 
FROM FIELD AND STUDY 
83 
the discriminating mind and eye than is Dwarf Hermit Thrush, Summer Tanager and 
a hundred others in our avifauna, hut I imagine there are few who would advise such 
sweeping changes. 
By all means, let all who wish, call Oceanodroma homochroa, Coues Petrel, or call 
Catherpes m. punctulatus, Ridgway Canyon Wren. That is entirely permissible, but why 
not be uniform and call the birds either after the describer, or as those gentlemen in- 
tended they should be named. 
Another thing to which I should like to call attention, and which I deplore, is the 
practice often followed by some men I know (and mighty good friends I consider them 
tool of calling birds by nicknames. For instance, a short time ago I was privileged to 
see some truly remarkable photographs of birds, the “names” of which were written on 
the backs. That of a flock of Black-crowned Night Herons was labelled “Squawks”; one 
of Black-bellied Plovers was “Grey Plovers”; Western Sandpipers was “Sand Peeps”, 
and several others similarly. These names may be very expressive, and, if a man has 
a fair ornithological education, they will be understood, but the majority of the copies 
of these photos will probably fall into the hands of people whose knowledge of birds is 
limited. It is most important that the little which the lay public knows about birds, 
shall be correct. While a very small youngster, and just starting to collect single, end- 
blown eggs with the help (?) of a couple of popular bird books, I can clearly remember 
what difficulty I had in trying to distinguish between the Kingbird, as given in one book, 
and the Bee Martin in the other. I have never since forgiven the author of the latter. — 
A. B. Howell, Tucson, Arizona. 
A New Fly Trap. — The English Sparrow (Passer domesticus) is by far the most 
abundant bird in the cities of Imperial Valley, outnumbering all other birds (in the city 
districts) about ten to one. I have noticed them on several occasions congregated around 
store fronts early in the mornings while the air was still very cold. Close observation 
showed that the birds were industriously making hearty breakfasts of the flies which 
had settled on the store fronts the warm evening before, and were now benumbed with 
the cold. The supply of flies seemed inexhaustible but these imported fly traps must 
have eaten enormous quantities. I have seen the flies so thick that they could be brushed 
up by the quart. If the supply of English Sparrows in Imperial Valley can be increased 
sufficiently the fly question in that section ought to be solved, for flies, like English 
Sparrows, seem to thrive around our smaller cities and towns. — W. Lee Chambers, 
Eagle RocJc, California. 
Mexican Ground Dove at San Diego. — A male Mexican Ground Dove ( Chaemepelia 
passerina pallescens ) was shot inside the city limits of San Diego on November 10, 1915, 
by H. G. Keith of this city. The bird is now in the collection of the San Diego Natural 
History Society. — Henry Grey, San Diego, California. 
An Early Record of American Scoter for California. — In sorting over an old box of 
bones here, I found the head, wing bones and feet of a bird, bearing the following data: 
44931, Oidemia americana, $, San Luis Obispo, Cal., Spring, 1866, W. F. Schwartz. On 
the back of the label, in Baird’s handwriting, is the statement: “First spec. fr. Pacific 
Coast. Keep. I do not know whether this information has any particular significance, 
since it appears Baird had recorded the species from Fort Steilacoom in his report of 
1858, but it occurred to me this might be the first record for California and therefore of 
possible general interest. — Chas. W. Richmond, Assistant Curator, Division of Birds, V 
S. Rational Museum, Washington, D. C. 
Mexican Ground Dove. Western Grasshopper Sparrow, and California Cuckoo at 
Escondido, San Diego County, California. — During the spring and summer of 1915 several 
species of birds were observed at Escondido, California (elevation 750 feet), which have 
not been found there commonly before; their appearance seems worthy of recording. It 
might be stated here that the rainfall during the spring of 1915 was excessive, which re- 
sulted in an extended as well as good growth of vegetation so that such birds as the 
Cuckoo and Ground Dove might have been led to wander farther than usual from their 
regular range. 
