228 
THE CONDOR 
Vol. XVI11 
bird which distinguishes it from its relatives in the same genus. Where the character 
is one of habit or pertains to its notes and song the present participle is the form the 
adjective takes. Thus we have Laughing Gull, Cackling Goose, Whooping and Whist- 
ling Swans, Whooping Crane, Ant-eating Woodpecker, Worm-eating Warbler, Warbling 
Vireo, and Mourning Warbler. Departures from this practice occur in such names as 
Melodious Grassquit, Clapper Rail and Trumpeter Swan, but these forms seem permis- 
sible. ■( Tti 
There are two names, however, which are very much off color, Screech Owl and the 
Song Sparrow. It seems that, aside from the grammatical error committed, the more 
prevalent practice should have dictated that these names be Screeching Owl and Sing- 
ing Sparrow. Screech Owl and Song Sparrow seem good enough names through long 
usage, but witness how ludicrous the above list of birds would appear were we to change 
their names to agree with the form expressed in the case of the owl and the sparrow. 
We would have Laugh Gull, Cackle Goose, Whoop and Whistle Swans, Whoop Crane, 
Warble Vireo, Mourn Warbler, Melody Grassquit, Clap Rail and Trumpet Swan! 
Nouns are used as adjectives, but the meaning is totally different from that in which 
the present participial form is used. Thus, where we have cow-barn, tire-rack, shot-gun 
or iron knife the meaning is a barn for a cow, a rack for tires, a gun for shot, and a 
knife of iron; simply a phrase shortened into two nouns, one of which is used as an 
adjective. The meaning of Screech Owl and Song Sparrow is obviously an owl which 
screeches and a sparrow which sings, and not an owl for screeches nor a sparrow for or 
of song. 
So when we get around to doing any changing of names let us set these right before 
the Gull, Swan and Goose laugh, whoop and cackle at the poor little owl and sparrow! — 
J. R. Pemberton, Colton, California. 
Are there Two Forms of the Bryant Marsh Sparrow in San Francisco County? — 
Joseph Mailliard's note on the Bryant Marsh Sparrow in a recent issue of The Con- 
dor suggests a solution to what has been a puzzling problem to me for some time. I 
have found the Bryant Marsh Sparrow breeding on the Islais Marsh, south of the Po- 
trero district. But there are other birds apparently of this species, averaging somewhat 
lighter, however, found resident in the Presidio, on the Ingleside Golf Links, and high 
up the slopes of Twin Peaks. I have noted them many times during the breeding season 
at the two last named stations. Most of the books speak of this sparrow as though it 
were found nowhere else than on the salicornia marshes near sea level. It is my opinion 
that there is an upland form of Passerculus sandvrichensis bryanti which verges toward 
P. s. alaudinus, and that it ranges from Humboldt County south at least to the Transition 
area of San Francisco County. I may add that I noted this same light-color Bryant 
Marsh Sparrow last July on the uplands of western Sonoma County some miles from the 
sea. — W. A. Squires, San Francisco, California. 
Caspian Tern in the San Joaquin Valley. — At the time of the appearance of the Sep- 
tember (1916) number of The Condor, I had what appeared to be in newspaper parlance 
a “scoop” on the Caspian Tern ( Sterna caspia) in the way of a late summer, or early fall 
interior record, and had a short article upon this subject scrolled out, waiting only the 
disappearance of this species from the scene before finishing it up and sending it in to 
the Editor. But meanwhile the above-mentioned number of our journal came out con- 
taining John G. Tyler’s Supplementary List of Birds of the Fresno District , in which 
there are several records of this species. 
However, as Grinnell’s Distributional List of the Birds of California gives this bird as 
a “Rather rare winter visitant and migrant, both coastwise and in the interior”, with a 
few records following, most of which are winter with only two spring and no fall records, 
it should be worthy of note that several individuals have been paying a prolonged visit 
to the Rancho Dos Rios, near the mouth of the Tuolumne River, Stanislaus County, as 
many as a dozen having been seen at one time and two specimens taken for positive 
identification. 
It happened this summer that some seepage water was left on our ranch in a de- 
pressed piece of ground several acres in extent, and the resulting shallow ponds proved 
very attractive to several species of aquatic birds. Among these the Caspian Tern chose 
