NOMENCLATURE. 
-“ all our proudest lore, 
Is but the alphabet of ignorance.” 
UCH hasbren written about the confusion which ex v 
-L’-L ists in the lccal names of our game birds and animals, 
and all to little purpose. Notwithstanding the gallons of ink 
that have been spilled, and the quantities of pens that have 
been spoiled in urging a general reform in local nomencla¬ 
ture, no steps have been taken looking toward the adoption 
of the simple and characteristic English names which ought 
to come into use throughout the whole.shooting community. 
A ruffed grouse is still a “pheasant” in the South and West, 
aud a “ partridge” in the North and East; and while the 
“gopher” of the South i3 a tortoise, the “gopher” of the 
trans-Missouri region is a little rodent nearly allied to the 
squirrel. 
It is evident that we cannot hope in our day to have the 
language of science come into general use among sports¬ 
men, and, on some accounts, it is not desirable, at present, 
that this change should take place ; for, in many departments 
of biology, the scientific nomenclature is only provisional and 
is constantly changing, and a name employed to-day is obso¬ 
lete to-morrow. These changes, of course, are to be kept up 
with only by the specialist. It is not possible that the gen¬ 
eral reader should follow them. 
What we now need are simple English appellations for our 
g ime animals—names which shall recommend themselves to 
everyone, and shall thus force themselves into general favor 
at once. The shore gunners have such names for many of 
our game birds and ducks, and the humble bayman has in 
many cases been most happy in his naming3, a3 there has al¬ 
ways been some reason for homely appellations; He seizes 
some salient and characteristic point about an animal, and 
