s6 SHORE BIRDS. 
names it from that peculiarity. If we are to instruct and 
names n iromtuai 
raise a higher standard of sport-and this, as f 
is an aim that we shall Dot lore sight o we mu 
our experiences in a way that can be readily understood by 
all, and preach our sermons with “simplicity” for our ex. 
Therefore, we shall begin by giving a list of the birds worth 
shooting commonly called “Bay Snipe” and, as far as pos¬ 
sible, the names of each species used in the districts where 
they are shot. By this, the sportsmen of our coast, from 
New Hampshire to North Carolina, will be able to distin¬ 
guish the same bird under its guise of many local aliases, and 
The list will act as a key for the subject on which we are 
about to write. The following is such a list of birds shot 
over decoys or stools, including the waders and plovers com¬ 
monly called 
my snipe. 
Long-billed curlew {Xamenius longiroetris ), sickle-bill; sabre-btlL 
Sickle-bill Is the name almost universally used. It is simple and 
descriptive. 
Hudsonian curlew ( Xumenius hudsonicus), Jack; short-billed cur¬ 
lew. The Long Island bay men term this bird the Jack, while to both 
the eastward and southward he Is more often called the short-hilled 
curlew. 
Esquimaux curlew (Xumenius borealis), fute; doe bird; little cur¬ 
lew. In the Eastern States it is called the doe bird ; on Long Island 
the fute, and in parts of the South the little curlew. The origin of 
i he first two names we have failed to ascertain; the third speaks for 
itself. 
Black-bellied plover ( Squatarola Helvetica), blaclc-breast; bull-head; 
beetle-head; ox-eye; bottle-head; pilot. On Long Island this bird 
is generally known as the black-breast, on account of the black 
markings of its plumage. The young in August are, however, gray 
on the belly and are often mistaken for a distinct species. In wew 
Jersey and Pennsylvania it is called both bull-head and beetle-head, 
and also, in the latter, ox-eye. On the coast of Virginia, about 
Cobb’s Island, the name cf pilot has been given as it is always seen 
leading the large flights of birds which the rising tides drive from 
the shoal3 and oyster rocks, and It is supposed to direct the flocks 
‘•to pastures new.” This, however, is not the case. It Is the fastest 
flying bird of all the bay snipe, and it cannot fly slow enough for the 
other species. 
Golden plover (Charadrius fulvus var. Virginians), golden-back 
greenback; frost bird; whistling plover; bull-head. On Long 
