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 82 THE CONDOR Vol. XVIII Canachites [ranklini. Franklin Grouse. Not common resident of the heavily tim- bered sections. An adult female examined October 10, 191.5. Aquila chrysaetos. Golden Eagle. Rare. An adult male examined, taken Octo)er 11, 1915. Otus asio mac[arlanei. Macfarlane Screech OwL Rare resident. A specimen in the gray phase examined January 18, 1916. It was taken in a pigeon coop within the city limits, having forced its way into the coop and killed and partly devoured a pigeon when taken. Regulus .calengula. Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Common in spring in fir thickets. Probably resident. Specimen taken April 20, 1915. On December 9, 1915, I was surprised to hear faint notes of the Bluebird (Sialia mexicana occigentalis?) and discovered three individuals flying rather low over the housetops. Later I was told that three Bluebirds had spent two days, December 10 and 11, in and about a bird house in a pine tree in this city not far from where I had noticed them flying overhead. The weather being not far from zero, and with deep snow, this struck me as being an unusual record-for Bluebirds in this vicinity. During the extreme cold weather and deep snow prevailing from January 1 to 20 of this year, many .small owls, particularly the Saw-whet (Cryptoglaux acagicus) and Screech Owls, took refuge in barns and outbuildings, and were attacking pigeons and chickens. In one instance a Saw-whet had killed and partly eaten a bantam chicken.-- HrNR J. RUST, Coeur g'Xlene, Igaho. Plumage of the Young Male Red-shafted Flicker.--Near the Biological Station at Flat- head Lake, Montana, I found last summer a nest of the Red-shafted Flicker (Colapres ca[e' collaris) containing six well grown young. In the process of banding these young, I noticed that one of the birds was already equipped with the red mustache marks, the fearacrs then just breaking the sheaths. In all the books in which I have searched for information on this subject the statement is made that young flickers lack the mustaches. This observation, hoarever, indicates that in some individuals the young male has this mark, even in the nestling plumage.--ARETS A. SU,DFS, ew ttaen, Connecticut. Concerning Vernacular Name8 of Paaser domesticus.--In looking over THE Cornea of January, 1916, I notice, in treating of a publication by Ernest Harold Baynes, that the reviewer, among other things, says: "The English Sparrow, or European Sparrow as Mr. Baynes calls it, apparently has no terrors for the author;" etc., etc. This brought back to me the thought that has often occurred to me before, why this unwelcome alien should be so persistently known as the "English" Sparrow. If the bird was originally brought over from England, one would not consider the name unfair, but England is a small spot on the map of Europe, and who knows from what country it was really introduced into North America? I have found no record as to this; Chapman, in his "Handbook", states that it was "first introduced int. o the United States at Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1851 and 1852"; but from what country and by whom is not stated. I believe that I am not alone in the opinion that "House Sparrow" or "European Sparrow" would be far better, and more correct.-- H. H. MTCHELL, Provincial Museum, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canaga. Auburn Canyon Wren: An Objection.--Having often thought over just the point brought up by Dawson in the last CONOS, page 33, I would like to offer a few opinions of my own; all in a most friendly spirit of discussion. I do not believe that vernacular names should be governed by as strict rules of prior- ity as are the scientific names, for it is well to have a loop-hole through which to crawl in case of a serious error, or, as in the case of the "Louisiana" Tanager, when subsequent alterations of political boundaries make the old name too misleading. I approve of the change to the name of Western Tanager, and I think it high time that some of the, other misleading geographical names of birds were changed. The case of Catheres m. unctuZatus is a different matter, however. The bird is dotted, although this character is not as noticeable as the prevailing color, of course. Uniformity in all things is desirable, and especially so in scientific matters. If we alter one English name to another that is slightly more appropriate, the whole A. O. U. Checle List should be gone through and revised. Dotted Canyon Wren is no more offensive to