The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-08-26

Cfus0n 70 contemplate, namely, tnAt al
animals originated within their present limits, aud were
produced in the harmonious numerical prousion with
which observe them.
In reply 10 In. Robertson, who seemed to think that
animals had on come occasions enlarged their sphere by
migration, Prof Agassiz said that he not aware OF
had been removed by the hand Of man. He also Oh
served that science did not lead one to the conclusion
that the number OF animals on the earth had ever been
smaller than Vt Is Men had occasionally oyerfed
animals and killed them, Just as they n anured their
fields and made hsm yield than usual; but these
were intererencss with tue order OF nature e., .s,
supplied Dr. Robertson with more information on the
subject the section adjourned
PAPERs READ IN THE GEOLOGICAL SECTION, IN
THE MORNING OF SATURDAY.
on TlIK NAMES ANIMALS WITH REFERENCES ErHSoLoCY,
by DR.. DAVID wEsIASD.
He started from the fact that The Ago Saxon race did
not form new names for the animals of this coun
try. but use nearly throughout English names, which
mean in England European animals for the American
animals entirely different from the European
In looking over the panes in other Languages which
familiar TO him he found the fact with all OF
Them namely that every nation has true names that is
true roots OF words for Its native animals only well
for its native plants and that no nation has our own true
rae for foreign animal plant but that it for
these either he pane of other languages or merely ar
fetal rames, (guneapig. for instance)
lie prCyed this statement by many examples. He
showed that the lion tor instance has in the
Teutonic languages but has one viz leon, ir the Pelas
sic Greek and another ar in the Semitic Ian gpages The
fact known in zoology that the lion has never lived in
Central Europe the nat country OF the Teutonc Ian
Ruages. Therefore, he has ram there; but he
hvtd once in Greece, therefore be has own name
there He lived ard lives Arabia the native country
OF the Semitic languages therefore he has another true
name while the Teutonic languages have borrowed his
name from the Greek the nearest alton which had the
lion.
The tiger, animal as typical as the ou ha, orgi
nal name in any european language The root tiger"
Is borrowed from an Asiac language for this carnvo.
rious animal Hves only Ia ASIA
The elephant s another example OF the same k nd.
All Eulopesn snxaas, haze borrowed the name from
The name camel is Semitic (gasm1eD. Az European
languages have borrowed the name. The camel Is
tive OF Arabia; therefore the Semitic languages have O
true I for II; bu. lived in Europe; therefore
all European languages had 10 borrow 1t from the ae
brew. The pan ass" is another example Of exactly
the same kind as the camel.
Now one might think that this shows nothing else than
that II e European nations a came from Asia and natu
animals mentioned above. Blu! the name lion,
which has Pelasgc root name, and again ano-
Their in the Semitic languages, has shown the
impoesibity Of this supposition; and l VIII now
bring 60 re examples more which show that this com
mon conclusion Involves a great pathological mistake
For the hare species Of animal spread all Europe
and temperate ASIA know three different root
given by different nations har, 7 hare in Teuonc;
lepus, in pelasgc; and : srnaebaelt," In Semitic.
The hart has two different root names in Europe, be-
be within the boundaries OF two different
nations Chart" "hrsch" in the Teutonic aud
"cevus' IN he Pelasgc There L no nsme for this ru.
mral in the Semitic regsn, because be doe; not live
there.
Exactly the same Is the case With the roe And so we
could 60 on. The pane Of every typical animn sho~s
the uu,h OF the statement thai nations have true
only for their naive animals And thu the
with tiants; and II ever ration forms a name for
foreign animal u is always merely comparative ar,i
fetal name Ike riverhorse, guneapg, bat never true
root name
But let US row take broader view OF this Law Only
in The infancy OF nation while forming her language,
can she oralDat root words
No philoogis Will object this Moreover it is very
probable that these OF animals were among
The 6st words OF the language OF every nation (Adam
named the animals before he spoke word 20 hu
beng Genesis H. l9), for the attention OF man thus
IN the state Of nature would naturally be drawn the
Annals tbose beings around him amin sted Ike himsa
from this follows Immediately the law, that wherever
we find language OF a nation having root for all
the typical apimals Of particular country, in that
country originated tie language Of that nation and that
THIS country also was passed the nianc, of the nation
Let Us show by example how striking this law
language so rich in names for the animals Of her country
a. tie high German. do not know ten among all (per-
APPS Gu) fresh water hes Of Southern Germ any hich
lave not their own root name; neither Is there 10 be
found pcal mammal bird reptile, hich ha,
Iot IFS And this language has no names
the animals Of those very which border upon
lower Germany All those sea animals have merely art
fetal and comparative names seetund (seadoc) for
fcal s,sc,cin, (Fca hos) for dolphin seee (sea por.
sctc.fti Cea dcvi), for that curious fsh, sophius.
From nis fact we conclude that the Infancy Of the
German ton, the time when she formed her language
psss,d in the mountain regions OF Southern Ger
many; While the Anglo Saxon nation, as far as know
her shetase t now sec ms 70 De more an oceanic na
tiep, Ike the Scandnavians, whose languages
bsrkable for their richness in rames FOR animals
beor sing 10 ocearic nations.
THIS, however closely allied the Different nations or
,hc I, utonc family may be- still they have been
d,ctd already IN their Infancy when they formed their
language.
Mr. WxlMAsp said he wished 10 add a merely philolos
cal sew Of those rames OF animals. see the Hebrew
and ether dictionaries spent much labor In deriving all
Tie rtmes OF animals from Abstract roups for instance
the bebrew name for the serpent, "L11ch" from an
abstrt CT noun, .tdraft - which means Ito fly away
or h ,na Tar name o ae horse
q 10 be in hurry /" Now ask the phlologls, which Is
more raturai that nation notices fra the abstract and
Then The concrete that she first notices aud
concrete and then makes abstract OF that say
that she first makes name FOR an anmal-ior instance
or the serptntand then rses this name for expressing
qtesresss He thought tie latter, and would therefore
cervatc hay 10 be 10 hurry, from hcse horse
lie thought that this reelection Was fully justified and Illus
aicd by the Egyptian hierogyl hcs, when express, By
the forms OF animals, abstract ia ,ughs.
on IHE RELATIONS BETWEEN THE cniSnm ASp the iypo
~ RorsAs LANGUAGES. 81 PROFESSOR $. = uALpKMAs,
II ose for anaoses the Chinese and the
uages Europe usually endeavor to find words which
have identity Of form AMI meaning and II they find
toz Of such words they think the analogy proyed Bat
ib under the peculiar circumstances OF the case IL not
reliable test Chinese ID limited 10 a few hundred mo
toey atic words; while there are fifteen hundred such
words IN English. Chinese words must consequently
ave many meaning, and among them some correspond
with English words II las any dieren. characters,
hich read ,un, and the several meanings OF many
u n EN- very diverse beiire, reoi ict, fbsrat
out none q these numerous meanings sgrce With the
tpelsh 'yilaele Sun, o. ie tn. resembles the Ian.
word may be used for dgst, dog, ease, take, sics
In Chinese, ottawa y cut Town 10 Pa" ani II
ated similarly 1CTUs bow. nigh, become
~; and pRECUR, pray, might become lee or SEC, Il
beng absent and must reduce Latin 10 such p,sble
Chinese forms before compare them properly.
TIE lecturer assumed certain Chinese words like Lee,
Sic, &c TO be compounds, In which &c Is the roo;
and that the Greek word ech o. appears in the Latin
YoX voice. OQyR 10 speak PPEf0R to Iray &C and the
contends that this rect (Which essentially the Ia
Chnee Greek latin and Welsh, both In form and
pg,) s enlarged by the same predSes in the same
ntr with the same result as 20 meaning, We have maze
sds In the direction CT the primitive Identity OF
tie whole.
A series Of examples was then cited, 10 which the
ChIcse root varied by the prehxos g. b. IN which
they sgrccd with European forms. Thus, the Chinese
wrd ek means the noise ofspIttng; Greek AGO. break
attn, iC.tus, knock With the prefix we get Chinese
SEX 10 cut or 70 split wood; Heb, sahhaph 10 scrape,
Istp, SEc0 cut OIL Greek, rhosas, split; wetsh sig
sbatter recho, TO hackney; Hebrew, rehheh, mill
stone.
With the prefix Chircse touk TO hack, hoe tok, to
scrape 10 hack tel any thing made shoi ter Welsh toe
what 10 abrupt tccio, 10 dock, tive a cut
With the prefix l-Chircse ok, sabre wound. lex 10
cut scrape Latin IlGO hoe, and With x, Chinese kcS
a spear. Other examples in Sufficient number, were
show that this gIiformity could be accidental