The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-12-31
oNoMAToPEIA.
How Birds and Animals Get Their Strange
and Curious Names, According TO Their
Characterization.

and the consequent trouble came upon
Adam, he seemingly had very little to
do beyond eat, sleep, and enjoy the
scenery. But a little investigation
shows that he had job laid out for him
which must have taxed his ingenuity to
its utmost. Genesis H., 1920, says that
the animals were all passed in review
before him to see what he would call
them Eve was at this time yet attached
to his spinal column and could not as
sist at the work. She would have
lightened his labor very much, as wo-
men are very expert at calling names
usually.
Being not much acquainted with the
habits of his animal compatriots, ne
must have had difficulty in giving them
suitable names-indeed, in giving them
any names whatever. The difficulty
may be appreciated by any one-even
with our present knowledge of the ami
NAL kingdom-who will endeavor 10 re-
cite the well-known names of our most
common animals. If one will try to re-
peat the names of forty animals he win
find it takes him four or five minutes.
Think what task it was to not only re-
peat but invent names for all the animals,
the birds, fishes. and reptiles.
What he called them will never be
known, because we do not know what
language he spoke. We have our En-
glish names for all animals-that is, all
of the more common ones. Some of
them have no names with US except the
Latin scientific one by which they are
known by naturalists.
just how objects get names is an in
teresting thing to trace. Among ami
mails and plants the scientific name is
easy enough to account for. because men
who study the classification and ar
rangement into genera and species. de-
Hberately set about naming the new OBJ
ject from some peculiarly, but if il
should happen that some entirely new
animal appeared, who would go about
giving it a name by which those not
familiar with science might call it!
Who was it who first called our beast Of
burden horse, and why was it called
horseP Why not just as well have said
pig or cowP Nearly every word has g
history which explains the reasons OF
its existence?
There are many names which bear
their reason upon their faces, as black
bird, woodpecker. fly-catcher, oyster
catcher, pinch-bug. tomato-worm, and q
host of others. Then there are large
stood, because the words used in describ.
ing them are onomatopetic, that is, the
word in its sound in a measure repre-
sents some action of the animal Ex
amples of such are humming-bird, bum.
bIe-bee, q name corrupted from humble
bee, probably so called from its habit OF
storing its honey in the ground. Hoot
owl is another, and screech-OWl.
A great many animals have English
names which are captured from some
other language. The word bear il
Dutch. The early English took this
word, but pronounced it bera, and as il
came down it became weather-beaten
and changed by us into bear. Alligator
is another word which could not stand
the twist of the English tongue. When
the Spaniards landed there and saw thi:
greatest of lizards they at once recog
nized its place in nature and called i
Ell LGgdTtO, or the lizard. 1t can be cas-
lily seen how English sailors, hearing
this term constantly, brought the words
home, but not being familiar with
Spanish, the two words were blended
and ellagarto, was the result, which ha,
since ''weathered' into alligator, it,
present form.
Hawk, in old English, was spelled
hEfoc, meaning havoc. A good idea il
thus given of the birds habits, Just as
the raven expresses greed. We say
ravenous to this day.
The names sometimes mislead, as In
the case of our turkey. The inference
here is that Turkey is the native home
of the bird, when in truth it Is q bird
peculiarly our own. The French fell
into like error. They supposed it came
from India, and called it ''d'Inde."
There is a great deal of lore stored up
in single word at times. The name
for the kingfsher in ancient times was
the Greek halcyon, and it is still so
called, although we have long ago
learned the fallacy of its name. They
thought the sea became calm and con-
tinued so while this bird brooded over
its nest, which was supposed to float
upon the water. We call calm. happy
days halcyon days, and it is poetic, even
if the cold, prosy facts do not bear out
the idea.
ance is shown in our word redingote.
and was nothing more than a gentle
mans riding coat. This garment be-
came the fashion in Paris, where they
tried to pronounce if, and. after being
considerably altered, came back to Lon
don as q garment for ladies, with the
difference in spelling.
The history of words is not always to
be relied upon, as shown by our words
turkey and pheasant. The original
pheasant came from the river Phasis.
and the fancied resemblance of our
grouse fastened this name to it.
Those who first saw the leopard with
Its spotted coat attempted to account
for it by sIpposing that it had a lion
leo-snd the giraffe or cameleopard for
parents, calling the result of this most
improbable union the leopard.
ANY one who has watched the festive
goat has remarked how sudden and I'M
accountable are his movements. He
seems to have no settled idea as to Just
what he wants to do. Capra is the
Latin word for goat, and from this we
nave caper and capricious-goat like.
This gives vigor and vividness to the
world. LIZ view of the goats penchant
for circus bills, old rags, and labels Of
fruit cans as articles of diet. the expires
sion ga capricious appetite" is full Of
force.
How well the words, ''he is acting the
possum," signifies that one Is pretend
ing something he does not feel Nearly
every one has seen the 'possum simulate
death on receiving a slight blow, and
has also noticed that he keeps an eye
to the main chance, and Is ready to
jump up and run away.
How full of meat is the slang. 'tMon-
key business" or don't monkey" with
this or that. A vision Of the very tricky,
unreliable, and amusing little beast il
at once called up. What can excite the
ire of a man. especially one Of the
species dude, more quickly than to
speak of him as puppy 1t is full Of
contempt.
While there is nothing more beautiful
and more pleasant to the cultivated cal
than good, pure language. yet there il
certainly strong temptation to use
slang phrases. They express so much II
such q strong manner. Slang Is the
language of the common people who
are only accustomed to words full d
meaning, and there are comparatively
few who do not fall into the way q
using some words not found in the die
tionaries, and more OF such expression
are drawn from the animal kingdom
than b generally supposed
The dictionary is said to be dry read
inc. changes the subject too often. bu
| In reality there are very few books II
which more information and diversion
can be drawn. We can there find
wrapped In the body Of word, whole
poems, bits Of history, the love of ths
ancients, the depraTity of some nations
| the elevation of others, how new world
| arise and old ones die, and, best of al
we are stimulated to . study Of othe
| languages and other people by the thous
| and fragments of their languages found
| there, as the geologist rises through tn
pieces Of mineral IN his cabinet to tn
everlasting works which compose TIL
| universe and through this to the make