, 1886-01-07
STRANGE AND CURIOUS NAMES.
How birds and Animals Get Them A.
cording to Prominent CharActsristIo.-

How birds and Animals Get Them 40
cording to Prominent characteristics.
lPittsburR Dispatchl
.iust how objects get names is an in
ieresting 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-
liberately set about naming the new OBJ
iect from some popularity, but IL it
should happen that some entirely new
animal appeared. who would go about
giving 1t a name by which those not
familiar with science might call itf Who
was 1t Uho first called our beast of bur
den a horse, and why was 1t called
horse Why not just as well have said
pig or cowi Nearly every word has a
history which explains the reason of its
existence.
There are many names which bear
their reasons upon their faces, as black
bird. woodpecker, fy-catoher, oyster
catcher, pinch-bug, tomato-worm, and
a host OF Others. Then there are a large
lumber whose names are easily under
stood, because the words used in de-
scribing thom are onomatopetic, that Is,
the word in its sound in a measure rep
resents some action of the animal. Ex-
amples of such are humming- bird, bum
ble-bee, \ name corrupted from hum
ble-bee, probably so called from its
habit of storing its honey in the ground.
lloot-owl is another, and screech-owl.
A great many animals have English
names which are captured from some
other language. 4 The word bear is
Dutch. The early English took this
word, but pronounced 1t bera, and as
it came down it became weather beaten
and changed 10y us into bear. Alligator
is another word which could not stand
the twist OF the English tongue. When
the Spaniards landed there and saw this
greatest of lizards they at once recog-
nized its place in nature and called it
el lagarto, or the lizard. 1t can be
easily 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 has
since ''weathered' into alligator, its
present form.
There is a great deal or lore stored
up in a single word at times. The
name Tor the kingdsher in ancient times
was the Greek haloyon, and 1t 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.
The way n word changes its appear
ance is shown in our word redingote.
This word was first an English word.
and was nothing more thar a gentle
mans riding o This garment be-
came the fashion in Paris, where they
tried to pronounce it, and, after being
considerably altered, came back to Lon
don ms a garment for ladies, with the
difference in spelling.
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
have caper and capricious-goat like.
This gives vigor and vividness to the
world. In view of the goats penchant
for circus bills, old rags. and labels of
fruit q rs articles of diet, the ex
preston "A 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 eve to
the main chance, and is ready to Jump
up and run away.