Daily Yellowstone journal., 1886-02-11
STRANGE AND CURIOUS NAMES.
HOW Birds and Animals Got Them AZ
c1rding to Prominent Char pcteri ,tlcs.

HOW Birds and Animals Got Them AZ.
e1rding to Prominent Char acteri,tlcs.
lPittsburg Dispatch
Just how objects get names Is an in
teresting thing to trace among ami
mails and plants the scientific name is
easy enough to accoun: for, lecause men
who study the classification and ar
rangement into genera and species, de-
liberately Set about naming the new OBJ
ect from some popularity, but If ii
should happen that some entirely new
animi appeared, who would go about
giving il name by which those not
familiar with science might call i'll Who
was 1t who frs: called our beast of bur
den horse, and why was it called
horse! Why not lust as we'll have said
pig or COW. Nearly every word has a
history viii h explains the reason of its
existence.
There are many names which bear
their reasons upon their faces, as black
brl. woodpecker ily-catcher, oyster
catcher, pinch. bug, tomato-worm. and
a host of Others. Then there are large
NUN er whose names are easily under
stool, because the words. used in de
scriu.n them are onOmatopetic, that is,
the word in its sound in a measure rep
resents some action of the animal. Ex.
amples of such are hlmming. bird, bum
ble-hee, name corrupted from hum
ble-hee. probably so called from its
habit of storing its honey in the ground
lIoot owl is another, and screech-owl,
A great many animals have English
names which are captured from some
other language. he word bear il
utch. The early English took this
word, but pronounced it herd. and rs
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 this
greatest of lizards they at once recog.
nizel its place in nature and called 1t
el lagarto, or the Ii ard. IL can be
easily seen how nglish sailors, hearing
this ter n 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 great deal or lore stored
up in a single word at times. The
name FOR the king ,sher in ancient times
was the rex halcyon. and it is still so
called, although We have long ago
learned the falla y of its name. They
thought the sea became calm and con-
tinued so while this bird brooIel over
its nest, which was supposed to tioat
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 word changes its appear.
ance is shown in our word redingote.
This word was first an English word.
and was nothing more than a gentle.
mans riding coat. This garment be-
came the fashion in Paris, where they
tried to pronounce it, and, after being
considerably altered, came back to ION
don as garment for ladies, with the
difference in spelling.
Any one who has watched the festive
goat has remarked how sudden and IN.
accountable are his movements He
seems to have no settled idea MS 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 caIs as articles of diet, the ex.
preston IA capricious appetite is full
of force.
How well the words. he is acting the
possum," signifies that one is pretend.
iny 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 rea ly to jump
up and run away.