Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-07-22
oNE elRp.s NAMES.
Titles By Which the Erlsmatura Rubida IA
 Known In This Country.

huOWn m Lhb CouhhtFys
 People who have never made study of any branch of natural history often speak sarcastically of the Latin namss by which plants, butterflies and other natural objects are called in scientific works. They can not see why our New England ''Mayfiower" should not be called by that pretty vernacular name rather than by the less pleasing foreign name, EpigGa repens. Not to speak of other reasons, however, it is apparent that for the purposes of science it is necessary to have names which are not mere local nicknames, as it were, but names that arc recognized among stu dents the world over.
 As an example of confusing variety of local names applied to the same bird wc may take the case of one of our small ducks. It's "book name" is the ruddy duck, and in scientific language it is called Erismdturd ruGtdd. The first or generic name, ErismGturd, is a Greek compound, of which the first half means n prop and the second half tail, that is to say, the bird has a stiff tail. The second or specific name, rubtdd, means reddish or ruddy.
 The duck is we'll known to gunners, and for that reason has a superabun- dance of what we have called local nick names, many of which are applied in discriminatory to this and other species. Along the New England shore it goes al different points by the following titles: Blue-bill, Broad-bill. Broad-bill dipper, Hard-headed oad-bill. Dipper, Copper, Dapper. Bumble-bee coot, Creek coot, Spoon-bill, Sleepy-head, Goose widgeon, Tough-head and Booby.
 This ought to be sufficiently confus' ing, but as we pass south of New En' gland we find a superabundance of other names: Mud-dipper, Butter-ball, Butter duck, Butter-bowl, Batter-scoot, Blather' scoot, Blather-skite, Sleepy brother Bull-neck, Booby-coot Saltwater teal Brown diving teal, Stiff-tail, Quill-tail coot, Pin-tail, Bristle-tail, Stick-tail Spinc-tail. Dip-tail diver, Dun-bird Hickory-head, Greaser, Water-pa' fridge Steel-head, Book, Paddy, Noddy, Light wood knot, Paddy-whack. Leather-back Dumpling-duck, Hard-tack, and many moro.
 It will be noticed that many of these | names are based upon the same char acter as the generic scientific name that is, upon the stiffness of the tai feathers Many others have to do witl the hardness of the birds head, and th' l difficulty of killing it. As Mir. GurdoI | Trumbull says, in the book from whicl we have taken these names: "To pu shot into Buddy is one thing, to ki him is quite another natter" This ability to stand fire, or, as thu gunners say, ito carry away shot," i happily indicated by a name applied t, l the bird at the West-Shot-pouch. The goodness of the ruddy duck flesh may be gathered from such nam | as Butter-ball. There is another specie which is more commonly known by thi name; but its flesh is less savory, an,
 Mir. Trumbull suggests that it might b
 called Oleomargarine-ball to avoid con
 fusion
 Evidently the ruddy duck is looke
 upon as in some respects foolish creat
 ure with some comical aspects. Henc
 we have names like Sleepy-head, Foo
 duck, Booby and Stub-and-twist.
 A Wilmington gunner called hin
 Dickey-a perverston of the commo
 name Dinkey. Don't you know" sai
 the man to Mr. Trumbull, ''how, whe
 they start, they go dickey, dtcEey, dtckcs
 batting the water with their wings an
 feet?"
 Many of these vernacular names ar
 interesting and more or less appropriate
 but in view of their multiplicity, it
 easy to see one of the reasons why scieT
 tific men find it necessary to nam
 things for themselves rather than aC
 cept tho names which the common pet
 pie have given them.-Youth's Compa1 ion.