137 



ADDENDA TO MR. MORRIS'S DERIVATIONS OF THE LATIN 



NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



By Mr. T. B. Hall. 



In looking over a list of derivations of the names of our British birds prepared 

 by me a few years ago, I find the following which are not given in the list 

 furnished by the Rev. F. 0. Morris, in the second volume of your Magazine 

 (pp. 24, 70, 140), and I have supplied the omissions as far as I am able, in the 

 order they occur there. 



Buteo. Bvtbuv, from Bvror, food. Buzzard, so named from their rapacity. 

 Falco. Or from falx a hook. Falcon, so named from their hooked talons 



and beak. 

 tinnunculus. From tinnio, to chirp, so named on account of its noise. The 



specific name of the Kestril. 

 Mihus. Velpotius Miluus, Quasi molliter volans, from its easy flight. Kite. 

 Strix. Abbreviated from Strinx, which is derived from T£<£y, to shriek. So 



named from its noise. Owl. 

 Noctua. From nox, quia noctua volat, because it is abroad only in the night. 



Owl. 

 Corvus. From kara, Heb., to make a noise. So named from their croaking 



noise. Crow. 

 Pica. Quasi picta, from its various colours. The specific name of the 



Magpie. 

 Upupa epops. Eww^, from mi upon, and o-^ts the face, or from up up, the cry 



that it makes. The Whoopo or Hoopoe. 

 Pyrrhula. Rather wofptsXvi, from iropp red, and apx, a tail. Bullfinch. 

 Passer. A patiendo, because it was anciently supposed to be subject to 



epilepsy ; or from tsipor, Heb. Sparrow. 

 Turdus. Quasi tardus, from their late appearance. Thrush. 

 pilaris. From pilus, hair. The specific name of the Fieldfare. 

 (Enanthe. O/vav0n, from ooos wine, and a*9os a flower. A name given to a 



genus of plants (Drop worts), because their flowers smell like the Vine ; 



but why given as a specific name to the Wheatear ? 

 Hirundo. Ab herendo, from their sticking their nests to the eaves of houses. 



Swallow. 

 Columba. From ytoXv^xu to swim. So named from their swimming motion 



in the air. Dove. 

 CEnas. Oiws from oms wine. So called from its colour, which is like the 



black grape. The specific name of the Stock Dove. 



