120 THE QUERIST. 



are ^^commonly called hips." Walker, in his '^Critical (?) Pronouncing 

 Dictionary," has fallen into the same error, giving the word "Heps" as 

 pronounced "hips," though in his definition he says — • 



"The fruit of the dog-rose, commonly written hips." 



The "Encyclopaedia Londinensis," (a.d. 1810,) gives the word thus — 



"Hkps. — Hawthorn berries, commonly written Xn^s." —Ainsworth. 



■with the above quotation from Bacon. And not needlessly to multiply 

 quotations, the 8vo. edition of Johnson's Dictionary, though it professes to 

 be "abstracted from the Folio edition," gives the word 



"Heps— The berries of the brier or dog-rose, commonly written hiT^s." —Ainsworth. 



Not having Ainsworth at hand, I am unable to tell whether the Ency- 

 clopaedia or the Octavo have correctly quoted that authority. There is no 

 need to refer to more recent works. But I may, in conclusion, mention 

 as an interesting relic, (amongst many others of a similar kind in this 

 parish,) of the Saxon original, whence springs our modern "haw" and ^'haw- 

 thorn," that to this day the red berries of the thorn-tree are called haegs, 

 and have with us no other name. The edition of the "Imperial Dictionary," 

 (Blackie, 1850,) however traces the word further than we have surviving 

 links to follow, when he says — 



"Haw (Sax. Haeg, Hag, G. Heck, Ban. Hek, Hekke, a hedge.)— The berry and seed of 

 the hawthorn, that is, hedge-thorn." 



We have heclcs in the sides of our carts, but no such word as haeg-thorn 

 to link the graver Saxon sound, haeg, with the acute Danish, hekke. Still 

 as the Germans have their hayedorn, the Swedes hagtorn, and the Danes 

 hagetorn, it is evident there was once such a word, but that haeg has 

 become haw, as, by a like metamorphosis, saeg (which is still common with 

 us as the name of a well-known joiner's tool) has in general become saw. 

 — E.J. Walker, Guardian Office, Halifax, ■ March 12th., 1856. 



Hips and Haws. — With reference to your inquiry in the last month's 

 '^Naturalist," I apprehend that Hips are the fruit of the wild or hedge- 

 Tose, as haws are of the thorn; at least such is the distinction here, the 

 common term being "heps and hagues." In a glossary of words peculiar 

 to this district, appended to Scatcherd's History of the neighbouring town- 

 ship of Morley, I find the following: — 



"Haguks — The fruit of the hawthorn; hence 'Hagbush Lane, near London. 

 Heps — The fruit of the briar." 



— R., Wortley, Leeds, March, 1856. 



Similar replies have been furnished by Messieurs. John H. Davies^T. S. 

 Tinker, and E. Simpkin, the Eev. R. P. Alington and the 

 — F. 0. Morris, 



