On some alleged specimens of Indian Onomatopoeia. 183 



The Beaver (Mass. tiunmunk ; Narrag. tummock ; Abn. tema 

 'koue;) is a ' Cutter-off ' or ' Feller ' [of trees]. Another name (Abn. 

 ameskou; Del. amochk ; Cree amisk; Chip, amik;) signifies the ani- 

 mal which ' puts his head out of the water,' i. e. the air-breathing 

 water-animal. 



The Otter (Narr. nkeke ; Alg. nikik ;) is a 'Biter,' or rather, 'He 

 ' who tears with his teeth.' The Delaware name {gtainamochk, Zeis- 

 berger) means ' Long beaver-like animal.' 



The Raccoon, was called by the Delawares ' Soft hands ' {wtacke- 

 Unsche, Zeisb.), and ' Scratcher' [nac/ieniim). The latter name is the 

 equivalent of the Al)nalvi areskane, and the Virginian aroughcun or 

 arocoun, corrupted by the English to ' Raccoon.' 



The Bear Avas sometimes called a ' night-walker ' (Narr. paitkim- 

 nawdic); and the same name was given to the constellation Ursa 

 Major, perhaps because it was seen to ' travel by night ' about the 

 pole star. Another and the more common name of the Bear, signifies, 

 I think, the ' Hugger ' or ' Squeezer ' (Cree, muskwah ; Mass. mosq ; 

 Chip, makiod ; Del. m,achk). 



The Panther, in some eastern dialects, was ' Long Tail ;' in Chip- 

 pewa and other western languages, he was the ' Great Lynx.' 



The Moose (Abn. moos; Narr, moos;) was a ' Smoother ' or 'Trim- 

 mer' of trees ; so called from his manner of feeding by stripping the 

 young bark and the twigs from the lower branches. 



The Oppossum, in Delaware, was ' White Face,' or ' Great "White 

 Face.' 



The Horse received from the Indians of New England and Dela- 

 ware a name which might pass, better than some of Dr. Wilson's 

 specimens, for onomatopoeic (Narr. nay-nay-o-vm-e-wot^ R. W. ; Mass. 

 nah-nai-ye-um-oo-adt, Cotton) ; but it is in fact a verbal, and signifies 

 " one who cari-ies on his back an animate burden." The Chippewas 

 called him " The animal with undivided hoofs," and sometimes " my 

 "servant" or "my domestic animal," par txcellence {n\li). The 

 Blackfeet named him " elk dog " {ptu no kd mi ta), and the Sioux, the 

 " marvellous (or supernatural) domestic animal." 



The Bald Eagle was ' White Tail ' (Del. icoa2)alamie, Zeisb.). 



The Red-tailed Hawk, F. borealis, was ' Red Tail ' (Del. meechga- 

 lanne, Z. ; Mass. mashquanon). The Swallow-tailed Hawk, K {Nau- 

 clerus) furcatus, was the Delaware 'Fork tail' {cluinwalmine) proba- 

 bly, which Zeisberger calls " an Eagle with a forked tail." 



The Turkey, in eastern dialects was 'Scratcher' (Abn. neheme; 

 Narr. neyhom). 



