MOSQUITO-HAlVK—MOTMOT 593 



modern ornithology, under the belief which still very generally 

 obtains among them, as it once did among naturalists, that they 

 formed a distinct species of Duck. The mistake no doubt originated 

 in, and is partly excused by, the facts that the birds called Morillons 

 were often of opposite sexes, and differed greatly from the adult 

 male Golden-Eye, whose full and beautiful plumage is not assumed 

 until the second year. The word is used in French in precisely 

 the same form, but is in that language applied to the Tufted Duck, 

 Fuligula cristata, and is derived, according to Littrt^, from more, 

 signifying black. 



MOSQUITO-HAWK, a name in America for the species of 

 Chordiles (Nightjar). 



MOSS-CHEEPER, a north-country name of the Titlark. 



MOTHER CAREY'S CHICIvEN, GOOSE and HEN— sailors' 

 names, the first of any of the small black or black and white Petrels, 

 the second of the Giant Petrel, Ossifraga gigantea, and the third seems 

 to be applied without much discrimination to any Petrel of middle 

 size. 



MOTH-HAWK, MOTH-HUNTER, names of the Nightjar. 



MOTMOT, according to Hernandez in his Historia Avium Novse 

 Hispanise (p. 52), published at Rome in 1651, was the Mexican 

 name of a bird which he described well enough to leave no doubt 

 as to what he meant ; but the word being soon after printed Momot 

 by Nieremberg and others gave rise to the Latinized Momotus, 

 invented by Brisson as a generic term, which has since been 

 generally adopted by ornithologists,^ though Motmot has been 

 retained as the English form. Linnaeus knew of only one species 

 of Motmot, and referred it to his genus Ramphastos (Toucan) 

 under the name of R. momota. This is the Momotus brasiliensis 

 of modern ornithologists, and from its geographical range cannot 

 be the original Motmot of Hernandez, but is most likely the " Chtira 

 guainmnbi " of Marcgrave. 



The Motmots have been for many years recognized as forming a 

 distinct family, Momotidx or Prionitidx, of the heterogeneous assem- 

 blage known as Picarise or Coccygomoiphm ; and the only question 

 among systematists has been as to their position in that group. 

 This has been discussed and illustrated with his usual assiduity by 

 Dr. Murie {lUs, 1872, pjD. 383-412, pis. xiii.-xv.), who conclusively 

 shewed that Todiis (Tody) was the Motmot's nearest existing 

 relative, while he believed that both Momotidse and Todidx might be 

 placed in one section (Serratirostres) with the Coraciidse (Roller), 

 Meropidai (Bee-eater), and Alcedinidai (Kingfisher). To the latter 



^ Its barbarous origin induced lUiger to substitute for it the word Prionites, 

 and his example has been followed by some nomenclatural purists. 



3S 



