236 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



Racines (petites) (le la grosseur d'une petit noix, mentioned by Champlain in 

 1603. See Chicamin. 



Racines as good as truffles, which the Indians eat in time of scarcity, of 

 Biard and Lescarbot, and the root, called Rosary by the French, accord- 

 ing to Le Jeune, were, the former at least, Chlcaniins. 



Rale, or Raye. — French name for the European Skates, in a generic sense, 

 extended to our species, generically, by Denys. 



Ramier. — See Tourte. • 



Raspis and Raspases. — Mentioned by Parkhurst in 1578 and by Haie in 1583, 

 and no doubt simply old forms of our modern word Raspberry. Called 

 by the French Framboises. 



Rat iVI usque. — A French name applied to several species of Musk-producing 

 small animals in various parts of the world, and hence naturally applied 

 to our American species. The name is, of course, purely descriptive 

 of its musk-producing habit. Used first by Champlain, in 1603, as 

 Rats musquets, though Cartier, in 1535, had clearly described it under 

 the name raz saunaiges, or Wild Rats, and even simply as ratz. Les- 

 carbot called it Kat porte-musc, and Denys Kat Musqué. This animal has 

 an alternative name. Musquash, said by Dictionaries to be a native Indian 

 name, from an eastern Algonquian dialect, perhaps Abnaki musTcwessu. 

 If this is correct it marks a remarkable coincidence between the 

 French and the Indian names. Champlain gives its picture on his map 

 of 1612, doubtless the first ever published. In Captain John Smith's 

 Generall Historié it is given under 1614 as Musquassus, confirming its 

 Abenaki origin. 



Raz sauuaiges. — See Rat Musqué. 

 Ratz. — See Rat Musqué. 



Renard, or Reynard. — French name for Fox, without distinction of species. 

 Applied to the American species first by Cartier in 1534 as renarz, in 

 1535, regnardz, and by all writers thereafter. Denys makes some 

 clumsy attempt to distinguish the varieties. Champlain gives on his 

 map of 1612, in Acadia, a picture which must be intended for the Fox, 

 though it is without name. 



Requiem, or Requin. — French name for the Shark, without distinction of 

 species, applied by Denys, in 1672, as Requiem to an Acadian species, 

 probably the Basking Shark. Mentioned also by Le Clercq, in 1691, as 

 " Requin, called by some Requiem." The shark is still called Requin, 

 or Mar ache by the Acadians. 



Richars. — Name used by Cartier, in 1534, for a bird which can only be, in 

 view of his description of its habits, the Puffin, or Sea Parrot (Per- 

 roquet de mer). The name does not occur in French dictionaries and 

 must be indigenoiis. It appears not to be used by any later writer. 



