[ganong] identity OF ANIMALS AND PLANTS 239 



Siffleur. — Name of a bird mentioned by Le Clercq. It means literally the 

 Whistler. As this name is nqw applied, and very aptly, in Canada 

 to the White-throated Sparrow (C. E. Dionne), it was doubtless so 

 used by Le Clercq. 



Siffleur. — A mammal mentioned by Father Le Jeune in 1636 and others. It 

 was, of course, the Canada Marmot, or Woodchuck, which is called by 

 that name (of course in description of its whistling cry), by the Cana- 

 dian French to this day, according to Mr. Thompson Seton. 



Signe, or Cygne. — French name of the European Swan, transferred to the 

 Trumpeter Swan of Canada. Used first by Cartier in 1535, and by 

 Champlain in 1632. 



Siguenoc. — Mentioned and pictured by Champlain as occurring in New Eng- 

 land, obviously the Horse Shoe Crab; by Lescarbot called ci<juenuux. 



Souffleur. — French name, meaning Blower or Puffer, applied usually as Fois- 

 son Soudeur to the common Porpoise or Sea-hog. Used by Lescarbot 

 for a Porpoise of Acadia, no doubt the common Harbor Porpoise, called 

 by Denys FoursiUe. 



Squid. — English name of unknown origin, but probably, as I would suggest, 

 connected with Squirt, in description of a marked characteristic. 

 Mentioned by Parkhurst, in 1578, as occurring in Newfoundland. Called 

 by the French Encornet. 



Suisse. — French word for Swiss, applied by the French in Acadia, according 

 to Denys, to the Ground Squirrel, or Chipmunk, in allusion to its 

 stripes, which apparently suggested those of the uniform of the Swiss 

 soldiery. Used by various later writers, including La Hontan, and 

 still in use among the Acadians (fide A. C. Smith), and the Canadian 

 French, (fide Thompson Seton). 



Surmullets. — See Mulet. 



Sycomore. — French name for a European tree, of which there is a repre- 

 sentative in America. It does not, however, reach to near Port Royal, 

 where Lescarbot reports this Sycomore, in 1605, as does JJieréville in 

 1710. There appears to be no tree which could be mistaken for it 

 except one of the largest maples, which was no doubt meant by both 

 .authors. 



Tanche. — French name for the Tench of Europe, mentioned in Cnamplain's 

 list of 1632. Since the Tench does not occur in America, Champlain, 

 no doubt, had in mind some of its relatives among our numerous small 

 Dace. 



Tangueu. — Early French name for the Great Auk, called also Apponat and 

 Fcnguln. Littré says the name was applied in the sixteenth Century 

 to the common penguin of the islands around Newfoundland, but gives 

 no clue to its origin. It must be an indigenous and perhaps a native 

 word. Used first by Champlain, who found them in 1604 in the Tusket 

 Islands, and he also describes them in connection with the Magdalens. 

 Lescarbot speaks of pros Tangueu. Sagard, in 1636, speaking of l>\Tàs 



