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cat, which is from ‘‘foul” and ‘‘ marten ;” in Danish the Marten is maar. Gadwal 
is the bird that “‘gads ” or moves about ‘‘ well.” Godwit is ‘‘ good wight” or good 
creature. Goshawk is the hawk that was flown at geese. Grey Lag has been ex- 
plained by Prof. Skeat (Zbis, 1870, p. 301) as the Grey Goose that “lagged” behind 
to breed—as they did formerly—while the other wild species migrated north- 
wards; ‘“‘lag” meaning late, last, slow, as in ‘‘laggard,” a loiterer; a “lag- 
clock ” is one that is behind time. Gyrfalcon is probably the falcon that “‘flies in 
gyres,” but the history of the name is unsatisfactory ; Dr. Coues has lately con- 
nected it with Hiero-falco, the ‘‘sacred falcon ”’—though that now called the 
Sacer or Saker is a different species ; but guessing in etymology is a fatal method, 
for all its fascination. Hen Harrier is the hawk that “‘harries ” or kills hens, so — 
that the name is no reason for calling the male the Ringtail, descriptive though it is. 
Hawk is probably the ‘‘seizer,” and allied to ‘‘have;’ the word ‘‘ havoc,” des- 
truction, is derived from hawk, and to “cry havoc” merely meant ‘‘ ware the 
hawk.” Hobby is the hawk that ‘“‘hops” about. Kingfisher is the ‘‘king of 
fishers ” or the “‘ fisher for a king;” in France it is dedicated to St. Martin, 
martin-pécheur, perhaps with a similar idea of worthiness. Kite is allied to the 
Breton cud, velocity, and cudio, to hover ; Cowper speaks of— 
J “ Kites that swim sublime 
In still repeated circles, screaming loud.” 
” 
The provincial name Glede means the bird that “‘ glides.” Knot is a corruption of 
Canute, probably in reference to the story of the king’s well-known rebuke to his 
courtiers, from the bird’s running along the beach at the edge of the waves. Lap- 
wing has nothing to do with either “‘ flap” or ‘‘ wing ;” it means ‘fone who turns about 
in running,” from the Anglo-Saxon hledp-an, to leap or run, and wince, one who 
turns, akin to “‘ winch” and “‘ wag.” Linnet is the bird that feeds on lin- or flax- 
seed, from the French Jinotte. Loon is from the same root as “lame,” in allusion 
to the awkward gait of divers when on land. Mavis is the bird that ‘‘ destroys 
the vine,” from the French mauvis, formerly malvis in medieval Latin malvitius, 
from malum vitis ; in provincial French it is vendange, the vintage-bird, and in 
German weingartsvogel, the vineyard-bird. Merganser is compounded of the Latin 
mergus and anser, the “‘ diving goose.” Merlin is the hawk that hunts ‘‘ merles ” 
or blackbirds. Missel-thrush is from its feeding on mistletoe-berries ; in Anglo- 
Saxon mistel was used alone in the sense of mistletoe, so that Missel-thrush is 
rather a variant from, than an abbreviation of, Mistletoe-thrush, its name in 
many counties. Nightingale is the bird that ‘‘sings in the night ;” the syllable 
—in—is a case-ending to “night,” the n being intrusive, as “ passenger” is in 
French passager; the Anglo-Saxon galan, to sing, is akin to ‘“‘ yell.” Noddy 
means a ‘“‘simpleton,” one who “‘ nods,” i.e. goes to sleep. Ortolan is the “garden- 
bird,” from the Latin hortus, a garden. Osprey is corrupted from Ossifrage, the 
‘*bone-breaker.” Peregrine is the falcon that was taken on migration, ‘‘ passage- 
hawk.” Plover is from the French pluvier, because, it is said, it only reaches 
France in the ‘‘rainy” season. Pochard is the bird that “‘ poaches,” that is, 
treads into the mire, as cattle do. Scaup is a northern word for a bed of shell- 
fish, on which this duck feeds. Scoter is the “‘shooter” or diver. Snipe is the 
