50 A GLOSSARY OF GREEK BIRDS 



rY^* {continued). 



yv^ is, like alyvinos, a generic word for Vulture. In Arist. H. A. 

 viii. 3, 592 b, two species are distinguished, o fiev fxiKpos xni eKX^vKorepos, 

 6 8e fj.fi(ap Kai aTToSofidfa-repos. Four vultures occur in Greece, Gypaehis 

 barbatua, the Lammergeier, Viiltur fulvus, the Griffon Vulture, V. cine- 

 ret(s, the Black or Cinereous Vulture, and Neophron percnopterus. 

 Sundevall and others have tried to apportion among these four the 

 names (\)i]vr], TrepKvoTTTepos, and the two varieties mentioned of -yur//-. 

 But I think it certain that here the small white Neophron is meant 

 as the one variety, and that the larger darker sort includes the other 

 three. The true Vultures were usually spoken of as dark-coloured or 

 black ; e. g. Plin. x. 6 vulturum praevalent nigri, cf. Phile 130 ; Juv. Sat. 

 xiii vulturis atri poena ; Senec. in Thyeste, visceribus atras pascit 

 effossis aves. 



rn'4'. A Macedonian name for the Jackdaw = /coXoioj, Hesych. 



AA'KIA' to aypia opviQapia, Hesych. 



AAKNI'Z, Hesych. An unknown bird. Also SoKj/a?, Festus: Dagnades 

 sunt avium genus, quas Aegyptii inter potandum cuni coronis 

 devincire soliti sunt, quae vellicando morsicandoque et canturiendo 

 assidue non patiuntur dormire potantes. 



AA'NAAAOI* 6 epidaKOs, to opvtov, Hcsych. 



AEI'PHZ. A name for the Sparrow in Elis. Nicander ap. Athen. 

 ix. 392 a. 



Al'rHPEI- (TTpovdol, Hesych, Cf. SpTJyes. 



Al'KAIPON, also SiKatov (Ael. iv. 41) = Arab, zikanon. An Indian 

 ' bird ' as large as a Partridge's tg^, whose dung causes a pain- 

 less death like sleep; Ctesias p. 313, Ael. iv. 41, Phile, De 

 Anim. Propr. 33 (32), v. 761. The 'bird' was the Dung-beetle, 

 Scarabaeiis sacer, L., Arab. zikano7i ; the ' dung ' was probably 

 confounded with charas, a resinous preparation of Indian hemp. 

 Vide Valentine Ball, Indian Antiq. xiv. p. 310, 1885; also Proc. 

 R. I. Acad. (2) ii. 



AI'KTYI- 6 i/cTii/of, iiTto Aanavrnv, Hesych. : cf. Ikt'is. The word is more 

 than doubiful as a bird-name, and is applied to a Libyan animal 

 by Herod, iv. 192. 



APAKONTI'Z. An unknown or fabulous bird, into which one of the 

 nine Emathidae, daughters of Pierus, was metamorphosed; 

 Nicand. ap. Anton. Lib. Met. c. 9. 



