I. THE ROBIN. II 



such order. In the meantime, the simplest and most 

 descriptive nomenclature is the best. Every one of 

 these birds, for instance, might be called falco in 

 Latin, hawk in English, some word being added to 

 distinguish the genus, which should describe its prin- 

 cipal ^-aspect or habit. Falco montium, Mountain 

 Hawk ; Falco silvarum, Wood Hawk; Falco procel- 

 larum. Sea Hawk ; and the like. Then, one descrip- 

 tive epithet would mark species. Falco montium, 

 aureus. Golden Eagle ; Falco silvarum, apivorus, 

 Honey Buzzard ; and so on ; and the naturalists of 

 Vienna, Paris, and London should confirm the names 

 of known creatures, in conclave, once every half- 

 century, and let them so stand for the next fifty years. 

 8. In the meantime, you yourselves, or, to speak 

 more generally, the young rising scholars of England, 

 — all of you who care for life as well as literature, and 

 for spirit, — even the poor souls of birds, — as well as 

 lettering of their classes in books, — you, with all care, 

 should cherish the old Saxon-English and Norman- 

 French names of birds, and ascertain them with the 

 most affectionate research — never despising even the 

 rudest or most provincial forms : all of them will, 

 some day or other, give you clue to historical points 

 of interest. Take, for example, the common English 

 name of this low-flying falcon, the most tameable 

 and affectionate of his tribe, and therefore, I sup- 



