EARLY HISTORY OF THE WAXWING 463 



by Schwenckfeld in 1603 in his u Theriotrophevm Silesise"; 

 and it became a generic name with Brisson in 1760, and 

 later with Vieillot. It is interesting to observe, in this con- 

 nection, that a modern Greek name of the bird, f6.<pa.\oq (or 

 Gnaphalvs, as rendered by Gesner), is of similar import, mean- 

 ing a lock of wool ; the obvious implication of all these terms 

 being the remarkably smooth, soft, as if fleecy, plumage of 

 the bird, as characteristic as the berry-eating habits, which the 

 set of words from a/j.xelo<; signalize. The impertinence of the 

 English term "chatterer" as applied to birds of this genus 

 has been frequently criticised by writers, the species being 

 notably silent, or only sibilant. I do not know when or by 

 whom the name may have been first used in this connection, 

 or what equivalents may be found in other languages. The 

 term may be simply rooted in Qarrulus, which, as we have 

 seen, was long in use for the bird, not considered as specially 

 loquacious, but simply as a species of Jay; yet we may readily 

 suppose that the enormous multitudes which sometimes ap- 

 pear make a great deal of noise, about the quality of which 

 people were not very particular when they came to call the 

 birds " chatterers ". The Linna3an use of garrulus as a trivial 

 designation may have been purely arbitrary, or by simple ver- 

 sion of an old generic into a new specific term ; his practice of 

 naming justifies either supposition. There is, however, as we 

 learn from Gesner (see note on a preceding page), among the 

 old vernacular names of the bird one derived from its voice ; 

 this is Zinzerelle, a word well formed to express the soft sibi- 

 lant notes of the bird. The meaning of our English name 

 " Waxwing " is obvious ; the period and circumstances of its 

 introduction I know not. 



In olden times, when popular ignorance dreaded everything 

 extraordinary, the occasional apparitions of the Bohemian 

 Waxwing caused general consternation, and supernatural 

 powers of portent were attributed to the bird that came 

 whence no one knew, and departed as mysteriously. I could 

 fill many pages with the history of such occurrences, often 

 couched in the most exaggerated language 5 but a few ex- 

 amples must suffice. Thus, Gesner narrates that in the year 

 of our Lord 1552, these birds appeared between Mayence 

 and Biugen on the Rhine in such numbers that they darkened 

 the light of day as they flew "inter Mogentiam & Biugam 

 iuxta Ehenum maximis examinibus apparuerunt in tanta copia, 



