A A Merriam on the '■Coties Check List and Lexicon.^ [January 



alternative here. Ampelis must be direct from djiireXis, and ajxireXos 

 is best omitted altogether. 



The lack of clear logic, incisive statement, and proper arrange- 

 ment in the process of derivation confronts one continually. Hel- 

 7ninthophaga (98) is derived from sXjais. This, however, does not 

 have the stem eXiivG-, but £X|j.i-. Galeata (6S4) is deduced from 

 galea^ and that from galeo. The order should he ^ galeata. galeo^ 

 galea. "Cyanocephalus (332). Gr. Kvavos, or Lat. cyaneus., 

 blue." Omit "Lat. cyauetts" and this would be correct. 

 "Cj^aneus (489). Gr. Kvavos, Lat. cyajietis." Read Lat. cyane- 

 us., Gr. Kvdvsos, from Kvavos. "tip (586), a contraction of T|'|jncrvs." 

 The former is the root-word, of which the latter is an extension. 

 "Gr. vTiTTiov (715) ; contracted from vTjTTapiov, a diminutive of 

 vTJTTa." The two first are separate diminutive forms of the last. 



The etymologist and lexicographer must keep in mind that a 

 large and important factor in his work is the proper historical 

 treatment of his words. Derivations and meanings must be 

 traced back through all their phases, and a proper sequence in 

 time or usage must not be violated. Dr. Coues is sometimes not 

 very successful here. Aurum in 336 is, by inference, derived 

 from Gr. avpov, which chances to be a mere transliteration from 

 the Latin, and not found till towards the downfall of the Roman 

 empire. "Falco (498). Gr. c|)a\Kwv, Lat. falco., from falx." 

 Falco is cited as in use at least as early as the second century 

 A. D. in Latin, but (Jj^Xkcov does not occur till some 800 years 

 after, and it must be simpl}^ a late Greek transliteration of the 

 Latin word. Our word Harpy is referred (17, 53^) ^° apirr], "a 

 sickle," — from the crooked beak. In reality, Harpy comes from 

 d'piruitt, a quasi-participial form from the root of dpirajto, "to snatch," 

 and in Homer, where the word first occurs, it is a dim personi- 

 fication of the storm-wind or hurricane, with no element of the 

 bird-form about it, and at all times it was habitually represented 

 with the human head. dpTrr], on the other hand, in Homer is 

 some bird of prey, named from its raptorial habits. 



Motacilla (86) is explained as a hybrid from mota- ki'Ww. We 

 have hybrids enough, certainly, without increasing the list unnec- 

 essarily. Motacilla is a word used by Varro who wrote in the 

 last century before'the Christian Era, and it is cited by him as 

 undoubtedly an old and common word of the people. We can- 

 not suppose, then, that the Italian people, who knew no Greek, 



