iSS4.1 Merriam 071 the ^ Cones Check List and Lexicon.'' A'l 



tiquity, his version is of threat importance, and it settles the ques- 

 tion raised about iliaciis (4), for that is the word which he used 

 to transhite IXias (Hterally "of ilium") which is fnind in the text 

 of Aristotle as the name of a Thrush, and later authors followed 

 him. Some commentators have preferred to change this reading 

 of Aristotle to tWds "gregarious," as found in AtheniEus. in order 

 to secure the more obvious application of the term. The Aristo- 

 telian Tpixas (141) is rendered pllare^ by Gaza, and pilosa hy 

 Thomas, thus showing that they derived it from epi|. In like 

 manner, his version give's a satisfactorv account of hiatictUa 

 (5S9). When translating Aristotle's xapaSpio's, he says, quasi Jiia- 

 ticula dixeris. He was coining a word to suit the radical sense 

 of the Greek. 



Some cases have already been mentioned in which the "longer" 

 or "fuller" form was referred to, where the learner should beware 

 of being misled. A few^ others must not be omitted. Of meoa- 

 rhvnca ( 2S5 ) it is said, "more exactly to be written megalo- 

 rkynca." Not "more exactly" ; for meg^arhyiica is made from 

 one stem, megalorhynca trom another, of the same adjective, both 

 equally legitimate, though the latter is more common. Still, Lid- 

 dell and Scott give nearly twenty compounds into Avhich (le'-ya en- 

 ters. Again, Spe7-mophila (296) "is contracted; the full form is 

 speriJiatophila.'''' But the 'Lexicon' cites more than twice as 

 many compounds from the stem o-irepix- as from o-irepiJiaT-. "We be- 

 lieve either niitrephoriis (392) or tnitrophor?i,s to be admissible ; 

 the former has currency though the latter may be preferable." 

 Both forms are found in good Greek writers, the former in early 

 Greek, the latter later. Possession of the field should be more 

 than nine points in its favor under such circumstances. Thyroi- 

 des (449) is referred to evpeoeiSrls. and the fuller form is said to be 

 Thyreoid es^ ^vhich would be right if the first step w'ere correct ; 

 whoever introduced the word, however, is more likely to have 

 taken it from OupoeiSTfs) "door-shaped," at once, if he has not ex- 

 pressly declared to the contrary. The two words v\'ere confused 

 early. Of Dendrceca (m) the full form is said to be Dcn- 

 drcecetes. Yet there are more Greek models for Dendrceca 

 than for the other form. The ancient compounds of o[k«ttjs 

 or oIktjttjs are very fe^v. And here we mav add that of the two. 

 olKTrrfs is more likely to be the proper form in ornithological 

 compounds, since this means an "inhabitant," the other almost 



