I/LO CoUES 071 Ornithophilologicalities. [April 



song of which is of such a definite number of distinct notes. I 

 have heard all three variations successively produced by the same 

 bird, showing them to come within the normal scope of its vocal 

 powers. What appears to be the typical song may be repre- 

 sented thus: chit^ chit^ che-che-che-che-che\ and one of the 

 variations thus : chit^ tit^ ter-r-r-r-r-t^ the last part with a grating 

 sound. In the former song the notes of the last part are of about 

 half the time of the first ; in the variation they are much 

 more rapid. In the third variation they are not so hurried and 

 less harsh. 



ORNITHOPHILOLOGICALITIES. . 



BY PROFESSOR ELLIOTT COUES. 



( Concluded from p. ^8.) 



No. 512. Buteo. This we gave as the Plinian name, but of doubtful 

 etymology. Mr. Wharton, in the ' Ibis List,' makes it cognate with Pvas, 

 Pv^a, bubo, bubere, to cry like a bittern, biicca^ the cheek, etc. 



No. 52S. Urubitinga. We said that this was a barbarous word of some 

 South American dialect, urubu meaning a vu?ture, but did not know what 

 the rest of the Avord is. The 'Athenzeum' reviewer supplies the desired 

 information, stating that tinga is a word of the widely diffused Tupi 

 language, spoken throughout a gi-eat part of Brazil, and meaning 'white,' 

 in the sense of 'bright,' and that urtibitinga is simply 'beautiful vulture.' 



No. 532. Aquila. This, which we discussed very unsatisfactorily, Mr. 

 Wharton in the ' Ibis List' disposes of without query as from the root of 

 aqtiilus, dark, dx.XiJS, mist, wxpo's, sallow. A case like this, where we were 

 groping, is just one in which Professor Merriam might have resolved 

 our doubts, and done good service. 



No. 533. Albicilla. (See Motacilla.) Mr. Wharton says: from 

 *albiciila, dim. of albics, white; probably confused with an impossible 

 derivation from a non-existant word, kiXXos, a tail. Existant or not as such 

 a word may be, our contention is, that Haliaeliis albicilla = white-tailed 

 sea-eagle, and was not intended to mean anything else. 



No. 539. Columba. We gave this as simply Latin for a pigeon, of un- 

 known etymology. Mr. Wharton says: "probably as if meaning 'dark,' 

 from the root of caligo = darkness. But cf. Lith. gnlbe = swan, O. Irish 

 gall, with the meaning white. Probably noi akin to Colymbus." We sus- 



