iSS^-l Stejnkger oil AiKilcftd Oriiillioloiricn. I ^ ■^ 



No. 598. Strepiihis /iifcr/>r('S.—-Iiifcrpres is ;i translation of the Swe- 

 dish vernacular name 'tolk,' interpreter. Nilsson informs us, however, 

 that Linna;us was mistaken in applying it to this bird, as it is Totanus 

 calidris which in Sweden is called 'tolk,' on account of its loud voice, by 

 means of which it warns the other birds from the skulking gunner (Skand. 

 P'auna Fogl., 3d ed. II. p. 171 ). 



No. 606. Scolopax rusficida. Riistirola was 'emended' into riisdciila 

 as early as 1779 by Bock in ■Naturforschcr.' XIII, p. 211, and he was fol- 

 lowed by Gloger, Naumann, Schilling, and Cabanis, the latter also 

 intorniing us that it was written so bv the Romans — Plinius, Columella, 

 etc. (J. f. Orn., 1853, p. 374). 



No. 67S. Porzana maructfa. — 'Marruette,' as the French write it, 

 seems to be rather of Spanish origin than Italian. The Spanish word 

 inarjal (pronounced marshal) means a marsh (Fr. marais). Or it may 

 simply be derived from mar, ^ sea, large lake, and the ending eVrt (cf. 

 g'allineta). Another similar word, marho/'o, is said to mean moss. 



No. 690. Cyg-nus musicus. — The term mnsiciis is applied in allusion to 

 the alleged song of the dving swan {cf. Aristoteles. Hist. Amin.. lib. IX. c. 

 12). 



No. 712. — Linnaeus wYote. penelope in 175S, a.nd peiielops in 1761. 



No. 728. Harelda . — This is probably only a typographical error for 

 Havelda, which is the Icelandic and Norwegian name of the bird, Hav 

 meaning sea, ocean. 



No. 739. Pcrs-picillata. — After all. Dr. Coues did not 'guess aright,' even 

 •as a matter of fact.' It is true it does not mean "spotted, as if covered 

 with looking-glasses," but simply "supplied with spectacles" {ferspicilla 

 of mediaeval or later Latin =1 spectacles). The definition is clearly given 

 in Steller's and Pallas's descriptions of P//alacrocorax perspicillata: "Cir- 

 culo cutaneo oculos ambiente albo .... Ob oculorum circulos quasi per- 

 spicilla referentes .... ridicula admodum avis .... Foemina minor, 

 crista perspicilioque destituta." (Zoogr. Ross. Asiat., II. p. 305). 



No. 746. Snla. — Nilsson says: ••Sula or Stilii is an old Norwegian 

 word still in use in the mountains, and means swallow. Havsula is then 

 sea-swallnw, tbe name having been applied to tliis bird on account of its 

 high and beautiful flight; the Black Stork is for the same reason called 

 'Odin's Swallow.""' (Skand. Fauna Fogl.. 3 ed. II, p. 510.) 



No. 765. Stercorarius pomatorhiiiiis. — Temminck's pomarimis might 

 perhaps have a similar derivation as, pom cerium , from post and moerium. 

 ov pomeridioiialis, ivom post and meridioiialis. It mav also be mentioned 

 that ^o;«rt;-/«//5 is a b}' no means uncommon form for pomeraiius. It is 

 most probable that Temminck never thought of a derivation from ircopLa 

 and pis. as first suggested by Preyer and Zirkel (not Newton). 



Smithsonian Institution. 



Washington, D. C, Feb. 13. 18S4. 



