1S84.J Cooke oh Vltifpcwa Bird Names. 243 



In regard to the etymological meaning of the bird names, we 

 find, as in English, that some are descriptive of the bird or its 

 haliits, while others arc mere names, withont signification. A 

 large proportion are compounds, for the language as a whole 

 is compound, with but few roots, these usually having meaning. 

 The names of most of the large, common, and best known birds 

 are simple and without signification. 



All the bird names used by Longfellow in 'Hiawatha' were 

 identified except O-wais'-sa., the Bluebird ; Chi-to'-wak^ the 

 Plover, and Wa-wo?z-e'-za, the Whippoorwill. Longfellow sayS 

 the scene of his poem is laid among the Indians of the Pictured 

 Rocks of Lake Superior, but I was unable to find any Indian who 

 had ever heard these names, though I examined several who were 

 born and brought up along the southeast shore of the lake. It 

 may be that these words belong to the Canadian Chippewas or 

 Nah-tah-was^ and have been accidentall}^ introduced among the 

 names of the western tribe. 



The names given by Bishop Barega, in his dictionary of the 

 Ojibwa Language, have all been identified except A-inik^-o-shib. 

 the Beaver Duck ; O-da'-ma-we'-shi., a small white bird ; Ja-xva^- 

 ni-bi-ne'-shi^ South Bird ; Die-qua'-que-zve'-shib^ Short-necked 

 Duck, and Mi^ -gi-san-na-nis^-si ^ Eagle-fighter, a small blue bird. 

 Unfortunatel}' the Bishop, though a good theologian, was no 

 ornithologist, and besides saying "Are not two swalloxus sold for 

 n farthing.^" he has wrongly identified nearly one-half of the birds 

 he has named. 



The list, as it now stands, is practically complete. At the out- 

 side there are not more than five or six names to be added. 



In these names the French system of spelling is used — that is, 

 a has the sound of a in ah ; e is pronounced like a long ; /, like e 

 long ; o, like o long, ?/, like u short ; «?', like i long ; _/*, like zh : 

 o-^ usually like g hard ; in the few cases where _cr is soft it is dis- 

 tinguished by being printed in Italic tjpe. 



The English name is given fii"st, then the Latin, according to the 

 Smithsonian Catalogue, then the Chippewa, then the etymological 

 meaning of the Indian name, and lastly, remarks. 



Thrush, in general. A->iiik'. 



1. Olive-backed Thrush. Hylocichla nsttilata s-<j(ii?iso>ii. A-nuk'. 

 Mere name. 



2. Wilson's Thrush. Hxlocichla fnsccsceus. An-wak'. Name. 



