184 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



of Willughby, Bewick, Montagu, Gilbert White, and other writers on 

 Ornithology, but noue of them explain its meaning. Yarrell does not 

 mention it. It appears to be of some antiquity, and was in use in 1559. 

 See Elyot's ' Bibliotheca' (sub voce Crex), perhaps better known as Cooper's 

 ' Thesaurus,' since this Latin-English Dictionary of worthy Sir Thomas 

 Elyot was, under a new name, revised and augmented after his death by 

 Cooper, Bishop of Lincoln. The north-country verb daker signifies " to 

 work for hire after the usual day's work is over." Can the term as applied 

 to the bird have reference to its reiterated cry being heard after sunset, 

 when most other birds have retired to roost? Another idea which has 

 occurred to me is this: — The substantive "daker" or "dicker" (Greek, 

 L.«, ten), employed in the leather trade, means a roll of ten skins. For 

 illustrations of the use of the word see ' Extinct British Animals,' p. 161). 

 Can the term in this sense have been applied to the bird from its habit of 

 repeating its monotonous note ten times (or thereabouts) in succession ? 

 In support of this suggestion it may be remarked that in some parts of the 

 country Whimbrel, from their reiterated note, are known as " the seven 

 whistlers." Again, can the term Daker have any connection with the 

 family name Dacre, sometimes spelled Daker? Lower, in his 'English 

 Surnames' (ii., p. 13), states that the arms of the Tyrwhitt family are 

 "gules, three Tyrwhitts or Lapwings or," which he says is allusive, and 

 from this doubtless arose the legend about Sir Hercules Tyrwhitt having 

 been rescued from impending death by the cry of "pee-wit." Camden cites 

 this amongst curious local surnames. Possibly there may be some legend 

 of this kind in connection with " the Dacre hen," which may explain the 

 bestowal of the name. The Rev. George Ornsby, in his Introduction to the 

 'Household Book of Lord William Howard of Naworth' (1612—1640), 

 printed for the Surtees Society (vol. 68), in which frequent mention is made 

 of Lord Dacre. " the Dacre of the North," alludes to the old war cry which 

 three centuries ago was wont to summon all retainers for a foray on the 

 Scottish border — "a Daker, a Daker." These are mere suggestions of 

 mine, which to many may perhaps seem more plausible than satisfactory. 

 Possibly some correspondent may be able to throw more light on the subject 

 than I am at present able to do. — J. E. Hauting. 



First Introduction of a Rhinoceros into England. — The ' London 

 Gazette' of October 9th, 1684, contained the following notice: — "A very 

 strange beast called a Rhynoceros, lately brought from the East Indies, 

 being the first that ever was in England, is daily to be seen at the Bell 

 Savage Inn on Ludgate Hill from nine o'clock in the morning till eight at 

 night." Another advertisement, evidently relating to the same animal runs 

 as follows : — " A true representation of the Rhinoceros and Elephant 

 latelv brought from the East Indies to London, drawn after the life, and 





