2 GENERAL HISTORl OF BIRDS. 



cepted version of the Bible and even for some time after. It finally became 

 obsolete or was only used in compound words. 



In Shakespeare's time, Fowl and Bird were almost equally used although, in 

 the great dramatist's plays. Fowl appears only 13 times against 66 occurrences 

 of Birds. If the usage of the two words is examined, however, it will become 

 manifest that Bird is generally used for a small bird, a song bird, a young 

 bird, or as a term of endearment, while Fowl is more frequently used as a 

 class name or for larger kind. In many cases, however, it is determined by 

 his tendency to alliteration, as in "falcon doth the fowl" (Measure for measure, 

 ii, 2), "fishes and the winged fowl" (Comedy of Errors, ii, 1), "more pre- 

 eminence than fish and fowls" (lb. ii, 1), "when fowls have no feathers" (lb. 

 iii, 1), "Birds from brier" (Midsummer night's dream, v, 1), "birds sit 

 brooding" (Love's Labor lost, v, 2), "as bird doth sing on bough" (Henry 

 V, iii, 2), "birds and beasts" (Julius Ceesar, i, 3), and numerous other in- 

 stances. 



In still later time. Fowl was in equally general use, as is exemplified in 

 the accepted or "King James" version of the Bible. It is an interesting 

 fact that Fowl and Bird have been used to translate no less than ten words or 

 variants of the original Hebrew and Greek texts, and that the two English 

 words have been used almost indifferently as equivalent for any one of most 

 of the Hebrew and Greek names. If we take Young's "Analytical Concord- 

 ance to the Bible" (the seventh edition was published in 1899) we will 

 find the ratio of the English names to the originals. Young's transliterations 

 of the Hebrew and Greek are given, but the forms accepted by the best modern 

 scholars are added within parentheses. 



BIRD. FOWL. 



Oph=Fowl, Bird - - - - 9 68 -f- 2 



Ayit^Ravenous Bird - - - 1 3 



Tsippor (Sippor, ^ippor)^ Sparrow - - 30 6 



Tsephar (Sefar)=Bird - - - 1 



Tsippar ----- o 3 



Baal kanapf (Baal kanaf)^ owner of a wing - 1 



Orneon=Bird (domestic or wild) - - 1 2 



Pteteinon ^Flying winged animal - - 5 9 



Ptenon= Feathered winged animal - - 1 



* * * 



Ay it tsippor (Ay it sippor) ^Ravenous bird - 3 



Barburim= Choice or fat geese (Fatted Fowl) - 1 



It is noticeable that the Greek word which is generally associated with 

 bird {o7'nis) was not used by any of the Evangelists. That word, however, 



