DESIGNATION FROM CHILDREN. 167 



words for crocodile (mdniba), wild-hog (Ithnbo), goat (dsy), dog 

 (ambda and alika), &c, are all to be met with as personal 

 names. 



The other common prefix, Eaini-, " father of," is commonly 

 taken by men when they have a child born to them. Thus, 

 for instance, a man may have been called all his life Eakoto, 

 but if he has a child, say a girl, who perhaps is named Easoa, 

 he abandons his old name, and is henceforth known as Eaini- 

 soa, or " Father of Soa." Frequently also, although not quite 

 so commonly, the mother of the child takes the name of 

 Bdnisoa., "Mother of Soa." There seems to be anions: the 

 Malagasy a desire to be remembered rather by their children 

 than by their parents ; something indeed of the feeling of the 

 old Eomans as shown in the saying of the noble matron 

 Cornelia, " Call me not Scipio's daughter, call me the mother 

 of the Gracchi." Occasionally people who are not parents 

 will change their name in this way, especially if they adopt 

 other relatives' children, which is very frequently done. The 

 Malagasy have strong family affections, and consider their 

 brothers' and sisters' children as almost the same as their own, 

 and their uncles and aunts as fathers and mothers, indeed, 

 they call them so constantly, there being no single word 

 equivalent to ours for those relationships. In one tribe of 

 the Andrians, or people of noble birth, the ordinary rule ot 

 fathers calling themselves after their children is not followed ; 

 the clan of Andriamasinavalona forming in this point an 

 exception to the practice of the Malagasy generally. 



I had often been surprised in considering that there were 

 in Malagasy many offensive names, such as Eafiringa, " dung- 

 hill," Eab^zezika and Eabetay, "much dung," &c. The first 

 of these is an extremely common name, and is that of the 

 present governor of Tamatave, an officer of high rank. On 

 inquiring, however, the reason of this, I was told that it is 

 done from a superstitious idea which some have that a pleasant- 

 sounding name may cause envy ; just indeed from the same 

 feeling that makes the people dislike that any one should 

 praise their children for good looks. If you do this, remark- 

 ing that an infant is pretty, or a fine child, they will reply, 

 "No, it is ugly, or nasty," believing that they thus avert the 



