BIOGRAPHY. 73 



miracle by which the dust of earth is transmuted into the 

 glowing colours and graceful forms which we most im- 

 perfectly endeavour to preserve after the soul has separated 

 from them." 



But Waterton certainly erred in his persistent rejection 

 of scientific names, which form an universal laneua^e 



111 O O > 



and are needed for the purpose of identifying the creatures 

 whose habits are being described. Even in England, 

 there are thousands of animals which have no popular 

 names, nor are likely to have them, and we are therefore 

 driven to use the names by which they are known to 

 science all over the world. 



It is true that such names are often unintelligible, 

 especially to those who do not know Greek as well as 

 Latin, and the words Lophophorus, Tachipetes, Paehy- 

 cephala, Ptilonorhynchus, Palajornis, Meliphagidte, &c., 

 which are selected by Waterton as ' shocking examples,' 

 certainly cannot be understood by persons who know 

 nothing of Greek or ornithology. 



But the local words which he himself employs are far 

 less intelligible than the scientific terms. If a very 

 moderate Greek scholar were asked the meaning of these 

 words, he could at all events tell the inquirer that one 

 word referred to swiftness, another to the crest of the bird, 

 another to the size of its head, another to its fruit-eating 

 habits, and so forth, even though he should know nothing 

 of the birds themselves. But suppose the same inquirer to 

 have read the Wanderings, and to have asked the meaning 

 of Hannaquoi, Camoudi, Salempenta, Maroudi, Coulacanara, 

 Sakawinki, Wallababa, Houtou, Karabimiti, Sawari, &c., I 

 very much doubt whether one scholar in a thousand could 

 have given an answer. Consequently, the otherwise delight- 

 ful Wanderings has been in many points a sealed book. 



Sometimes the acceptance of loca:l names is misleading, 



