396 RECREATIONS OF A NATURALIST 



" There is an obsolete old English word, mistion, 

 which is employed even in the writings of Boyle, 

 and this is defined in Dr Johnson's original folio 

 edition of his Dictionary as "the state of being 

 mingled." Now, this is truly the state of our plant, 

 which is intermingled with the foliage of various 

 trees, and mixes up their juices with its own, and is 

 now, indeed, in rural places still simply called 

 mistle. If to this we add the old English tod or toe, 

 signifying ' bush,' we have at once the derivation, 

 meaning the mingled or compound bush." 



This was written in 1842, and seems generally 

 to have escaped notice, or at least criticism. Pro- 

 fessor Skeat, in his valuable Etymological Dictionary 

 of the English Language, says nothing of "the old 

 English tod or toe" but explains the word as com- 

 pounded of A.S. mistel, which could be used alone 

 to mean "Mistletoe," and A.S. tan, Icel. teinn, a 

 twig. He adds that the word mistel is clearly a 

 mere diminution of mist, which in E. means 

 "vapour "or "fog," and in A.S. "gloom," though 

 the reason for the name is not quite clear. 



With this explanation from such an authority on 

 English etymology we must rest content, and it is 

 practically indorsed by Professor Newton, who in a 

 footnote (p. 260) to his article on the Mistletoe 

 Thrush above quoted, after giving this derivation 

 with some amplification, relies upon it to justify his 

 opinion that the proper name of the bird should be 

 written in full " Mistletoe Thrush," and not as 

 commonly " Missel Thrush." 



