5092 Etymology of 



similar term, by which the bat is known in heraldry; and in ' Mid- 

 summer Night's Dream" (Act ii. Scene 2), Titania bids her attendant 

 sprites, 



" Some war with reremice for their leathern wings, 

 To make my small elves coats." 



The first syllable of the name is our common word to rear ; thus 

 signifying the mouse that has the power of rearing, or raising itself 

 from the ground. 



Noctule, pipisttelle and setotine have much the same meaning. 

 Noctule is the Latin noctula, from nox, night. Pipistrelle rejoices in 

 the Italian modifications of pipislrello, vipistrello and vesper tillo ; 

 thus enabling us to identify it as only a corruption of vespertilio, de- 

 rived from vesper, — a name primarily applied to the evening star. 

 Serotine is the Latin serotinus ; from setus, late. 



The barbastelle is named from its hairy lips : the Latin hatha is 

 heard, from a root signifying toughness, which appears also in the 

 word bristle, and a thousand other modifications. The name of the 

 hotse-shoe hat requires no comment. 



Mr. Talbot, in his ' English Etymologies/ suggests that the name 

 of hedgehog is, in its origin, edgehog, from the Anglo-Saxon ecge, 

 Danish, Swedish and Icelandic eg, & point; referring, of course, to 

 piggy's sharp spines. And this etymology is rendered the more pro- 

 bable when we compare the German stachel-schwein and the Danish 

 pinswin, both words signifying " thorn-hog." 



The original name of the mole is moulduatp or mouldiwatp, from 

 the Anglo-Saxon weotpan, watp or throw up ; and mold, now spelled 

 mould. It still retains its original name in some parts of the country, 

 although the English love for monosyllabizing has long since adopted 

 the shorter form for general use. Gascoigne, who wrote in the six- 

 teenth century, used mowle and mouldiwatp indifferently. It is 

 interesting to trace in words like this the development of the nation's 

 character. Business and hard matters of fact bring along with them 

 all manner of abbreviations and curtailments. 



The word shtew has been referred to the Anglo-Saxon schteadan 

 (the origin of our shred), or to scheorfian, to bite, or schrif, to cen- 

 sure, — words akin to our sharp ; — and the idea conveyed by the name 

 is supposed to be derived from the old tales of its running over and 

 biting cattle. No doubt the word shrew has been applied to female 

 scolds; and the old exclamation, " Beshrew thee," has taken its 

 origin from some source of this kind. But we find words in other 

 languages which are obviously identical with shrew ; and these words 



