5696 Etymology of Names of Animals. 



bracco, Spanish braco. The Spanish braco, brazzo, Italian braccio, 

 are the Latin brachium, arm ; and hence it is probable that our name 

 has its origin from the idea of pointing. 



Cur has a curious derivation. It is corrupted from curtailed, the 

 Latin curt us, short. By the old forest laws all dogs found straying 

 were to be deprived of their tails, as a mark of disgrace ; and such 

 dogs were thereby disqualified for hunting or coursing. Hence the 

 word became gradually more extended, and, as forest laws became 

 obsolete, the name acquired a general application to "curs of low 

 degree." 



It is not easy to choose between the various derivations proposed 

 for greyhound. Its Latin name is canis grains ; and some have sup- 

 posed this to mean Grecian dog, as though this variety were first used 

 by the Greeks; but this lacks historical confirmation. Another sug- 

 gestion is the Dutch gruphund, from grypen, to gripe. This is not a 

 bad idea; but I am inclined to agree with Mr. Bell when he says: — 

 " Perhaps, after all, the most simple and obvious derivation, — from 

 the prevailing colour of the original breed of these dogs, — is the true 

 one." 



The harrier, Anglo-Saxon harier, is no doubt simply the dog used 

 for hunting the hare. In this sense it must not be confounded with 

 harrier, the name of the hawk, which is named from its harrying pro- 

 pensities, just as our word havoc refers to the devastations committed 

 by the hafoc or hawk. Still, it may be too much to say that the verb 

 to harry has had no share in causing the name of our dog to be 

 spelled with a double r, instead of the single one which appears in 

 the Anglo-Saxon. 



Lurcher is a dog that lurks or watches slyly for his game. To 

 lurch is an old word, meaning to defeat or disappoint, also to cheat 

 or defraud. It is probably derived, as Johnson suggests, from 

 Vourche, an old game, something like our draughts. We can easily 

 suppose that the game gave employment to numbers of blacklegs, 

 " et hoc genus omne," which accounts for the idea of cheating or 

 secret dealing which runs in our words lurk and lurch. 



Mastiff is the French matin (for mastin), Italian mastino. Skin- 

 ner derives it from the French maison tenant, "house-keeper." I 

 have no feeling of confidence in this etymology, but can find none 

 other. 



Poodle is the German pudel, " a rough or curled dog." The same 

 word also means '* a cropped or curled head of hair." The connexion 

 between the two meanings is obvious. No doubt the word is derived 



