514 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



this case, is connected with the German haher, a jackdaw, lit. 

 " laughter." Cf. heighaw, a provincial name for the Green 

 Woodpecker. 



Bittern was erroneously supposed to be a corruption of 

 bos taurus, in reference to the bird's bellowing capabilities. It is 

 more probably a variation of the Latin butio, an imitative word 

 connected with bubere, to cry. 



Stork probably means " the tall bird," connected with Anglo- 

 Saxon stealc, high. 



Sheldrake. Sheld, flecked or variegated, simply = shield, in 

 allusion to the ornamentation, with which these weapons were 

 covered. Cf. sheld -apple, a Chaffinch. 



Mallard == male-ard. The suffix -ard was frequently added 

 to masculine names for the sake of emphasis. The word there- 

 fore rightly refers to the drake only. 



Gadwall remains undecipherable. 



Teal originally meant " a brood," from telen, to breed ; but 

 as to the origin of its use in a specific sense nothing is known. 



Garganey, a name first introduced, I believe, by Willughby 

 from Gesner. Nothing is known of its meaning or origin. 



Wigeon, Old French vigeon, has perhaps a connection with 

 the Latin vipio, a small Crane with a whistling cry ; but this is 

 extremely problematical. 



Pochard is said to be a variation of Poacher. Apparently 

 the name at first referred to the Wigeon, in allusion to its sup- 

 posed habit of seizing (poaching) the food brought to the surface 

 by the diving ducks. 



Scoter. See under Kite. 



Smew, and similarly smee and smeath, is probably imitative 

 of the bird's " mewing" cry. The suggestion that the word is a 

 corruption of " ice-mew " is untenable. 



Capercaillie = Gaelic capull-coille, " great cock (or horse) of 

 the wood." The word capull has probably some connection with 

 Latin caballus. 



Grouse, curiously enough, has been falsely formed on the 

 analogy of mouse. The original spelling is grice, from an Old 

 French word griesche, grey, thus giving the meaning of " the grey 

 bird." A derivation from the Welsh grugiar, a heath-hen {grug, 

 heath + iar, a hen) has also been suggested. 



