ornithologist's text-book. 91 



English names of birds used in this edition. What 

 do our readers think of such names as " Boonk" 

 ( Nycticorax Europaus) , " Dulwilly" ( 'Charadrius 

 hiaticulaj — dull-Remiie we think, — " Lumme" 

 Colymbus arcticusj, "Loon" (Colymbus glacialis J 

 " Cobble" (C septentrionalis) , " Dung-hunter" 

 (Lestris RichardsoniiJ , and many others which 

 they have doubtless seen in the " conglomerate" 

 itself? — Speaking of the latter name, Mudie says, 

 " it is the species ( Lestris RichardsoniiJ which is 

 most familiar to popular observation, and therefore 

 the one which has been, rather ingloriously named 

 as if it fed upon the i mutings' of other birds, and 

 not, as it really does, upon the undigested or par- 

 tially digested food, which the fear of it makes 

 them disgorge from their stomachs. That such a 

 notion should have been entertained generally in 

 the times of ignorance, and that it should still be 

 entertained by the confessedly ignorant, is not at 

 all to be wondered at ; but it is a matter of some- 

 what amusing marvel, to find those, who appear to 

 exist for no useful purpose but that of cavilling at 

 and mending the expressions of others (if indeed 

 that be a useful purpose), leave upon the page of 

 their volume that name of the bird, set forth as a 

 classical English name, which is not only expres- 

 sive of a falsehood, and therefore more exception- 

 able in Natural History than a simple nonsense 

 name, but such as no polite person can pronounce 

 in decent society. One would desire to be tender 

 of the frailties of human nature, inasmuch as man 

 did not make himself — though he sometimes spoils 

 and botches the workmanship; but truly the feeble- 

 minded should especially guard against all approxi- 

 mation to vulgarity, inasmuch as no elevated part 

 of their character stands up, wnich can, under any 

 position of the sun or the reader, veil the offence 

 with its kindly shadow. If, however, such is to 



