TURKI, MANCHU AND CHINESE. 255 



work with nothing but linguistic equipment. My hope is that some ornithologist 

 may think the list worthy of study, and will succeed, where I have failed, in establish- 

 ing the identity of many of these birds with the help of their position in the list and 

 the accompanying definitions. 



In many cases the identification is practically certain ; in the majority of cases I 

 fear it is very vague if attempted at all. In such a large list as this, there are no 

 doubt many names which are simple fabrications, as far as one or other of the 

 languages is concerned, though I presume there is always something genuine at the 

 bottom either of the Chinese or the Manchu name. In many cases the Turki seems 

 merely a translation (sometimes a mistranslation) of the Manchu or the Chinese, and 

 in all too many cases the Turki name simply represents the briefest possible summary 

 of the Manchu definition. In spite of these defects I think the list worthy of publi- 

 cation in its entirety if only for the literary curiosity it presents of the Manchu 

 method of Lexicography. 



Chapter XXX of the Ci Mirror " contains, in addition to the list of birds, two short 

 sections, one dealing with the names of the various wings, feathers, etc., and the other 

 with verbs expressive of the flight and habits of birds. I had originally intended to 

 include these in the present memoir, but I have decided to reserve them for a separate 

 paper. 



When I began with the aid of the Manchu and Chinese dictionaries to work out 

 the identification of the birds, I at first determined to give in extenso the Manchu 

 definitions, both in the original (romanised) and in literal translation. To this end my 

 wife romanised all the definitions occurring in the " Mirror." But when it came to 

 translating these definitions literally and in their entirety, I found there was so much 

 vain repetition and so much vague description that I thought no useful purpose could 

 be served by a reproduction of the whole. Moreover, in view of these repetitions, 

 and also because the Manchu language is very little studied nowadays and is rapidly 

 dying out as a spoken language, I judged that the inclusion of the original text would 

 not add to the utility of my paper. 



Anyone consulting both the " Mirror" and Zakharoffs Manchu-Russian Dic- 

 tionary will see by comparison that they are very often in disagreement. Thus in 

 the case of the birds Zakharoff often gives details not to be found in the " Mirror" and 

 often omits those that are to be found there. It was therefore necessary to have 

 before me a complete translation of all Zakharoff's definitions, and for the preparation 

 of this part of my work, also, I am indebted to my wife. 



The above considerations will explain my general method of procedure. The 

 arrangement is as follows : — 

 (i) Turki name. 



( 2 ) Tentative identification . 



(3) Manchu name. 



(4) Chinese name, with references to Chinese dictionaries. 



