Phalarope, — An Etymological Blunder. — Happening, not long ago, 
to be a little curious about the exact meaning of the word Phalarope or Pha- 
laropus, I took occasion to consult a Greek dictionary on the question, and 
by so doing unearthed a somewhat curious etymological blunder. Bris- 
son, who was the first to give the name to the genus, £ explains it as fol- 
lows : “ Phalarope, a name that I have given to the birds of this genus, 
-because of the resemblance of their feet to those of the Coot, called, in 
Greek, (f>a\apls ■” Now, Phalaropus, according to all rules for the compo- 
sition of Greek and Latin words, does not mean “ coot-foot ” at all, as Bris- 
son intended it should, but “ white-patched-foot” (from phalaros, “patched 
with white,” and pous, “foot”), which is a manifestly inapplicable name, 
since the Phalaropes all have black or green feet. Phalaridopus (from 
phalaris, genitive phalaridos, “ coot,” and pous) would mean “ coot-foot,” 
and this is what Brisson should have written. Nevertheless, the name 
has served so long as a distinguishing mark of the genus, that it would be 
by no means advisable to attempt to make an exchange for the etymologi- 
cally correct form. It is, however, an interesting example of the necessity 
of a little care in compounding scientific names, if we wish to have them 
retain any meaning. — John Murdoch, Roxbury, Mass. 
Bull N.O.C. 3, July, 1878, p. / SV - /S'/ . 
