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Weasel-Words, Weasels, Woodpeckers, Et Al.

Author(s): J. D. SadlerSource: The Classical Journal, Vol. 68, No. 2 (Dec., 1972 - Jan., 1973), pp. 166-174Published by: The Classical Association of the Middle West and South, Inc.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3295832

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WEASEL-WORDS,EASELS,WOODPECKERS,TAL.FA VETE LING UISTHE LATIN PHRASE commanding one to be careful with his tongue may serve as theintroduction to our topic, euphemism. Among the ancients, euphemism served twopurposes. First, it was hoped that by giving something dangerous a good name onecould avoid the danger.The Greek for "good name" is euonymus, which became the Greek word for "lefthand." Everyone knows that something on the left can be harmful unless it is properlyaddressed. The Axine Sea "hostile to strangers" was renamed the Euxine Sea "kind tostrangers" in the hope that it would actually be kind. The Erinyes were rechristenedthe Eumenides with the same forlorn hope. The Greek epithets euphrone "kindly" andambrote or abrote "immortal," "divine" are applied to nyx "night." Pluto, "the richone," may be a euphemism, and the same is true of Hades, if the etymology of hisname as "the unseen one" is correct.

The other function of euphemism was the result of taboo. We are probably morefamiliar with taboos of action, which were ubiquitous in antiquity. The Roman priest,for example, was forbidden a great number and variety of activities. But there couldalso be linguistic taboos; many cultures could not name the bear directly but wereforced to use periphrases such as "the brown one" or "the honey eater." The name ofa deity was frequently taboo, and no better example can be given than the Hebreworigin of Jehovah, which was not a word but a collection of consonants. This type ofeuphemism continues into modern times, and our language exhibits "Lord," "Savior,""Creator," and "Almighty." The Virgin Mary is paraphrased as "Madonna" or "OurLady."Oaths are often euphemisms for much stronger words or phrases. "Zounds" was anabbreviation of "God's wounds" (or "Christ's wounds") and "'sdeath" stood for"God's death." "God's little body" ended up as "odds bodkins." Modern theisticeuphemisms include "gad," "gosh," "golly," and "my goodness." "Heck" was original-ly a place, and "drat," "darn," "dang," and "tarnation" have a common Latin origin."Dadgummit" employs both metathesis and vowel change to disguise its meaning. Fora term referring to a person and expressing either condemnation or sympathy, theBritish use the word "basket." Probably Satan, Old Nick, and Lucifer belong in thiscategory.Of all euphemisms, the most common are those for death. This is a word which isto be avoided at all cost. The Roman dead went to the Isles of the Blessed or to theElysian Fields (if they had been good). Latin nouns which could mean "death" arefatum, finis, and quies, plus others derived from the following list of verbs. The verbsinclude dormire, interire, obire, perire, oppetere, occumbere, and desiderari. Most ofthe verbs meaning "leave," such as abire, exire, decedere, excedere, migrare, could beused, with or without e vita. The death was reported, of course, not by "mortuus est,"but by "vixit." The corpse was carried out on a vitalis lectus.Modem phrases range from the conventional "passed on" and "passed away" to themore colorful "kicked the bucket" and "cashed in his chips." The deceased now "restsin peace" or "belongs to the ages." All the rest may be cast as perfect tenses; he has:

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THE CLASSICAL JOURNAL

gone to rest been called homegone to join his father been laid to restgone to meet his maker been consigned to mother earthgone to his great reward crossed the great dividejoined his ancestors given up the ghostbreathed his last laid down his burden

Death itself is known as the grim reaper, not too pleasant a figure. Some wouldsubstitute for it the phrase International Harvester. The word "cemetery," "a place tolie down," substitutes for the older "graveyard," and another Greek-derived burialplace is "necropolis." Names of cemeteries, such as Restland and Forest Lawn, areespecially euphemistic. "Undertaker," simply "one who undertakes," has itself turnedbad and been replaced by "mortician." One undertaker from Dixie on a trip north,when asked his occupation, described himself as a southern planter. "Casket" hassupplanted "coffin," and a "funeral parlor" is now generally a "mortuary chapel."Such words as "accident," "casualty," "suicide," "mortality," and "fatality" allsound somewhat better than the actions they signify. For "kill" the gangsters onceused "rub out," but now, more refined, they use "liquidate" or "eliminate." When aman was hanged in the Old West, it was sometimes necessary to report the event to theman's family back in Boston. Various periphrases were employed, such as "He diedwhile attending a meeting of the Uplift Society," or "He was attending a publicfunction and the platform gave way."Euphemism is very closely tied to another feature of language, the division ofsemantics known as degeneration of meaning. We are familiar with the progressionfrom "tourist court" to "motel" to "lodge," "inn," etc. Whenever a new euphemismenters the picture, it tends to drive down the meaning of the former word. Often adouble degradation results; thus, when "palace" replaces "bar," both words go downin value. This substitution of a nicer term holds true for all manner of unpleasantness."Ill" sounds a little better than "sick," and "disease" originally meant no more than"uneasiness." "Trouble" is a good all-purpose word for "illness," as in "He has hearttrouble." Still milder is "He has a heart condition."For specific types of malady, there are adjectives such as "delinquent," "incoher-ent," "physically unfit," and "visually deficient." Nouns such as "speech handicap"and "hearing deficiency" are also popular. For the child, there are "slow learner,""retarded child," "handicapped child," "disadvantaged child," and "exceptionalchild." The last is so inordinately euphemistic that it borders on the cruel. Twophrases not exactly concerned with health problems are "unmarried mother" and"born out of wedlock." Television ads are replete with cures for "halitosis," "irregular-ity," and "acute indigestion." "B.O." was one example of euphemistic initials; a totallisting of this type would include much spicier specimens.Disease of the mind is "mental disorder"; the patient is "mentally deficient." The

suspected mental case is urged to "get professional help." "Sanitarium," "a place tocure," has replaced "insane asylum," and both "insane" and "asylum" are muchearlier examples of euphemism. Even "maniac" is an improvement over "crazyperson," and there are those who prefer "psychoceramic" for a "crackpot." Note that"eccentric" is a wealthy word; the poor man is crazy, the rich man is eccentric. Oftena sesquipedalian Greek or Latin derivative is milder than the native English equivalent;"dipsomaniac" and "intoxicated" are more high toned than "drunk," but we also have

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such substitutes as "high" and "tight." Other Classical equivalents would include"misconduct," "misdemeanor," "immorality," "offense," "defaulter," "executer,""expectorate," "prevaricate," "perspiration," and "intestinal fortitude." For theLatin-derived "incarcerate" we have other mild English expressions such as "send up"or "put away."

Use of the negative sometimes softens the blow. "Inexpensive" is better than"cheap," and one would prefer "unsafe" over "dangerous," "untidy" over "dirty,"and "impolite" over "boorish." Others would include "intemperate," "untruthful,""insincere," "uneasy," "uncivil," "inaccurate," and "infidelity." We might even men-tion "unmentionables." On this subject, French derivatives such as "lingerie" and"decollete" can aid in the avoidance of embarrassment. In Victorian times "nude" wasalways substituted for "naked" and "limb" for "leg," even as the "limb of a table.""Bull" was completely avoided in polite society, and various niceties were employed,one of the finest being "gentleman cow." But most Victorians were not so prim as thelady who, at Christmas dinner, demanded for herself a slice of turkey bosom. Thethird person forms of address, as "your majesty," "your grace," "your excellency,"are euphemistic in origin, and a more modern parallel is seen in the military custom ofaddressing superior officers in the third person.A list could be made including "rest room," "powder room," and similar ex-pressions denoting the same location. Some other random locutions are "concentra-tion camp," "protective custody," "social security," "senior citizens," and "selectiveservice." One of the greatest opportunities for hyperbole lies in job description, wherewe hear "sanitary engineer" or "superintendent of residue collection" for a garbageman, and a plumber once labelled himself as a "flushologist." The ladies' hair stylistmay be a "beautician," "cosmetician," or "coiffeuse." Some dthers for which notranslation is necessary:

realtor supervisor of attendancetree surgeon child monitorpublicist landscape architectreceptionist public relations counselaisle manager intelligence agent

The same upgrading applies to places of business; billiard parlor, tonsorial parlor, andshoe emporium are only a few among many. Getting jobs for those who have beendischarged is known as "outplacing the dehired."In New England, codfish is known as "Cape Cod turkey." A menu item probablyknown everywhere is "Salisbury steak" for hamburger. Some restaurant menus drapeadjectives over everything in great profusion, leaving us with "farm fresh eggs," "fluffywhipped potatoes," "tiny green garden peas," and the like. And again (omne ignotumpro magnifico) putting the menu in French automatically doubles the price of thefood. A product is widely advertised in three varieties, "country chicken," "braisedliver," and "ocean fish." The three are flavors of cat food; it is a certainty that the catsappreciate the adjectives.A "Missouri meerschaum" is a high-sounding name for a corncob pipe. Furs haveenjoyed one of the greatest splurges of inventiveness; "Hudson seal" stands formuskrat and "Alaska sable" for skunk or raccoon. For the lowly rabbit, here is acollection of expensive disguises which have been employed:

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Among those from Greek words which occur in Latin are the beavers, Castoridae; thewhales, Balaenidae; the dolphins, Delphinidae; and the seals, Pbocidae. Another isSciuridae for the squirrels; the Greek here means "shadow-tail," and the same rootgives our word "squirrel." Some other Greek derivatives and the meaning of the root:armadillos are Dasypodidae ("rough-foot"), sloths are Bradypodidae ("slow-foot"),flying foxes are Pteropodidae ("wing-foot"), and porcupines are Erethizontidae("causing anger"). In Myrmecophagidae, the modern meaning and etymology are thesame, "anteaters." Walruses are Odobenidae, from the Greek for "tooth" and "go";the origin is in a mistaken belief that walruses use their tusks in walking. One notClassical is Tapiridae; the word "tapir" comes via Spanish from the Tupi language.The specific name of the animals is a combination of the generic name and anadjective. The generic name is often that of the family, but there are many exceptions.Thus, of the Felidae, the puma is the Felis concolor and the ocelot is the Felis pardalis,but the bobcat is the Lynx rufus. The gray wolf is the Canis lupus (note the strangeadjective!) and the coyote is the Canis latrans, but the Canidae family also includes agreat many types of Vulpes. And the gray fox is not even a Vulpes; he is the Urocyoncinereoargenteus. Urocyon is a Greek-derived compound meaning "tail-dog." Someother generic names which were not mentioned in the families are Lutra for otter, Ovisfor sheep, Alces for elk and moose, and Mustela for mink, ferret, and weasel.A compound is seen in Antilocapra for the pronghorn, an "antelope-goat," as itwere. Mephitis, the term for a skunk, is not a Classical animal but a Latin word for afoul smell emanating from the ground. Rangifer for the caribou seems to be a fineLatin compound until we discover that it comes from the source of our word "rein-deer." The ribbon seal is a Histriophoca, from the Latin word for "actor." The chip-munk is Tamias, a Greek word meaning "steward"; seemingly this is laudatory of thechipmunk's thrifty habits. The beaver is Taxidea, from a Germanic root and a vaguelyGreco-Latin suffix. A few Greek compounds are Oreamnos for a mountain goat("mountain lamb"), Microtus for a field mouse ("small ear"), and Didelphis for theopossum ("double womb").The adjectives which denote the species offer us a full range of meaning. First,those of location would include such general terms as campestris, palustris, sylvaticus,and terrestris. Then there are the major adjectives of geography such as borealis andamericanus. Probably every state adjective can be assigned to this list; a few examplesare floridanus, virginianus, carolinensis, pennsylvanicus, texensis, and even alascensis.Colors are the expected niger, rufus, griseus, argentatus, and a compound such asflaviventer. Greek colors can appear alone, like melas "black," but they are quiteaddicted to compounds, like erythrogaster ("red stomach"), leucopus ("white foot"),and leucurus ("white tail").

Descriptive adjectives other than colors include foetidus, hispidus, obesus, speci-osus, and varius, plus many in -atus, such as barbatus, cristatus, decussatus, fasciatus,jubatus, striatus, and torquatus. Some Latin compounds are brevicauda, latirostris,angustirostris, tricinctus, sexcinctus, and tridecemlineatus. A few Greek compoundsare megacephalus ("big head"), macrourus ("long tail"), and tetradactylus ("fourtoes"). Habits are portrayed in velox, volans, astutus, and deletrix. Greek compoundsare colorful, as orophilus "mountain lover" and cremnobates "cliff walker."And now for some favorites of mine which have thus far escaped mention. TheUrsus horribilis sounds just right for the grizzly bear. The polar bear, on the otherhand, is Tbalarctus maritimus, in which the thai- stands for thalassa, the Greek word

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for "sea." The wolverine is Gulo luscus, and the wolverine is often colloquially calledthe glutton. The chimpanzee is Pan troglodytes, a name in which our great Greek godfigures prominently. The raccoon is Procyon lotor; the only Classical Procyon is aconstellation, the one which rises "before the dog-star." Lotor is "the washer," fromlavare; the racoon was thought to wash his food because he took most of it fromwater. The musk-ox combines three animal names in Ovibos moschatus; ovibos wouldbe a "sheep-ox," and moschatus has a Latin suffix attached to the Greek word for"calf." One might speculate that the word "musk" could have figured in the choiceof moschatus. The mule deer is Odocoileus hemionus; the latter word is the Greekword for "mule," meaning literally "half a donkey." The noun, meaning "hollowtooth," uses odo- instead of odont- for "tooth," coil- instead of the expected coel- for"hollow," and a Latin adjective suffix; otherwise it is properly formed. "Hollowtooth" itself sounds strange; we would expect a deer to have buck teeth. A real puzzleris the California sea lion, Zalophus californianus; it comes from a Greek intensiveprefix and a word meaning "hill." The Norway rat is the Rattus norvegicus; rattus isseemingly no more than a Latinization of "rat." The ordinary house mouse is Musmusculus, adding to the Latin mouse the diminutive of the same word. Musculus, ofcourse, is also the source of our derivative "muscle." The Greek mouse is a mys, andthe prairie dog is the Cynomys ("dog-mouse") ludovicianus. The adjective does nothere represent a man named Louis, but the state of Louisiana.This brief survey is neither thorough nor systematic, but it does demonstrate thequantity and interest of the Classical element of scientific nomenclature.

AVIS INMANUBirds are fascinating creatures, and even their names can cause some excitement.The nomenclature is virtually all Latin and Greek, and it can be a special pleasure to aclassicist to see a particularly apt term applied to one of his feathered favorites.

Generally the words are those of regular usage, but there are also occasional moderncompounds and hybrids to add to the interest.Bird families are denoted by the Latin form of the Greek plural patronymic, i.e., anidae suffix. We begin with some from ordinary Latin bird names:Anatidae ducks Fringillidae sparrowsArdeidae herons Gaviidae loonsCiconiidae storks Hirundinidae swallowsCorvidae crows and jays Paridae titmiceFalconidae falcons Turdidae thrushesIt will be quickly noted that some of the equations are not exact; a fringilla, forinstance, is defined by Harper only as "a small bird." Of course, our Classical orni-thology is far from perfect, and it is often impossible to identify a bird mentionedonce or twice in literature. A few Greek bird names are the following:Columbidae doves Scolopacidae woodcocksLaridae gulls Sittidae nuthatchesPelecanidae pelicans Strigidae owlsPsittacidae parrots Tetraonidae grouse

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As one better read in Latin than in Greek, I was surprised to learn that larus, columba,and strix were not native Latin words. Greek compounds include Hydrobatidae (waterwalkers) for storm petrels, Apodidae (footless ones) for swifts, Troglodytidae (holedwellers) for wrens, and Cathartidae (cleaners) for vultures. A few subfamilies employthe inus suffix; geese are Anserinae, swans are Cygnizae, and terns are Sterninae, froman English root.

Normally the genus is a Latin or Greek word, and it may be the same name as thatused for the family or something quite different. Thus, some ducks are named Anas,but the shoveler duck is the Spatula, seemingly an appropriate appellation. The Fringil-lidae family includes the sparrows, cardinals, buntings, finches, and siskins, but no onein the family bears the name Fringilla. In the following discussion of genera, pleasekeep in mind that a genus mentioned may be only one variety among several that bearthe same common name.Among Latin bird names we can find Accipiter for hawk, Asio for owl, Carduelisfor goldfinch, Grus for crane, Pica for magpie, Sturnus for starling, and Vireo, a rarityin that the scientific name is also the common name. Latin diminutives are seen in

Sturnella for the meadow-lark and Passerella, Passerculus, and Passerherbula for vari-ous types of sparrows. Non-avian diminutives are Capella for the snipe and Dumetella,from dumetum "thicket" for the catbird. The whip-poor-will is a Caprimulgus, from aLatin bird so named because it was thought to suck the udders of goats. The Spinus,Latin for "blackthorn," is the siskin, and two Latin adjectives are Pluvialis for theplover and Riparia for the bank swallow. Two Latin compounds are Vermivora for awarbler and Rostrhamus (hook-beak) for a kite.Actual Greek bird names are mostly for owls; among them are the Otus, Tyto,Aegolius, and Speotyto, the last a compound with the Greek word for "cave" to namethe burrowing owl. Other Greek birds are Chen for a goose, Icterus for an oriole, andPerdix for a partridge. The tern is Thalasseus, the Greek word for "sea" with a Latinadjective suffix, and still another owl is Nyctea, the Greek word for "night" with thefeminine of the same ending. The Greek compounds are most interesting; the thirdcolumn in the list below contains a literal translation of the Greek roots:

Canachites spruce grouse clasher, clangerChaetura chimney swift mane-tailCyanocitta blue jay blue jayDolichonyx bobolink long clawEremophila horned lark desert loverEuphagus blackbird good eaterHylocichla wood thrush wood thrushOporornis Kentucky warbler autumn birdPetrochelidon cliff swallow rock swallowPhoenicopterus flamingo red wingSelasphorus hummingbird light bringerToxostoma brown thrasher bow-mouthTympanuchus prairie hen drum holderXanthocephalus yellow-headed blackbird yellow head

The specific name of a bird is the generic name followed by an adjective, and afurther division of the genus can be indicated by the addition of a second adjective.

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These adjectives are almost all Latin and Greek, with Latin predominating. Locationadjectives include first those of general direction, such as occidentalis and septentri-onalis. Then there are large geographical areas represented by atlanticus, canadensisand americanus, and every state helps identify some bird; only a few adjectives areillinoiensis, delawarensis, and mississippiensis. There are also general regional designa-tions such as littoralis, saxatilis, gramineus, and pratensis. There are several -coluscompounds, among them amnicolus, rusticolus, saxicolus, abieticolus, and alticolus.Some genitive plurals used for adjectives are palmarum, ulmorum, and insularum.Color words range through the whole spectrum. Many are the ordinary Latin adjec-tives: albus, niger, ater, luteus, griseus, purpureus, and pullus. Others are perfect parti-ciples, auratus, atratus, argentatus, or present participles, rufescens, fuscescens,nigricans. Still other colors are used to form compounds, such as flaviventris, auro-capillus, fuscicollis, atricapillus, and pallidicinctus. Compounds of -color include bi-color, discolor, and versicolor. The Greek color adjectives all seem to be compounded;samples are melanotus (black ear), leucocephalus (white head), cyanopterus (bluewing), and erythrogaster (red stomach).Other descriptive adjectives portray a wide variety of characteristics; the size, forexample, can be maior, paulus, pusillus, minor, minimus, minutus, or even minutillus.It would seem that there are more small birds than large birds. A bird may be varius,villosus, maculosus, or squamosus. Perfect participles abound, as in pictus, rostratus,striatus, lineatus, cristatus, coronatus, pinnatus, auritus, crinitus, ornatus, and in-ornatus. There is even a togatus, which is rather hard to visualize in a bird. Compoundsare observed in bimaculatus, tenuirostris, and serripennis (saw-toothed wing). Birds canbe described in Greek by tridactylus (three toes), brachyurus (short tail), andplatyrhynchus (flat snout).The voices may be melodius or euphonius, but they may also be discors, vociferus,garrulus, crepitans, argutulus, and querulus. Two adjectives referring to laughter areridibundus and chachinnans (it is hard to account for the initial ch-). Another whichmight be included in the voice adjectives is mutus. General complimentary adjectivesare elegans, formosus, regalis, mirabilis, principalis, and magnificens. Some referring tohabits are velox, pugnax, agilis, migrans, peregrinus, sociabilis, and sedentarius. Finally,some which seem to do nothing at all for the poor bird are stolidus, perplexus, tristis,spurius, neglectus, and even ignotus.Passing now to some names that seem to have a greater degree of interest, we notefirst that mythology has played its part in bird naming. The tropic bird is Phaeton, andthe osprey is Pandion. The belted kingfisher is Megaceryle alcyon, in which the secondword recalls the story of Ceyx and Alcyone. A martin is Progne, and a tree swallow isIridoprocne, but Tereus and Philomela from the same story do not seem to be repre-sented in technical names. The Phasis river supplies us with our word "pheasant," forwhich the scientific name is Phasianus Colchicus, with yet another echo straight out ofJason. From literature, Archilochus is a hummingbird, but I am not prepared to state

the connection between the bird and the poet. The name of the dovekie is Plautus,probably from the flat feet and not from the Roman comedian.The woodpeckers alone have several apt names: Colaptes (pecker), Hylatomus(wood cutter), Dendrocopus (tree chopper), Sphyrapicus (hammer woodpecker), andCampephilus (caterpillar lover). Two names in which tautology is outstanding, oneLatin and one Greek word for the same thing being combined, are Cygnus olor for themute swan and Corvus corax for the raven. The turkey is an especially mixed-up bird;

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he is the Meleagris gallopavo, a guinea-fowl chicken peacock! Another name in whichthe Latin word for chicken appears is the Columbigallina, or ground dove. The Louisi-ana heron is the Hydranassa tricolor ruficollis, a three-colored red-necked water queen.As this whole paper has obviously been slanted toward my favorites, either of birdsor of names, I may as well close with the three birds to which I am most partial, all ofwhich are named in the finest fashion. The road runner, a member of the cuckoofamily, is the Geococcyx californianus, or California ground cuckoo. The name evokesmemories of Nephelococcygia, the Cloudcuckooland of Aristophanes. The scissortail,or in full the scissortailed flycatcher, is Muscivora forficata, or scissored fly eater. Andthen there is the Mimus polyglottos; what else could that possibly be but the mocking-bird?

J. D. SADLERAustin College

NOTESAND COMMENTSCATULLUS 6.54: A NOTETHE FIFTY-FOURTH LINE of Catullus 66 has been a source of controversy for manydecades. Before the corresponding line of Callimachus' Lock of Berenice was estab-lished with relative certainty by E. Lobel,1 a plethora of alternate readings had beenoffered for the final half of the Catullan pentameter. Even now, with the reading itselfelucidated, the meaning of the line eludes commentators. C. J. Fordyce, for example,accepting the reading abtulit Arsinoes Locridos ales equos, comments in his note tothis line, "This epithet [Locridos] for Arsinoe has not been satisfactorily explained;there was another Zephyrium in south Italy on or near the territory occupied byLocrian settlers from Greece, . . . but an allusion to that seems unlikely."2 Likewise K.Quinn: "Arsinoe's connection with either the Greek or the Southern Italian Locris isobscure."3

The Callimachean original sheds no light on the matter. The line, as established byLobel and accepted by Pfeiffer, reads 'iTrnoro'ovov AoKpt56o 'Apotw6C, and thecommentary in the papyrus is not very helpful: 'Apotvrr e'Xe ev 'AXe~avbpetatXwpiov ... AoKpoi 'ETlrteSpPtotLOio, 6CtaTO7o EKaXelTO AoKp&'.There is, however,another source which does contribute to our understanding of the line, a source citedby Bickel many years ago in his mistaken attempt to demonstrate that his readingAoKptK6? in Callimachus was not an adjective, but rather a substantive, and a sourcewhich has since been ignored:4 Eustathius on Dionysius Periegeta (Georg. Gr. Min. II,p. 106 Muller).

1 The Oxyrbyncus papyri, Part XX (London 1952).2 Catullus (Oxford 1961), p. 336.3 Catullus: the poems (London and Basingstoke 1970), p. 363.4 E. Bickel, "Der Kallimachospapyrus 'Die Locke der Berenike' und Catull als Ubersetzer,"RbM 90 (1941), p. 81-146.

he is the Meleagris gallopavo, a guinea-fowl chicken peacock! Another name in whichthe Latin word for chicken appears is the Columbigallina, or ground dove. The Louisi-ana heron is the Hydranassa tricolor ruficollis, a three-colored red-necked water queen.As this whole paper has obviously been slanted toward my favorites, either of birdsor of names, I may as well close with the three birds to which I am most partial, all ofwhich are named in the finest fashion. The road runner, a member of the cuckoofamily, is the Geococcyx californianus, or California ground cuckoo. The name evokesmemories of Nephelococcygia, the Cloudcuckooland of Aristophanes. The scissortail,or in full the scissortailed flycatcher, is Muscivora forficata, or scissored fly eater. Andthen there is the Mimus polyglottos; what else could that possibly be but the mocking-bird?

J. D. SADLERAustin College

NOTESAND COMMENTSCATULLUS 6.54: A NOTETHE FIFTY-FOURTH LINE of Catullus 66 has been a source of controversy for manydecades. Before the corresponding line of Callimachus' Lock of Berenice was estab-lished with relative certainty by E. Lobel,1 a plethora of alternate readings had beenoffered for the final half of the Catullan pentameter. Even now, with the reading itselfelucidated, the meaning of the line eludes commentators. C. J. Fordyce, for example,accepting the reading abtulit Arsinoes Locridos ales equos, comments in his note tothis line, "This epithet [Locridos] for Arsinoe has not been satisfactorily explained;there was another Zephyrium in south Italy on or near the territory occupied byLocrian settlers from Greece, . . . but an allusion to that seems unlikely."2 Likewise K.Quinn: "Arsinoe's connection with either the Greek or the Southern Italian Locris isobscure."3

The Callimachean original sheds no light on the matter. The line, as established byLobel and accepted by Pfeiffer, reads 'iTrnoro'ovov AoKpt56o 'Apotw6C, and thecommentary in the papyrus is not very helpful: 'Apotvrr e'Xe ev 'AXe~avbpetatXwpiov ... AoKpoi 'ETlrteSpPtotLOio, 6CtaTO7o EKaXelTO AoKp&'.There is, however,another source which does contribute to our understanding of the line, a source citedby Bickel many years ago in his mistaken attempt to demonstrate that his readingAoKptK6? in Callimachus was not an adjective, but rather a substantive, and a sourcewhich has since been ignored:4 Eustathius on Dionysius Periegeta (Georg. Gr. Min. II,p. 106 Muller).

1 The Oxyrbyncus papyri, Part XX (London 1952).2 Catullus (Oxford 1961), p. 336.3 Catullus: the poems (London and Basingstoke 1970), p. 363.4 E. Bickel, "Der Kallimachospapyrus 'Die Locke der Berenike' und Catull als Ubersetzer,"RbM 90 (1941), p. 81-146.

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