The source of the common name of Sora. (1 Viewer)

[mb1848]

As it states on the tin: Bird Etymology, understanding, translating and decrypting scientific and common bird names. I hope this thread is in the right place. On July 16, 2021 in the early view of the Ibis is an article by Robert Driver and Alexander L. Bond entitled Towards redressing inaccurate, offensive and inappropriate common bird names. In this article the authors state “Only one bird in North America retains a standardized common name from presumably a North American Indigenous language, the Sora (Porzana carolina). However, the origin of that name was lost and it is not known from which Indigenous language it derives (Choate 1985).”​

I have come to a fork in the road as to what I think is the source of the common name of Sora. One is it derives from the Latinization of the Greek for smut, sorus and then to the French for smut, soot soree. Bird’s name should be smutty rail. Or Catesby wrote Joree on the plate of the Sora. Joree is either the English colonialists or Cherokee’s interpretation of the towhee’s call.

I need this forum’s help.

In 1731 Catesby published a drawing of a sora with a Virginian plant. He had spent seven years in Virginia 1712-1719.

Mark Catesby (1682-1749) - The Soree and Gentiana Virginia saponaroe folio, flore coeruleo longiore .

Dr. Mortimer’s comments on this drawing by Catesby says The Soree with an accent on the last e. “This bird is in Virginia as much in request for the delicacy of its flesh as the Ortulan in Europe.”

v.37=no.417-426 (1731-1732) - Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. - Biodiversity Heritage Library .

Please also see page 43 of :

Miscellaneous Circular .

But actually looking at Catesby’s plate all I read is Joree.

Mark Catesby (1682-1749) - The Soree and Gentiana Virginia saponaroe folio, flore coeruleo longiore .

The Joree Bird | Blind Pig and The Acorn .

 

[Taphrospilus]

Sorry I am not sure if I got the question. May it related to the here mentiond Qua birds in context with Sora Rail. But maybe I am totally on the wrong track and the intention of the question.

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

...

But actually looking at Catesby’s plate all I read is Joree.

Mark Catesby (1682-1749) - The Soree and Gentiana Virginia saponaroe folio, flore coeruleo longiore .

...

Mark, if you look in the upper left corner, on the Plate of the bird itself, in the Royal Collection (not the torn/ripped piece/fragment of the name), it does say "Soree" (written with an extended, winding S). See excerpt below:



In my MS I have the earlier (today dated name/s); "sorasumphöna” alt. "sorarall" (in Swedish) – which only followed the English/US name/s Sora Rail, Sora Crake or simply: Sora – "originating from Soree, an indigenous name, from [an unknown 'tribe' of] the native Americans of today's Virginia, USA, at least according to [the Brit] Mark Catesby (1683–1749), who described this bird in 1731."

That's about all I've got (as I didn't have to dig deep into this one, simply as the Sora (Rail/Crake) Porzana carolina nowadays is called karolinasumphöna [meaning "Carolina Swamp Hen"] in the Swedish List – a name far easier to explain.

Note that Linnaeus's "[Rallus] carolinus", of 1758 (here), was based on: "Edw. av. 144. t. 144" (i.e. "The Little American WATER HEN", here, from 1750), and "Catesb. car. 1. p. 70. t. 70" (i.e. "The Soree", of 1731; here, with a Plate on the next-following page).

Also see the (very short) explanation in A Dictionary of Birds, by Newton & Gadow, 1896 (here).

With hope that this answers some of your ponderings ...

Cheers

Björn

PS. Also note that Avibase lists this species with quite a few (odd) English/US names:
"Carolina Crake, Carolina Rail, Meadow Chicken, Ortolan [!], Sora, Sora Crake, Sora Rail"

 

[mb1848]

Thanks Martin for the link to that article. Very interesting. I cannot believe I had never heard the name qua bird since Audubon used that name. Thanks to Bjorn for proving the Catesby name is soree. I should remember to look at multiple copies of 300 year old documents. In the Key it has,

Hydrosora : (Rallidae; syn. ? Porzana) Gr. ὑδρο- hudro- water- < ὑδωρ hudōr, ὑδατος hudatos water; "Soree" of Catesby 1731 (= Porzana carolina)

I can be talked into soree being a name from the native people. But the common name is sora and I think the European Americans tried to find a European language spin on the name. My one link says sora , originally sorus. Catesby picture of the soree is a dark brown and black bird. It is colored like smut.

Smut and bunt diseases of cereal - biology, identification and management | Agriculture and Food .

So later people changed soree to sora in a mistaken belief Catesby named the bird from a European language source?

In reference to Dr. Mortimer’s comment on how delicious Sora flesh is, my Mother-in-law was served American Coot as a girl during the great depression, no the other great depression, and she said it tasted like warm mud.

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Mark, the following text might be of interest for you, from the book: The Everlasting Pleasure (Influences on America's Kitchens, Cooks, and Cookery, from 1565 to the Year 2000*) [my blue]:

1795: Oct. 1. . . . The sorus ... are delicious eating. During the time of their continuing season you meet with them at the tables of most of the planters breakfast, dinner and supper. . . . [Modern sora (porzana [sic, written in lower case letters] carolina), a marsh rail about six inches long.]

[from here, alt. here, both links to page 17]​

I guess the taste buds of the late 1700's were somewhat less fastidious (far from the taste of "warm mud") ...

Stay safe

Björn

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*Contrary to what one might believe (from the Sub-title) this Book, was published in 1956.
In my mind that's cutting the 20th Century a bit short. 🙄