Re: Walking dromaeosaurs

[Richard W Travsky <rtravsky@uwyo.edu>]

On Fri, 1 Aug 2003, Brian Lauret wrote:
> >From: Nick Pharris <npharris@umich.edu>
> > [...]
> >Quoting Aspidel <aspidel@wanadoo.be>:
> >
> > > This morning I was watching  _Motacilla alba_ walking: this bird moves 
> >its
> > > neck front-and-back all the time when walking and moves its tail 
> >up-and-down
> > > to keep its balance.
> >
> >I'd say front-back head movement is likely, but most birds don't do the 
> >tail
> >movement:  it's a distinctive feature of this particular group of species, 
> >as
> >reflected both in the Latin "motacilla" ('moved-tail') and in the
> >English "wagtail".
> >
> Not to mention Dutch "Kwikstaart" (Position-differing (for lack of a better 
> translation of this old-fashioned word) tail)

Ok, that word looks like the english "quick start", and my curiousity was
aroused, so I found an online translator 

 http://www.worldlingo.com/products_services/worldlingo_translator.html

and selected Dutch to English. It came up with "mercury tail". That's
interesting, to quote Jack Sparrow. Undoubtedly referring Mercury
the old god of myth, and to speed.

Well, the translator was free, whaddya expect? ;)