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47
One word notably so employed is canis, which is ordinarily of
common gender because the natural difference of sex is so often
forced upon one's attention owing to the intimate association of
dog and man. When employed with absolutely no thought, however,
of male and female, the gender of canis is determined according
to the writer's whim or preference. A few examples will
suffice: Varro (R. R. II, 9, 6) in discussing the purchase of dogs
uses the masculine gender:
"Magni interest ex semine esse canes eodem, quod cognati maxime
inter se sunt praesidio," and again in treating of their food
ays (II, 9, 8) : "Cibatus canis propior hominus Diligenter
ut habeat cibaria providendum. Fames enim hos ad
quaerendum cibum ducet." Once more in regard to buying dogs
he says (II, 9, 5):
"Videndum ne a venatoribus aut laniis canes emas, alteri quod
ad pecus sequendum inertes; alteri, si viderint leporem aut cervum,
quod eum potius quam oves sequentur. Quare a pastoribus
empta melior, quae oves sequi consuevit, aut sine ulla consuetudine
quae fuerit."
In this passage both genders are used, yet each time dogs are
mentioned the reference must be to both sexes. Toward the close
of the chapter Varro speaks of protecting the watchdogs with
collars armed with nails,
"quod si lupus aliusve quis his vulneratus est, reliquas quoque
canes facit, quae id non habent, ut sint in tuto."
In these words both sexes are referred to without doubt, and
furthermore, there immediately follows a discussion of the number
of dogs necessary for the flock, and we meet with the words:
"Villatico vero gregi in fundum satis esse duo, et id marem et
feminam." If one may differentiate, then, between the word and
the usage, one would say that canis, while not a true epicene,
quite frequently receives that epicene usage, which Varro has
described, namely, that in which there is no thought of sex.58
Neue-Wagener present a small list of animal names with the
double endings in -us and -a, which they say57 are epicenes to the
extent that they may be used in either form for the species in
'" L. L. IX, 55. See above p. 40.
" I, pp. 927-930.