Paul, you are correct about the Canary Islands. They were originally named
for their barking dogs (Latin canis). The birds that we call canaries are
finches, Serinus canarius, native to the Canary Islands. The Canary Islands
also contributed their name to a sweet wine similar to Madeira, and to a
lively 16th-century court dance. Canaries were originally greenish to
yellowish, but the yellow color has been selectively bred for and of course
is now called canary yellow. Canary seed is the seed of a grass native to
the Canary islands, Phalaris canariensis; it is used as food for canaries,
so it is not clear whether its name derived from the bird or from the
islands' name. Amazing what you can find in a dictionary (in this case,
Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 1990).
 
The slippage of meaning from dog to island to bird to color illustrates one
reason why scientists prefer to use Linnaean nomenclature. Common names not
only differ alarmingly from place to place, but through time. Linnaean
nomenclature is not constant either, but every name is based on an actual
type specimen or type lot, which in principle can be inspected when a
question is raised over its status. With common names, there is no
constancy at all, unless you simply translate the Linnaean name into the
vernacular, e.g., Gaza superbus becomes the Superb Gaza. Frankly, I've
never seen the point in learning twice as many names for the same thing.
 
Andrew K. Rindsberg
Geological Survey of Alabama