Butterfly

[Kenelm Philip]

	When the query as to the origin of the word 'butterfly' appeared,
I turned to the Oxford English Dictionary to see what they had to say.
They said the origin of the word is unknown--but added that the existence
of a Dutch synonym 'boterschijte' suggests it may have had to do with
the color of the excrement!

	Meconium is usually referred to as being red. Anyone have any ideas
as to where you run into yellow excrement from butterflies? Or does this
merely indicate that the authors of the OED were not entomologists?

							Ken Philip
fnkwp at aurora.alaska.edu.