Ruddy turnstone Ruddy turnstone The ruddy turnstone ("Arenaria interpres") is a small wading bird, one of two species of turnstone in the genus "Arenaria". The scientific name is from Latin. The genus name "arenaria" derives from "arenarius", "inhabiting sand, from "arena", "sand". The specific "interpres" means "messenger"; when visiting Gotland in 1741, Linnaeus thought that the Swedish word "Tolk" "interpreter" applied to this species, but in the local dialect the word means "legs" and is used for the redshank. It is now classified in the sandpiper family Scolopacidae but was formerly sometimes placed in the plover family Charadriidae. It is a highly
What Is a Nation? What Is a Nation? "What is a Nation?" ("Qu'est-ce qu'une nation?") is an 1882 lecture by French historian Ernest Renan (1823–1892), known for the statements that a nation is "a daily referendum", and that nations are based as much on what the people jointly forget, as what they remember. It is frequently quoted or anthologized in works of history or political science pertaining to nationalism and national identity. Renan wrote "What is a Nation" in order to symbolize the nationalism which was born in France as a result of the French Revolution of 1789. Renan begins his essay by noting