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4 Se A DICTIONARY

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With their History, Meaning and first usage:
and the Folk-lore, Weather-lore, Legends, etc.,
relating to the more familiar species.

BY

H. KIRKE SWANN

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WETHERBY. & CO,
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PREFACE.

THE idea and general scheme of this work were first entertained
by me as far back as 1895, and from time to time since then
I have worked at gathering up and piecing together the materials
until during the past year the work had grown to such proportions
and approached so nearly towards completion that I deemed
it worthy of publication. To say that even as now published
it is complete, would be claiming too much for it, since with
such a vast field open to research, both in literature and dialect,
the possibilities of addition and correction are still very great.
The first work approaching the scheme of the present volume
was Swainson’s “Folklore and Provincial Names of British
Birds,” published in 1886, which contains nearly 2,000 local
and other English names, but the author did not attempt to
deal with the important matter of book-names of species, and
moreover the work, useful as it is, suffers somewhat from not
being arranged in the form of a dictionary. Compared to
Swainson’s work, Newton’s “ Dictionary of Birds” (1893-6)
contains a great many less names, as might be expected from the
scope of the book, which was too wide to allow the author to
direct much of his great talent and research upon this limited
subject. Mr. Hett, in 1898, issued a short list of names in his
“Call Notes of Birds,” and in 1902 he published a much more
extended list, containing nearly 3,000 names, although it com-
prises merely a list of names with the species they refer to and
includes many mere variations and mis-spellings. In the
present ‘‘ Dictionary ” I have assembled, including variations of
spelling, nearly 5,000 names. Of course there are also partial
or local lists of names to be found in various ornithological
works and periodicals of all kinds. The labour of collecting,
collating and working up these names from a hundred or more

vi. PREFACE.

different sources, it may be judged, has been enormous, and
carefully as it has been done, omissions have probably been
made which I shall be glad to have pointed out to me.

I have attempted to combine in this volume the English
book-names from vast authors, giving the history and _ first
usage of the accepted names of species, and also the provincial,
loca] and dialect names in use now or formerly in the British
Islands, indicating the locality and meaning where possible.
The Welsh, Gaelic, Cornish and some of the Irish names have
been added, but in the case of the Irish names my available
information is deficient. Under the accepted name generally
have also been added what folk-lore, legends, weather-lore, etc.,
I have been able to collect regarding each species.

A list of the principal works made use of has been prefixed,
and it should be stated that the copy of Turner on Birds (1544)
used, is the reprint edited by Mr. A. H. Evans. This work
may be said to contain the earliest series of English names of
British birds, an honour generally claimed for the list in Merrett’s
‘«Pinax’’ (1666-7). The copy I have used of the latter work is
the second edition of 1667, which, however, hardly differs in
any respect in its contents from the 1666 edition. The copy of
Willughby and Ray’s ‘‘ Ornithology” (generally quoted as
“ Willughby ”) used, is the English edition of 1678, as being
not only the one more commonly in use, but also because owing
to its emendations and enlargement it is preferable to the
Latin edition of 1676. This work forms the first great basis of
modern British ornithology, and comparatively little advance
was made after it, only three or four works of note appearing
until the time of Pennant’s ‘‘ Zoology” (1766), after which date
various books on British birds began by degrees to appear ; yet
the English nomenclature, always confused and changing,
through such popular works as those of Lewin, Bewick, Montagu,
Latham, Donovan, Fleming, Selby, Macgillivray and others,
resolved itself but little until the time of Yarrell (Ist ed., 1843),
whose English names have been followed, with but few exceptions

PREFACE. Vii.

in the later editions of his work as well as by quite the majority
of writers to the present day. Of the enormous mass of ornith-
ological literature issued since Yarrell’s day, [have availed myself
by gleaning where anything may be gleaned for my purpose,
and if any of the works thus consulted are not included in the
Bibliography it is because I have felt it necessary to restrict
the list to the principal and most interesting.

In conclusion I have to thank a number of past and present
correspondents and friends who have obliged me with names
or information for this book, and to beg their indulgence for
not detailing more specifically the help they have given me.
I must also add a word of thanks to Mr. H. F. Witherby for
his kindly suggestions, and the interest he has shown in the
publication of the work.

H. Kirke Swany.

38, Great Queen Street, Kingsway,
London, W.C.,

December 12th, 1912.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Of principal works referred to, arranged chronologically.

CHaucer’s Works. Tyrwhitt’s ed.

Turner, W. “ Avium Precipuarum Historia” (1544), reprint
ed., A. H. Evans, 1903. [Contains 132 species, nearly all
British, of which 112 have the English names affixed.]

GrsNER, C. “ Historie Animalium,” liber m1, qui est de Avium
Natura, Tiguri, 1555.

Carus, J. “ Britanni, de Rariorum Animalium,” etc. (1570),
translated in part by A. H. Evans in App., “ Turner on
Birds,” 1903.

AtpRovanpus, U. “ Ornithologie, hoc est de Avibus historie,”
1599.

Carew, R. “Survey of Cornwall,” 1602.

Drayton, M. “Polyolbion, or a Chorographical Description
of Great Britain,” 1613.

SPENSER’S Works. Ed. 5 vols, 1845.

SHAKESPEARE’S Works. Ed. Staunton.

WirHeERINGS, J. “Order, Lawes and Ancient Customes of
Swannes,” 1632.

Browne, Sir THomas, Notes and Letters on the Natural
History of Norfolk (1662-8) ; ed. by T. Southwell, 1902.

Merrett, C. “ Pinax, rerum Naturalium Britannicarum,” etc.,
1667. [This is the 2nd ed., the first being dated 1666,
and it contains at pp. 170-84 what is usually cited as the
earliest list of British Birds, comprising 170 species, for
many of which, however, no English name is given.]

CHARLETON, W. ‘“ Onomasticon Zoicon,” 1668.

Prot, R. ‘The Natural History of Oxfordshire,” 1677.

Wittucusy, F. “Ornithology, in Three Books, wherein
all the Birds hitherto known, being reduced into a Method
suitable to their natures, are accurately described, trans-
lated into English, and enlarged, by John Ray,” 1678.
[Originally published in Latin in 1676, but the English
ed. has been used for the present work.]

SrppaLtp, R. “Scotia ITllustrata, sive Prodromus Historie
Naturalis,” etce., 1684.

Morton J. “ Natural History of Northamptonshire,” 1712.

Ray, J. “Synopsis Methodica Avium et Piscium,” 1713.

x. BIBLIOGRAPHY.

ALBIN, E. “ Natural History of Birds,” 3 vols., 1738. [The
majority of the 308 plates are of British Birds, the Author
stating that he has been particularly industrious to
procure all the English birds he could.]

Epwarps, G. ‘“ Natural History of Uncommon Birds,” etc.,
4 vols., 1743-51; id., “ Gleanings of Natural History,”
3 vols., 1753-64.

Martin, M. “A Late Voyage to St. Kilda,” 4th ed., 1753.

Boruase, W. “ Natural History of Cornwall,” 1758.

Pennant, T. “ British Zoology,” original fo. ed. (132 plates,
1766); 7b., 4th ed., 4 vols. 8vo, 1776-7; 7b., new ed.,
4 vols. 8vo, 1812.

Wats, J. “ Natural History and Antiquities of Northum-
berland,’” 1769.

Tunstatt, M. ‘“ Ornithologia Britannica,” original fo. ed.,
1771.

Rurry, J. “An Essay towards a Natural History of Co..
Dublin,” 1772.

Hayes, W. “Natural History of British Birds,” 1775.

Latuam, J. ‘A General Synopsis of Birds,” 3 vols. in 6, and
two Supps., 1781-90.

Pennant, T. “ Arctic Zoology,” vol. 1. (Birds), 1785.

Watocort, J. “‘Synopsis of British Birds,” 1789.

Whitt, G. “Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne,”
Ist ed., 1789.

Lorp, T. ‘‘ Entire New System of Ornithology, or Gicumenical
History of British Birds,” 1791-6.

Donovan, E. “ Natural History of British Bird.,” 10 vols.,
1794-1819.

Lewin, W. “Birds of Great Britain,” 8 vols. (2nd ed.),
1795-1801.

Waitt, G. ‘“ Naturalists’ Calendar,” 1795.

Bewick, T. “History of British Birds,” Ist ed., 2 vols.,
1797-1804. [The text of vol. 1. was by Beilby and of
vol. 1. by Bewick, but Major Mullens says that Rev.
Mr. Cotes of Bedlington assisted with this latter volume. |

Montacu, G. ‘Ornithological Dictionary,” Ist ed., 2 vols.,
1802, and Supp., 1813.

jForsrer, T.] ‘‘ Observations on Brumal retreat of Swallow,”
by ‘“ Philochelidon,” 1808.

GRAvES, G. “ British Ornithology,” 3 vols, 1811-21.

Low, G. “ Fauna Orcadensis,” 1813.

Hunt, J. “ British Ornithology,” 3 vols. (vol. 3 unfinished),
1815-22.

Buttock. “ History of the Isle of Man,” 1816.

BIBLIOGRAPHY. bak

Serpy, P. J. “Illustrations of British Ornithology,” text,
2 vols., 1825-33.

Fremine, J. “ History of British Animals,” 1828, 2nd ed.,
1842.

Govup, J. “ Birds of Europe,” 5 vols., 1832-7.

Jessg, E. “ Gleaningsin Natural History,” 3rd_ ser., 1832-5.

Corton, J. “Resident Song Birds of Great Britain,” 2 pts.,
1835-6.

Jenyns, L. ‘“ Manual of British Vertebrate Animals,” 1835.

Datyett, J. G. “ Darker Superstitions of Scotland,” 1835.

Dunn, R. “ Ornithologist’s Guide to the Islands of Orkney
and Shetland,” 1837.

Maceiiivray, W. “History of British Birds,” 5 vols.,
1837-52.

YARRELL, W. “ History of British Birds,” Ist ed., 3 vols., 1843 ;
id. Supp. 1, 1845, Supp. 2, 1856.

Tuomeson, W. “Natural History of Ireland—Birds,” 3 vols.,
1849.

Howitt, M. “ Pictorial Calendar of the Seasons,” 1854.

Stevenson, H., and SourHwet1, T. “ The Birds of Norfolk,”
3 vols., 1866-90.

Inwarps, R. ‘‘ Weather Lore,” 1869.

CHAMBERS. “ Popular Rhymes of Scotland,” 1870.

Grey, R. “Birds of West of Scotland, including the Outer
Hebrides,”’ 1871.

Hartine, J. E. “The Ornithology of Shakespeare,” 1871.

YARRELL, W. “ History of British Birds,” 4th ed., edited by
Newton and Saunders, 4 vols., 1871-85.

Harting, J. E. ‘ Handbook of British Birds,” 1872; 7b., new
ed., 1901.

Har“aANnD and WILKINSON. “Lancashire Legends and
Traditions,” 1873.

Saxsy, H. L. “ Birds of Shetland,” 1874.

Ropp, E.H. “ The Birds of Cornwall,” edited by J. E. Harting,
1880.

Smiru, C. ‘The Birds of Wiltshire,” 1881.

British OrnitHoLocists’ Union. “List of British Birds,”
compiled by a Committee of the B.O.U., 1883.

Dyer, T. F. Taisetton. “English Folk Lore,” 1884.

Mireuetyt, F. 8. ‘* Birds of Lancashire,” 1885.

Swarnson, Rev. C. ‘‘ The Folk Lore and Provincial Names of
British Birds,” 1886.

SaunpERS, H. “Illustrated Manual of British Birds,” Ist ed.,
1889; 2nd ed., 1899.

MourrHeap, G. “The Birds of Berwickshire,” 2 vols., 1889.

xan! BIBLIOGRAPHY.

GraHaM, H.D. “ The Birds of Iona and Mull,” edited by J. A.
Harvie-Brown, 1890.

Curisty, Minter. “ The Birds of Essex,” 1890.

Borrer, W. “The Birds of Sussex,” 1891.

Harvise-Brown, J. A. and Buckiey, T. E. “A Vertebrate
Fauna of the Orkney Islands,” 1891.

Newton, A. “ Dictionary of Birds,” 1893-6.

Bucknitu, J. A. “‘ The Birds of Surrey,” 1900.

Hert, C. L. “Glossary of Popular, Local and Old-fashioned
Names of British Birds,” 1902. .

Netson, T. H., and CuarKe, W. E. “ Birds of Yorkshire,”
2 vols., 1907.

Forrest, H. E. “ Vertebrate Fauna of North Wales,” 1907.

Wuitaker, J. ‘‘ Notes on the Birds of Notts.,” 1907.

Guapstong, H. 8. ‘The Birds of Dumfriesshire,” 1910.

Cowarp, T. A. “ Vertebrate Fauna of Cheshire,” 2 vols. (the
Birds by Coward and Oldham), 1910.

Botam, G. ‘ Birds of Northumberland and the Eastern
Borders,” 1912.

Harrert, JOURDAIN, TICEHURST and WiTHERBY. ‘‘ Hand-List
of British Birds,” 1912.

«« Archeological Review.”

‘“‘Bailey’s Universal Etymological Dictionary,” 1749.

‘British Birds” [Mag.], 1907-12.

“Bulletin ” of the British Ornithologists’ Club.

Dyche and Pardon’s “New General English Dictionary,”

2nd ed., 1757.
English Dialect Society’s Publications: Glossaries of County
Words, etc.

“Field.”

“ Folklore.”

“ Folklore Journal.”

é Ibis.”

Littré, ‘Hist. de la Langue Francaise.”

Murray’s ‘‘ New English Dictionary,” 1884-1912.

“Notes and Queries.”

Philological Society’s ‘‘'Transactions.”

Skeat’s ‘ Etymological Dictionary of the English Language,”
1879-80.

Wright’s “ English Dialect Dictionary,” 1896-1905.

“* Zoologist.”

A DICTIONARY OF ENGLISH AND FOLK-
NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS, Etc.

' Norr.—The accepted English names of species are printed in capitals,
whilst the numbers inserted in brackets refer to the species as listed in
the ‘* Hand-List of British Birds,’’ compiled by Messrs. Hartert, Jourdain,
Ticehurst and Witherby, 1912, which should be referred to for the
scientific nomenclature and distribution of the species. The names of
introduced or doubtful species are printed in ¢talics. The Folk-lore,
weather-lore, philological and other notes are usually given under the
accepted names of species (printed in capitals), to which reference should
be made from alternative or local names, printed in small capitals. The
latter, it should be noted, are given under the first letter of the name
without cross-references, i.e. for ‘“‘ Red-legged Crow” see under ‘ R.”’
Localities or authorities have, where possible, been appended to the
equivalents of the less familiar names (in parentheses). Where these
immediately follow the name of one species, without an intervening point,
it should be understood they refer only to that species.

ABERDEEN SANDPIPER: The KNOT. Occurs in Pennant,
Montagu, Bewick, etc., as a name for a phase of this species,
described as the ‘“‘ Red Sandpiper ”’ by Pennant.

ABERDEVINE, ABERDAVINE, ABADAVINE, or ABERDUVINE.
Obsolete names for the SISKIN, first used by Albin (1735)
who, however, spells it “‘ Aberdwvine”’ in the text and
“* Abadavine ” on the plate ; but in his ‘“‘ Brit. Song-birds ”
(1737) itis spelt “Aberdevine.” It is printed ‘‘Aberdavine”’
in the “‘ New General History of Birds,” 1745, and “ Abber
de Vine” in Rutty’s “‘ Nat. History of Co. Dublin,” 1772.
Pennant (1766) spells it ‘‘ Aberdavine,” Montagu (1802)
“* Aberdevine,” as also Cotton (1835), Yarrell (1843) and
other later writers; while it occurs in the same form as a
local name in Coward and Oldham’s “Vert. Fauna of
Cheshire,” andin Nelson and Clarke’s “‘ Birds of Yorkshire,”
the latter stating that it was known to old bird-catchers
about Beverley under that name. The derivation seems
to be unknown, but a clue to its usage is given by Pennant,
who says that: “It is frequently to be met with in the
bird-shops in London, and is known there by the name
of Aberdavine.” Swainson thinks it an equivalent to
Alderfinch and synonymous with the German Lrlenzeisig.

B

2 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

ABHARARCAN-LUACHRACH or ADHARCAN LUACHRACH. A Gaelic
name for the LAPWING; lit. “the horned creature of
the rushes.”

AcADIAN OwL. A North American species, supposed to have
occurred once at Beverley, Yorkshire.

ADEN GwyR: The WAXWING. (North Wales) lit. “ wax-
wing.”

ADERYN ADEIN GocH: The REDWING. (North Wales) lit.
“ved-winged bird.”

ADERYN BRONFRAITH. A Welsh name for the SONG-THRUSH ;
lit. “ thrush-bird.”

ADERYN CywaRCcH: The LINNET. (North Wales) lit.“ hemp-
bird.”

ADERYN Dv. A Welsh name for the BLACKBIRD; | lit.
‘black bird.”” The female is called Mwyalchen (=hen).

ADERYN DUR DWR: The DIPPER. (North Wales) lit. “ water
blackbird.”

ADERYN EIRA: The SNOW-BUNTING. (North Wales) lit.
“ snow bird.”

ADERYN Y BwN. A Welsh name for the BITTERN; lit.
“boom bird.”

ADERYN-y-CyReH or ADERYN CorpH. A Welsh name for the
TAWNY OWL and the BARN-OWL; lit. “corpse
bird.”

ADERYN-y-Cyrs: The REED-WARBLER. (North Wales)
lit. “‘ reed bird.”

ADERYN-Y-DroELL. A Welsh name for the NIGHTJAR ; lit.
‘* spinning-wheel bird.”

ADERYN-YR-EIRA: The FIELDFARE. (North Wales) lit.
“ snow bird.”

ApERyn-y-To. A Welsh name for the HOUSE-SPARROW ;
lit. ‘‘ thatch bird.”

Aery;or Aerie. An eagle’s nest or a brood of eagles or hawks.
Occurs as airie, aiery, ayrie, eyery, aeiry, etc., in various
authors. Also as eyrie or eyrey, an incorrect form.
The derivation of this word is somewhat uncertain.
Murray seems to favour Fr. aire, fr. Lat. area, a floor or
space of level ground, which is the view held by Littré;
but Skeat thinks the original source is the Icelandic
ari, an eagle, and hazards that the Fr. aire and Low Lat.
(not the class. Lat. word) area come from a similar source
(although he modifies this in his second edition). The
Low Lat. area is used by Ducange to denote the nest

ABHARARCAN—ALGERIAN. 3

of a bird of prey, and Cotgrave gives aire as “an airie or
nest of hawkes.” Dyche and Pardon have “eyrie or
ayrie, among falconers the place or nest where hawks
sit and hatch and feed their young.” The. spelling
eyrie or eyrey, used by many authors, seems to be in-
correct. Murray says it was first used by Spelman
(1664) who was under the misapprehension that the
derivation was Saxon, from egg; Willughby and Ray
also spell it eyrie, Halliwell and Wright think eyrey is
the right form, derived from ey, Mid.-Eng. for egg. The
word occurs in most of our early authors: Shakespeare
has ayerie, but the word is printed aery and aiery by most
editors; Milton has eyrie; Ben Jonson uses avery,
but applies it to a brood of kestrels; Browne (‘ Britan.
Past.”) spells it eyerte, and Massinger (‘‘ Maid of Honour,”
I, 2.) has :—

One airy, with proportion ne’er discloses

The eagle and the wren.

African Crowned Crane. An example obtained in Ayrshire in
1871 is thought to have escaped from captivity.

ArricAN Herron. The PURPLE HERON is so-called by
Latham, Lewin, Montagu, etc. It is a migratory species
occurring in Africa, hence the name.

ArmsA Cock or Arisa Parrot. Local Scots names for the
PUFFIN ; also used in Antrim (Swainson).

Auamontr: The STORM-PETREL. (Orkneys.) The Orcadian
name “Alamonti” is given by Low, but Macgillivray
spells it Alamowti, and this form wax sent me by Mr. R.
Godfrey as a Shetland name; it is also rendered Allamotti ;
Jamison thinks it is of Italian extraction from ala, a wing
and monte, to mount.

AuarcH DoF. A Welsh name for the MUTE SWAN;; lit.
“tame swan.”

ALARCH GWYLLT. A Welsh name for the WHOOPER SWAN ;
lit. “‘ wild swan.”

ALDROVANDINE OWLET. Macgillivray’s name for the SCOPS
OWL.

ALEXANDRINE PLOVER: The RINGED PLOVER.

ALGERIAN RED-NECKED NIGHTJAR [No. 204]. A bird
obtained near Newcastle in 1856 and recorded in most
subsequent authors as the “ Red-necked Nightjar,” is
considered by Hartert to belong to the “desert” form
inhabiting Algeria and Tunisia, and not to the western or
Spanish form; hence the change of name.

B2

4 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Atk: The RAZORBILL; literally signifying auk, being no
doubt from Icelandic alka, auk (q.v.).

ALLAN. A Scots name for a Skua; generally the ARCTIC
SKUA, which in East Scotland is called Dirty Allan or Aulin ;
in Orkney, Scouty Allan or Aulin, and Weese Allan;
Macgillivray spells it ‘‘ Allen.”

ALLECAMPAGNE. The BLUE TITMOUSE is so-called in Corn-
wall (Swainson).

Allen’s Gallinule. A single example, captured off Yarmouth, is
thought to have escaped from captivity.

Aur: The BULLFINCH. (Obsolete.) Synonymic with Alph,
Awbe, Olp, Olph, Olf and Ulf, but the derivation is un-
known. Occurs in Chaucer (‘‘ Romaunt of the Rose’) and
Willughby. Possibly from Alb (Mid. Eng. albe) a derivate
of Lat. albus (white), the rump being very conspicuously pure
white. Gael. “ Alp” signifies a high mountain, and does
not seem to have any connexion with the present word,
although, according to Skeat, connected with Lat. albus.
Olph appears to be still in local use for the Bullfinch
(‘‘ Blood-Olph ”’) and Greenfinch (“‘ Green-Olph ”). Swain-
son seems to be in error in supposing Hoop or Hope to be
derived from Alp, as Hoop seems to be clearly from the
bird’s note. Nope and Mwope, however, may be from Alp.

ALPINE ACCENTOR [No. 186]. So-called from its inhabiting
the Alps and other mountain ranges of South Europe. The
name first appears in Fleming’s ‘“ Hist. of Brit. Animals”
(1828), probably as a translation of Temminck’s “ Accenteur
des Alpes” (1820). Its former generic name of Accentor,
Lat. accentum, Fr. ad, to, and cantus, singing, was bestowed
on account of its song. Also sometimes rendered Alpine
Chanter and Alpine Warbler.

Alpine Chough. An accidental visitor of doubtful status on the
British List. The name occurs in Latham as “ Alpine Crow.”

ALPINE RING-OUZEL [No. 163]. An Alpine form of the
RING-OUZEL.

ALPINE SWIFT [No. 199]. <A native, as its name implies, of
the Alps, and other parts of South Europe. The name is
found in Selby (1825). It is the White-bellied Swift of
Gould.

ALPINE VULTURE: The EGYPTIAN VULTURE. (Bewick.)

AMADAN MornticH or AN TAMADAN MOINTICH. A Gaelic name
for the DOTTEREL; lit. “the fool of the moor” or
peat-bog.

ALK—AMERICAN. 5

AMERICAN BELTED KiNGFISHER: The Belted Kingfisher. The
prefix ‘‘ American” to this and other species in the
‘ Hand-List ” seems unnecessary, there being no European
form to be distinguished.

AMERICAN BITTERN [No. 269]. An irregular visitor from
America, as the name implies. The name first appears in
Selby, but the species was first distinguished under the
name of Freckled Heron, in 1813, by Montagu (‘‘ Orn.
Dict.,” Supp.).

AMERICAN BLACK-BILLED Cuckoo. See BLACK-BILLED
CUCKOO.

AMERICAN BLUE-WINGED TEAL [No. 291]. An American
species of accidental occurrence.

AMERICAN Cuckoo: The YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. (Gould.)

AMERICAN GOLDENEYE. See Barrow’s Goldeneye.

AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER [No. 363]. A casual visitor
from Arctic North America.

American Goshawk. A North American species, said to have
been twice obtained in our islands.

AMERICAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL [No. 290]. Another
accidental visitor from America.

AMERICAN HAWK-OWL [No. 221]. An occasional visitor
from America. The name Hawk-Owl first occurs in Gould’s
“ Birds of Europe” (pt. x). It is the Canada Owl of
Jenyns.

AMERICAN HooDED MERGANSER. See HOODED MERGANSER.

American Kestrel. A North American representative of the
KESTREL, said to have occurred in our Islands.

AMERICAN PECTORAL SANDPIPER. See PECTORAL SAND-
PIPER.

American Purple Martin. Included by Yarrell (1843) on the
strength of one said to have been shot in Ireland.

AMERICAN QuatL: The Virginian Colin. (Montagu.)

American Scaup. An American species, also called RING-NECKED
Duck, said to have been obtained here.

AMERICAN STINT [No. 376]. A casual visitor from America.

American Trumpeter Swan. An American species, said to have
been obtained in our Islands.

AMERICAN WATER-PIPIT [No. 71]. This species, first
figured by Edwards (“ Gleanings,” p. 297) as the “ Lark
from Pennsylvania,” is also called AMERICAN PrPIT or
AMERICAN Trt-Lark.

6 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

American White-winged Crossbill. The name is found in Gould
and in Yarrell (lst ed.).

AMERICAN WIGEON [No. 294]. The name seems to occur
first in Wilson’s ‘“‘ American Ornithology.” It is found in
Yarrell (Ist ed.), the species having been recorded for
Britain by Blyth in 1838.

AMERICAN YELLOW-BILLED Cuckoo. See YELLOW-BILLED
CUCKOO.

AmMER or EMMER GoosE: The GREAT NORTHERN DIVER.
(Aberdeen and East Lothian.) Ammer appears to be a
corruption of Immer (q.v.).

AmzeL or AMSEL. This is another form of Ouzel, and is cognate
with German Amsel. It appears to be applied to both the
BLACKBIRD and RING-OUZEL. Montagu gives Amsel
as a provincial name for the BLACKBIRD.

Andalucian Hemipode. A south European species recorded on
two or three occasions (probably introduced birds). The
name is also written Andalusian. It occurs first as Andalu-
cian Hemipode in Yarrell (“ Brit. Birds,” Suppl. 1, 1845).
Latham calls it Andalusian Quail, and Gould Andalusian
Turnix.

AnNET: The KITTIWAKE GULL. (Yorkshire). Found in
Graves’s ‘‘ Cleveland,” 1808; it is a feminine diminutive ;
also applied in Northumberland to the COMMON GULL,
according to Swainson.

ANT-EUN FIORM. A Gaelic name for the HEN-HARRIER.

APpPLE-BIRD: The CHAFFINCH. (Cornwall.) No doubt akin
to “‘ Shell-apple.”

APPLE-SHEALER or APPLE-SHEILER. Northumbrian names for
the CHAFFINCH. Bolam, who spells it “ shealer,” thinks
it is from the bird’s habits among the buds of fruit trees ;
but see “ Shell-Apple.”

AQUATIC WARBLER [No. 140]. A casual visitor, in habits
resembling the SEDGE-WARBLER, whence its name.
ARBOUR-BIRD: The CHIFFCHAFF (?). Perhaps from the

shape of its nest.

Arctic Birp or Arctic Gutt: The ARCTIC SKUA.

Arctic JAGER: The LONG-TAILED SKUA. (Eyton.)

Arctic Purrin: The PUFFIN.

Arctic Skua [No. 441]. Commonly known as Richardson’s
Skua—a rather more appropriate name, as the name Arctic
Skua is sometimes applied to the LONG-TAILED SKUA ;
both are Aretic species. Skua is from the note which

AMERICAN —ASH-COLOURED. a

sounds like sku. The name Arctic Skua seems to occur
first in Fleming (1828); it is the Arctic Gull and Black-
toed Gull of Pennant, while the name Richardson’s Skua
is first found in Jenyns (1835), and was adopted by Yarrell
in his first edition.

Arctic TERN [No. 420]. A more northern species in our Islands
than the COMMON TERN. It was first distinguished by
Briinnich in 1764, but was not noticed by our British ornitho-
logists until well into the 19th century. It is mentioned
by Fleming (2nd ed. 1840), but he considered it only a
variety of the Common Tern, and the bird seems to be
first admitted under the name of Arctic Tern by Yarrell in
1843. For derivation of Tern, se COMMON TERN.

Aruine or ARLYNG: The WHEATEAR. Occurs in Turner
(1544), in Gesner and in Merrett.

Arnt, ARENT. Given by Aldrovandus as English names for
an Eagle; no doubt equivalent to ‘‘ Erne.”

ARRAN AKE: The RED-THROATED DIVER. The “ake”
is equivalent to auk. Swainson says it is so-called “ about
Luss in Dumbarton.”

Arsroot: The GREAT CRESTED GREBE. (Merrett, Wil-
lughby.) The LITTLE GREBE is the Small Arsfoot of
Willughby. Cognate with Dutch arsvoote, from the back-
ward position of the legs.

Asau, AusA. Gaelic names for the GANNET; the former is
used in the western isles, and the latter on the mainland
(Graham).

ASGELL-ARIAN. A Welsh name for the CHAFFINCH; lit.
silver wing.”

ASGELL-HIR: The SWIFT. (North Wales) lit. “long wing.”

ASH-COLOURED BuzzaRD, or FaLcon, or Harrrer. See MON-
TAGU’S HARRIER. It is the Ash-coloured Falcon of
Montagu, formerly supposed to be the discoverer of the
species.

ASH-COLOURED HERON, or Hern, or HERNsHAW: The COMMON
HERON. (Merrett.) Hett applies the first name to the
NIGHT-HERON, but Merrett’s bird is obviously the
COMMON HERON.

AsH-coLoURED Loon: The GREAT-CRESTED GREBE.
(Willughby.)

ASH-COLOURED SanpprrpeR. The KNOT in winter-plumage
was separated under this name by Pennant and other
writers up to Montagu (1804), who however remarked that

8 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

he doubted its distinctness from the KNOT. Swainson
gives it as an Irish provincial name.

ASH-COLOURED SHRIKE: The GREAT GREY SHRIKE.

_ Bewick (1st ed.) calls it the Great Ash-coloured Shrike.

ASH-COLOURED Swan: The GREAT CRESTED GREBE.
(Swainson.)

ASHY-HEADED WAGTAIL [No. 77]. A South European
form recorded on two occasions.

Asiatic GOLDEN PuLovEeR [No. 364]. A subspecies of the
AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, breeding in eastern
Arctic Asia, hence its name.

Astatic Houpara. See MACQUEEN’S BUSTARD.

AssitaG: The STORM-PETREL. (St. Kilda—Martin; also
Hebrides—Swainson). Derived from Gael. ecaschal, a storm:

Associations of Birds (terms denoting). Curlews: a ‘‘ flock ”—
Wild Geese : a “ string ” or a “ skein ”—Grouse : a “ pack ”
—Partridges: a “covey,” also a “ brace” (two)—Quail: a
“bevy ”—Rooks : a “ congregation ”—Snipe : a ‘“ whisp ”
—Starlings: a “gathering” or “ murmuration”’ (many
together)—Teal: a “ flock”—Wigeon: a “company ”
(many together), a “bunch” or “trip” (30 or 40)—or a
“little knot ”’ (10 or 12).

ASTRACANNET: The VELVET SCOTER and also the GREAT
NORTHERN DIVER (Northumberland).

ATHENIAN Ow: A name for the EAGLE-OWL. (Macgillivray.)

ATTAGEN. The Attagen of the Ancients has been identified
by old authors with various species, i.e. the WOODCOCK,
female BLACK GROUSE, Godwit, ete. Turner favours
the Heather-Hen or the Godwit, while Merrett gives the
name to the latter. Willughby says the Attagen of Gesner
is the Hazel-Grouse. The Attagen of Brisson, however,
seems to be the RED GROUSE.

ATTEAL, ATTEILE, or ATTILE. An ancient Scottish name, occur-
ing also in the Orkney dialect, for a kind of Duck, sup-
posed by Baikie and Heddle to be the COMMON
POCHARD, but Professor Newton was inclined to think
it to be the TEAL.

AUER-CALZE. The CAPERCAILLIE was so called north of
Inverness according to Pennant; and it appears under
this name in Hector Boethius (1526).

Auk: The GREAT AUK; also the RAZORBILL (Yorkshire
coast). Occurs also as “ Alk.”? From Icel. alka, an auk ;
thence also Lat. alca. The word seems to have no certain

‘\

ASH-COLOURED—BAILLON’S. 9

connection with awkward, or aukward, signifying unhandy
or contraryward, the prefix auk or awk being from the
Icel. afig or 6fg. Thename Auk appears formerly to have
more properly belonged to the RAZORBILL; Willughby
gives it as the North of England name for that species,
and Sibbald mentions the RAZORBILL by the name
of Auk (see-GREAT AUK), as also does Pennant (1766).
Swainson gives Auk as an Orkney name for the COMMON
GUILLEMOT.

Australian Gallinule. Examples of this species recorded as
British are regarded as escaped birds.

AUSTRIAN PRATINCOLE: The PRATINCOLE. (Montagu.)

AVOCET [No. 401]. Also spelt Avoset. Der. from the
Ferrarese Avosetta or Avocetta, probably literally a graceful
bird (dim. of Lat. avis). The name occurs in Willughby
(1678) as the ‘‘ Avosetta of the Italians.” It is called
Scooper (q.v.) by Charleton (1668), Avosetta by Pennant
(1766), while Montagu and others call it Scooping Avoset ;
Yarrell also calls it Avoset.

Awt-Birp: The AVOCET. So called from the shape of the
bill resembling an awl. From A.Sax. awel, Mid-Eng. aul,
eawl, an awl or pointed instrument for piercing. Also
applied to the GREEN WOODPECKER ; Montagu gives
it as a provincial name for that species.

Baacte or Barerz. A Shetland name for the GREAT BLACK-
BACKED GULL.

BaBBLER: The GREAT REED-WARBLRER. From its noisysong.

BaBBLINc WarBLER. A provincial name for the LESSER
WHITETHROAT. (Macgillivray.)

BaBILLARD: The LESSER WHITETHROAT. (Montagu, ‘“ Orn.
Dict.,”’ ed. Rennie, 1831.) Rennie adapted the name from
the French, as pointed out by Newton, and it does not
seem to have been in use colloquially, although given
by Macgillivray as a provincial name.

Bapock : The ARCTIC SKUA; also GREAT SKUA (Swainson).

Bap Witty: The COMMON GUILLEMOT.

Baer’s Duck. An East Siberian species, named by Radde in

honour of K. E. von Baer.

Bac: The LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE. (Northants.) In

allusion to the shape of its nest.

BAILLON’S CRAKE [No. 458]. The name seems to occur

first in Selby. This is the P. bailloni of Vieillot, hence the
name.

10 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

BAIRD’S SANDPIPER [No. 380]. A North American
species named by Coues in honour of Spencer F. Baird,
the well-known American ornithologist.

Baxter. A Shetland name for the BLACK-HEADED GULL.

BALBUSHARD: The MARSH-HARRIER. Occurs in Turner
(1544) and is an equivalent of Bald Buzzard. In Aldro-
vandus and Gesner it is applied to the Osprey.

Bautp Buzzarp. Properly the MARSH-HARRIER (from its
whitish cap) but also applied to the OSPREY. Willughby
(1678) appears to have confused the MARSH-HARRIER
and OSPREY together in his account (p. 69) of this bird,
and he confuses the Sea-Eagle and OSPREY also. Other
authors of his day in like manner confused the OSPREY
with the WHITE-TAILED or Sea-EAGLE. Merrett
mentions the ‘“‘Bald Buzzard or Kite.” Montagu gives
the name to the OSPREY, while Swainson gives it as
an Essex name for the MARSH-HARRIER.

Batp Coot: The COOT (Albin and Macgillivray). Montagu
gives it as a provincial name, and it occurs in Rutty’s
“Nat. Hist. of Dublin.” Swainson gives Bald Duck or
Bald Coot as a Somerset name, and Nelson and Clarke
give Bald Coot and Baldheaded Coot as Yorkshire names.
In Scotland it becomes Bell (q.v.)

Bap GoosE: The WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE. (Scotland.)

Batp Krre: The COMMON BUZZARD. (Provincial.)

Batp Pate: The WIGEON. (Provincial.)

BanksuGc, Bantysuc, or BANK-BoTrTLE. Local names for

the CHIFFCHAFF and the WILLOW-WARBLER, on
account of the shape of the nest.

Bank Lark: The TREE-PIPIT .and MEADOW-PIPIT.
(Yorkshire—Cleveland.)

Bank Martin, BANK MarTNET, or BANK SwALLow: TheSAND-
MARTIN. The name Bank Martnet occurs in Turner
(1544) and in Merrett, while Bank Martin or Swallow is
still in use provincially. It arises from the bird’s habit
of excavating its nest in sandstone banks or cuttings.

Bank Sparrow: The WHINCHAT. (Provincial.)

BanK Wren: The WILLOW - WARBLER. (Yorkshire—
South Holderness).

Barrator. Willughby records this as a Jersey and Guernsey
name for the PUFFIN.

BAIRD’S—BARLEY-BIRD. ll

Barbary Partridge. A North-west African species, of which
examples (probably introduced birds) have been taken
in Britain. It was added to the British List by Yarrell
(“ Brit. Birds,” Supp., 1845). The name is found in Latham.

Barcup or Barcuran. A Welsh name for the KITE; lit.
“swift hawk.” In North Wales it is generally applied
to the COMMON BUZZARD, according to Coward and
Oldham.

Barcup atas. A Welsh name for the HEN-HARRIER ; lit.
* blue kite.”’

BarRDRAKE: The SHELD-DUCK; also the RED-BREASTED
MERGANSER. See Bargander. Swainson gives it as
an Irish name for the former species.

BaREFACED Crow: The ROOK. So called from the bare
whitish skin surrounding the base of the bill.

BaRETOED Day-Own. Macgillivray’s name for the LITTLE
OWL.

Barroa (Y). A Welsh name for the BEARDED TITMOUSE.

BARGANDER, BARGANSER, BERGANDER, or Bar-GoosE: The
SHELD-DUCK. Etymology uncertain, but most probably
from the conspicuous chestnut “bar” or band on the
breast. Occurs in Turner, Willughby and Merrett as
“ Bergander.” Evans thinks it should be spelt “‘ Burgander,
ie. Burrow Duck,” while Turner suggested “ Berg-ander ”
from its nesting in “holes of lofty rocks” (see SHELD-
DUCK). According to Wallis, Bergander is a Northumbrian
name, and Bolam says it is pronounced Banganner about
Boulmer. Swainson also gives Bar-goose as an Essex
name for the BARNACLE-GOOSE.

Barcez. A Cornish name for the KITE.
BarkK-CREEPER: The TREECREEPER. (Provincial.)

BarkER: The AVOCET. Also applied to the BLACK-TAILED
GODWIT, while Newton points out that Albin has figured
the GREENSHANK under this name, and Montagu,
taking the plate to be that of the SPOTTED REDSHANK,
has applied the name “ Barker” to that bird also. Albin
says the decoy-men so called it because it ‘‘ makes a noise
like the barking of a dog.”

BarueEy-Birp. Variously applied locally to the GREY
WAGTAIL (Yorks.), the YELLOW WAGTAIL (Notts.),
the NIGHTINGALE (East Anglia), and the WRYNECK
(Hants.), and also to the COMMON GULL, on account

12 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

of their appearing at the time of barley-sowing. It has
also been applied by Willughby to the SISKIN. The
name “ Barley-seed Bird” for the YELLOW WAGTAIL
is found in Carr’s “‘ Craven Dialect,” 1828.

Bar Ley Snake-Brrp: The WRYNECK. (Hants.)
BARNACLE, or BARNACLE GoosE. The BRENT GOOSE is

sometimes so called, especially in Ireland.

BARNACLE-GOOSE [No. 282]. The name Barnacle or
Bernacle has been considered to have its origin in the
ancient belief that this goose was generated from the
shell-fish of that name (Lepas anatifera) which are found
adhering in clusters to floating timber, etc., the prevalent
belief for some centuries being that these ‘gshell-fish were
the embryo geese which grew upon trees, termed “ goose-
trees,’ and as Gerard in his “ Herbal” (1597) states, “‘as it
groweth greater, it openeth the shell by degrees till at
length it is all come forth and hangeth only by the bill:
in short space after, it cometh to full maturitie and falleth
into the sea, w here it gathereth feathers,” ete. Turner,
who calls it “ Bernicle”’ (‘‘Avium Precip. Hist.,” 1544),
writing from the evidence of a “certain man of upright
conduct,” confirms the same tale put forth originally by
Giraldus Cambrensis (ca. 1175) and remarks that no one
has seen the Bernicle’s nest or egg as evidence of this
spontaneous generation. For an interesting account of
the fable see Harting’s “ Birds of Shakespeare,” pp. 246-57,
1871. Dr. Murray points out that the oldest known
English form of the word is the Bernekka (Latinised Bernaca)
of Giraldus Cambrensis in the reference cited above, and
he remarks that the Cirriped took its name from the bird
and not the bird from the Cirriped, which of course leaves
the derivation of the bird’s name still a moot point.
Willughby and Ray call it the “ Bernacle or Clakis : Bernicla
seu Bernacla.” It is figured by Lobel, Gerard and many
other old authors. Seemingly an allusion to the above
fable is to be found in the diary of Peter Suavenius during
his mission in these islands (printed in Appdx. to 45th Rept.
of Deputy Keeper of Public Records) where it is recorded
that “there are trees in Scotland from which birds are
produced .. . those birds which fall from the trees into
the water become animated, but those which fall to the
ground do not: the figures of birds are sometimes found
in the heart of the wood of the trees and on the roots: the
birds themselves do not generate.”’

BARLEY—BAR-TAILED. 13

BARN-OWL [No. 227, White-breasted Barn-Owl; No. 228,
Dark-breasted Barn-Owl]. This species has been separated
into the two forms noted, the White-breasted being the
resident species and the Dark-breasted a casual migrant.
The name Barn-Owl arises from its predilection for barns
and other old buildings: it occurs first in Willughby. It is
the White Owl of Pennant and other authors, and the
“Yellow Owl,’ “Church Owl,” ete., of yet others.
Yarrell (Ist ed.) calls it the ““ White or Barn Owl,” and
the latter name has generally been adopted by later writers.
“White Owl” is derived from the white hue of the under-
parts: “ Yellow Owl” from the tawny yellow upper-parts :
“Church Owl” from its partiality for churches. This and
other species of owls were formerly very generally regarded
as birds of ill-omen. Chaucer, referring obviously to this
species, says :—

The owle al nyght aboute the balkes wonde,
That prophete ys of woo and of myschaunce.
An ancient belief that this bird shrieking at a birth portended
ill-luck to the infant is alluded to in Shakespeare (Henry VI,
pt. m1, act v, sc. 6).
The Owl shrieked at thy birth, an evil sign.

BarRN Swattow. A common provincial name for the
SWALLOW, so called from its nesting on the rafters, etc.,
of barns and other out-buildings.

BARRED WARBLER [No. 143]. So called from its grey-and-
white barred plumage.

BarrReD Wittow WarRBLER: The YELLOW-BROWED
WARBLER.

BaRRED WoopPECcKER: The LESSER SPOTTED WOOD-
PECKER. (Bewick.) So called from the black and
white of its wings and upper-parts presenting a barred
appearance.

Barret Tit: The LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE. (Provincial.)

Barrow’s Goldeneye. An American species of which one example
is erroneously thought to have occurred in Suffolk.

BAR-TAILED GODWIT [No. 402]. The name is found in
Fleming (1828) and arises from the dusky bars on the white
upper tail-coverts. It occurs in Turner (1544) as “‘ Godwitt
or Fedoa,” and in Willughby as ‘“ Godwit, Yarwhelp, or
Yarwip.” Pennant calls it Godwit and Montagu the Com-
mon Godwit. Godwit is from A.-Sax. god-wihta (lit. good-
eating).

14 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

BARTRAM’S SANDPIPER [No. 369]. A rare American
visitor, the name being found in Wilson. Also known as
Bartram’s Tatler.

Bass Cock: The PUFFIN. (Scotland.) From its frequenting
the Bass Rock.

Bass GoosE: The GANNET. (Scotland.) From its being
found on the Bass Rock. Swainson also gives Basser as a
Forfarshire name.

BastaRD PiLovER: The LAPWING. Occurs in Merrett and
Willughby, and Nelson and Clarke cite it as an ancient
Hull name for the bird (1560).

Batty Biro: The LITTLE EGRET.

Bawk1ie, Baukie, or BAWKEE: The RAZORBILL. (Orkneys.)
An equivalent cf Auk.

Bay Duck: The SHELD-DUCK. (Norfolk.) From the chest-
nut band on the breast.

Bay Ipis: The GLOSSY IBIS.

Bram-Birp: The SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. (South and east
England). Perhaps an equivalent of “ Rafter-bird ” (q.v.).

BEAN-CRAKE: The LAND-RAIL. Montagu gives it as a
provincial name; Swainson says Bean-Crake or Bean
Cracker is a South Pembroke name for the species.

BEAN-GOOSE [No. 277]. The name is first found in Pennant.
It is also called “Corn Goose,” a name arising from the
bird’s partiality to grain and pulse (Swainson). It is the
‘** Wild Goose ” of some parts of Scotland and Ireland, and
is so called in Fleming and some other authors. According
to Yarrell the noise in the air attributed to the Gabriel or
Wish Hounds, is-really caused by this species (see “‘ Gabble
Ratchet ”’).

BEARDED Bustarp: The GREAT BUSTARD. From the
moustache-like tuft on each side of the head.

BEARDED PINNOCK or BEARDED REEDLING: ‘The BEARDED
TITMOUSE. (Provincial.)

BEARDED TITMOUSE [No. 105]. The name Bearded Tit-
mouse first appears in Albin. Edwards calls it the Least
Butcher-Bird and Pennant in his folio “ Brit. Zoology ”
(1766) follows Edwards and places it with the Shrikes under
the name of the ‘‘ Lest Butcher Bird,” but in his later -
editions he calls it Bearded Titmouse. The name is derived
from the tuft of black feathers resembling a moustache
running backward from the gape. It is frequently abbre-
viated to Bearded Tit.

BARTRAM S—BENFELEN. 15

BeargvDiE: The WHITETHROAT. (Provincial.) Probably
from its habit of puffing out the throat-feathers.

BearpManica: The BEARDED TITMOUSE. (Albin.)

Beck. A local Norfolk name for the SHOVELER.

Bee-Birp: The SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. (Norfolk and
Yorkshire.) Also applied to the BLUE TITMOUSE
(Hants.) and the WHITETHROAT (Devon.), the name being
derived from their supposed fondness for bees.

BEE-BITER: The GREAT TITMOUSE. (Provincial.)

Bescu-Fincu : The CHAFFINCH. So called from its partiality
to beech-mast.

BrecH-OwL_: The TAWNY OWL. (Provincial.) From its
supposed partiality for these trees.

BEE-EATER [No. 205]. The name Bee-eater (implying its
fondness for bees) was first used, according to Prof. Newton,
in 1668 by Charleton (“‘ Onomasticon,”’ p. 87) as a translation
of the Greek Merops. It also occurs in Willughby and most
subsequent writers, although Macgillivray attempted to
substitute ‘‘ Yellow throated Bee-eater.” The bird was long
known as a common European species, but according to
Montagu its first recorded occurrence in England was one
shot from a flock in July, 1794, near Mattishall in Norfolk,
and exhibited before the Linnean Society.

Beer-EaTER. A local Northumberland name for the GREAT
TITMOUSE, which is found sometimes to have a propensity
for devouring bees.

Beticoot, BELLKITE, or BeLttpoot: The COOT. Corruptions
of “* Bald Coot” or “ Bald Pout.” It occurs in Rutty as
** Belcoot or Baldcoot,” and is found in Scotland as Bellkite
(=Baldcoot) and Bellpout (=Bald fowl).

BELLONIUS’s ASH-COLOURED GuLL: The KITTIWAKE GULL.
(Willughby.)

BELLRINGER: The LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE. (Kirkcud-
bright.)

Bett-TuHrostite: The MISTLE-THRUSH.

Bett WicEoN: The SCAUP-DUCK. (Teesmouth).

Belted Kingfisher. A North American species of doubtful
occurrence in the British Isles. The name occurs in Wilson’s
“ Amer. Ornith.”

BettrE: The COOT. Probably a corruption of Baldie (see
Bellcoot).

BENFELEN (Y): The YELLOW BUNTING. (North Wales) ;
lit. “the yellow head.”

16 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

BENLOYN-FWyAF (Y). A Welsh name for the GREAT TIT-
MOUSE; the Benloyn (=blackhead) becomes Penloyn in
North Wales.

BENLOYN-GYNFFONHIR (Y). A Welsh name for the LONG-
TAILED TITMOUSE; iit. ‘“long-tailed blackhead.”
BENLoYN-LYGLIW (Y). A Welsh name for the COAL-TIT-

MOUSE.

Bent Linnet. The LINNET. (Spurn, Yorks.)

BERGANDER or BERGANSER: The SHELD-DUCK. The name
Bergander occurs in Willughby (See BARGANDER).

BERNACLE GOOSE or BERNICLE GoosE: The BARNACLE-
GOOSE (q.v.). Alternative spellings. Pennant says the
BRENT GOOSE is also called Bernacle in Ireland.

BERRY BREAKER. A Hampshire name for the HAWFINCH.

Bertuuan. A Cornish name for the Screech Owl (BARN-
OWL 2).

BEssy re The REED-BUNTING. (Provincial).

Brssy or Brssre Buaketing: The YELLOW BUNTING.
(Westmorland, Yorkshire.)

Bessy Brantaiw or Katre Brantar.: The REDSTART.
(Shropshire. )

Bessy Buntina: The YELLOW BUNTING. (Provincial.)

Brssy DovuckEerR or Bessy DuckEeR: The DIPPER. (West-
morland and other northern counties.) From its habit of
ducking on entering the water. Also the PIED WAG-
TAIL (Huddersfield).

Betry Tit: The BLUE TITMOUSE. (Provincial.)

BEWICK’S SWAN [No. 272]. The characteristics of this
species were first pointed out by Yarrell (“‘ Trans. Linn.
Soc.,” xvi, 2, p. 453, 1830), and it occurs under this name
in all subsequently published works.

BIDNEWIN, BrpuEN. Cornish names for a hawk.

Bia Buack-anp-Wurte Duck: The VELVET SCOTER.
(Yorkshire.)

Bie Bunting: The CORN-BUNTING. (Yorkshire.)

Bie Fett: The FIELDFARE. (Ireland.)

Bie Hawk: The PEREGRINE FALCON. (Provincial.)

BigHEAD: The GREENFINCH (Beverley, Yorks); also
COMMON FOCHARD (Hull).

Bia Mavis: The MISTLE-THRUSH. (East Lothian.)

Bie Ox-tyeE: The GREAT TITMOUSE. (East Scotland.)

BENLOYN-FWYAF—BITING TOM Ve

Bie Preeay, or Bia Pracy WariretHroat: The WHITE-
THROAT. (Nidderdale.)

Bia THrostte: The MISTLE-THRUSH. (Provincial.) Occurs
in Wi!lughby ; also still a north country provincial name.

Bie Tir: The GREAT TITMOUSE. (Notts.)

Brucock : The OYSTERCATCHER. (Criccieth, North Wales)
lit. “red bill.”

Brztcock: The WATER-RAIL. (Yorkshire.) Apparently so
called from its colour, biJ being possibly akin to the north
country blae (Icel. blar, Dan. blaa) signifying livid or dark
blue. Swainson also gives Bilcock or Bilter as a north
country name for the MOORHEN.

Bui: The PUFFIN. (Galway.) From its bill being a pro-
minent feature.

Bitty, or Bruty HepGE-Sparrow : The HEDGE-SPARROW.
(Doneaster.)

Bruy-BiTtER: The BLUE TITMOUSE. (Provincial.) Pro-
bably from its habit of pecking at the fingers of intruders
when sitting on its eggs, but Newton thinks it is a corruption
of ‘‘ Willow-biter.”” Nelson and Clarke also give it as a
Yorkshire name for the GREAT TITMOUSE.

Bry Owi: The BARN-OWL. Swainson also gives BILLy
Hooter as a Shropshire name for the TAWNY OWL, but
this is perhaps a corruption of Gilly Hooter.

Bruty WHitTeTHROoAT: The GARDEN-WARBLER. — (East
Lothian.)

Brtty Wix: The BARN-OWL. (Norfolk.)

Bimaculated Duck. A bird described by Pennant (“ Brit.
Zool.,” 1, No. 287) as a separate species, but by later
authors considered to be a hybrid bird. Pennant stated
that his example was taken in a decoy in 1771, while Vigors
claimed to have had a pair sent up from a decoy near
Maldon, Essex, in the winter of 1812-13. It retained for
nearly a century its place in the British List.

Brnc (Y): The CHAFFINCH. (North Wales.) From its
note.

Bircu-Hen. The female of the BLACK GROUSE.

Brrei-BirD : The GRASSHOPPER-WARBLER. (Provincial.)
From its curious song.

Bistarp: The GREAT BUSTARD. (Gesner.)

Bitinc Tom or Brrrer Tom. A local name for the BLUE
TITMOUSE among boys, from its habit when sitting on
its eggs of pecking at their fingers.

Cc

18 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Bitter Bank or Birreriz. Scottish Border names for the
SAND-MARTIN, supposed to have arisen from its habit
of biting the bank as it makes its nesting-tunnel (Bolam).

Birrer, Byrrer, or Brrrer Bum: The BITTERN. (Provincial.)
Drayton (‘‘ Polyolbion ”’) has the “ buzzing bitter.’ Nelson
and Clarke cite “ Bytter or Bitter” as occurring in
‘“ Neville’s Marriage Feast,” 1526.

BITTERN [No. 268]. This fine species formerly bred com-
monly in many parts of the British Islands. The name
Bittern is from Old English bitoure, bittour, bittourn,
bytoure, botor, or buttour, cognate with Fr. butor, Low
Lat. butorius. Dr. Murray says the word is of doubtful
origin, but it seems probable that it is from the medizval
name for bitterns, Botawrus, which again was no doubt
originally derived from the taurus of Pliny (bk. x., c. 42),
a bird that imitated the lowing of an ox, and was no doubt
the Bittern. The name occurs as “ Buttour or bittour ”
in Turner (1544), as “‘ Bittur ” in Spenser (““ Faerie Queene ’’),
as “* Bitter’ in Drayton (‘‘ Polyolbion ”’) and as “ Bittour
or Bittern or Mire-drum ” in Willughby (1678), who says,
“it is called by later writers Butorius and Botaurus because
it seems to imitate boatum tauri, the bellowing of a bull.”
He also writes, “They say that it gives always an odd
number of bombs at a time, viz. three or five, which in my
own observation I have found to be false. It begins to
bellow about the beginning of February, and ceases when
breeding-time is over. The common people are of opinion
that it thrusts its bill into a reed, by the help whereof
it makes that lowing or drumming noise. Others say that
it thrusts its bill into the water or mud or earth.” In
Thomson’s “‘ Spring ” we find this idea expressed :—

The Bittern knows his time with bill ingulpht
To shake the surrounding marsh.
Burns also expresses the same belief :—
Ye Bitterns, till the quagmire reels
Rair for his sake !
Subsequent writers, after Willughby, call it the Bittern.
When more common, its flesh was accounted a deticacy,
and even in Montagu’s day (1802) we are told the
poulterers valued it at not less than half-a-guinea.

BrrteRN Heron: The BITTERN. (Pennant.)

Birrour, Brrrourn, or Brrrur: The BITTERN (formerly).
The first name occurs in Turner, the second in Merrett,
and the third in Spenser. Montagu gives Bittour as a

BITTER—BLACKBIRD. 19

provincial name for the species. Bittor and Bittoun are
also cited as former variants by Nelson and Clarke.

BLACK-AND-BLUE TirmousE: The BLUE TITMOUSE. (Rutty.)

‘BLACK-AND-WHITE Avocet. Macgillivray’s name for the
AVOCET.

BLACK-AND-WHITE Dascnick: The SLAVONIAN GREBE.
Occurs in Edwards as “ Black and White Dobchick.”

BLACK-AND-WHITE Diver: The SMEW.

BLACK-AND-WHITE FiicutER: The AVOCET.

BLACK-AND-WHITE GuLL: The GREAT BLACK-BACKED
GULL. (Yorkshire.)

BLACK-AND-wHITe Wacrait: The PIED WAGTAIL. (York-
shire.)

BLACK-AND-WHITE WoopPEcKER: The GREAT SPOTTED

WOODPECKER. (Norfolk.)

BLAcK-BACKED Erprr. Macgillivray’s name for the KING
KIDER.

BLACK-BACKED Fatcon. The PEREGRINE FALCON.

BLACK-BACKED GULL or BLAcK-BAcCK: The GREAT BLACK-
BACKED GULL; Black-back is a common Yorkshire
name.

BuLacK-BACKED Hannock: The GREAT BLACK-BACKED
GULL. (Bridlington.)

BLACK-BELLIED Dipper. See DIPPER.

BLACKBERRY-EATER: The STONECHAT. (Merrett.)

BLACK-BILLED AuUK: The RAZORBILL (in winter). A name
first given by Pennant (1766) to a supposed distinct species
of Razorbill, which Latham united with the latter species,
considering it to be the young.

BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO [No. 217, The American Black-
billed Cuckoo.}] An American species which has occurred
once in the British Islands.

Buack-BILLED Eeret. Macgillivray’s name for a supposed
variety of the GREAT WHITE HERON (the East Lothian
example, June 9th, 1840).

BLACKBIRD. [No. 164.] From A.Sax. blac, blaee =black, and
A.Sax. brid, a bird. It occurs in Dame Berners’ “ Boke of
St. Albans’ ” (1486) as “black bride”; in Turner (1544)
as “blak byrd” and “blak osel”’; in Merrett (1667) as
“plack-bird”” and “black ousle”; in Willughby (1678)
as the “Common Blackbird.” Bewick (lst ed.) calls it
“Black Ouzel.” It is also called in literature the “ merle.”’
Strange to say, although one of the commonest of our birds,

c2

20 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

this species figures very little In English folk-lore. Mr.
Thiselton Dyer (‘‘ English Folklore ’’) in fact finds nothing
to say about it, and Swainson hardly anything. The
allusion in both Aristotle and Pliny to this bird changing
with the season from black to rufous, is evidently based on
a misapprehension as to the sexes, the rufous-brown plumage
being that of the female. It is a popular belief that when
these birds are unusually shrill, or sing much in the morning,
rain will follow. Swainson also gives this as an Irish belief,
while in Meath it is said that “when the Blackbird sings
before Christmas she will cry before Candlemas.”’

BLACK-BONNET: The REED-BUNTING. (Scotland.) So called
from its conspicuous black head. The name seems also to
have been applied to the BLACKCAP.

BLACK-BREASTED Plover: The GOLDEN PLOVER. (Ireland.)

BLACK-BREASTED ReEpstTaRT: The BLACK REDSTART.
(Macgillivray.)

BLACK-BREASTED SANDPIPER: The DUNLIN. (Macgillivray.)

Buack Brent Goose. See BRENT GOOSE.

BLACK-BROWED ALBATROSS [No. 335]. An inhabitant of
the Southern Seas, which has once been obtained in Cam-
bridgeshire (in 1897). The name albatros (according to the
English Cyclopedia) is “a word apparently corrupted by
Dampier from the Portuguese alcatraz, which was applied
by the early navigators of that nation to Cormorants and
other sea-birds.”

BLACKCAP [No. 146]. More often called the Blackcap
Warbler. Occurs in Willughby (1678). The name is also
applied to many other species which have the cap or
summit of the head black, i.e. the COAL-TITMOUSH,
MARSH-TITMOUSE, GREAT TITMOUSE, REED-
BUNTING, STONECHAT, BULLFINCH and BLACK-
HEADED GULL. The present species is the “ Atricapilla
seu Ficedula ”’ of Aldrovandus.

BLACK-CAPPED Bitty: The GREAT TITMOUSE. (West
Riding, Yorks.)

BLacK-cAPPpeD Lotity. A North Country name for the GREAT
TITMOUSE.

BLACK-CAPPED T1tMousE: The MARSH-TITMOUSE. (Bewick.)

BLACK-CAPPED WARBLER: The BLACKCAP. (Macgillivray.)

BLACK-CHINNED GREBE: The LITTLE GREBE. Found in
Pennant, Latham, Montagu, etc., as a supposed distinct
species from the Hebrides. It is also a Berkshire name for
the species.

BLACK—BLACK. rl |

Buiack Cock or Brack GAME: The BLACK GROUSE. The
name Black Cock occurs in Sibbald (1684).

Buiack CoRMoRANT: The CORMORANT.

Brack Crow: The CARRION-CROW. (Notts.)

Brack CurRLEW: The GLOSSY IBIS.

Buiack Curre. A Hampshire name for the TUFTED DUCK.

Buack Diver: The COMMON SCOTER (Willughby) ; also the
VELVET SCOTER (Northumberland), and sometimes the
CORMORANT.

Buack Duck: The TUFTED DUCK, COMMON SCOTER,
VELVET SCOTER, and also the SCAUP-DUCK. It is
used for the COMMON SCOTER in Northumberland,
Yorkshire and Cheshire.

Buack EacteE: The GOLDEN EAGLE (immature). A fairly
general name, derived from its dark plumage. In the High-
lands the Gaelic name, Jolair dhubh also signifies Black
Eagle. Albin’s and Pennant’s Black Eagle is the same as
the Ring-tailed Eagle, for long known to be the immature
GOLDEN EAGLE.

BLACK-EARED WHEATEAR [No. 170, Western Black-
eared Wheatear; No. 171, JEastern Black-eared
Wheatear]. This is the Black-throated Wheatear of former
authors, the Black-eared and Black-throated Wheatears
being now considered dimorphisms of the same species.

BLack-FACED BERNICLE-GoosE. Macgillivray’s name for the
BRENT GOOSE.

BuLaAcK-FOOTED KirtiwAKE: The KITTIWAKE GULL. (Mac-
gillivray.)

Buack Game: The BLACK GROUSE. Occurs in Willughby.

Biack Goos—E: The BRENT GOOSE. (Essex.) It is also a
North Country gunner’s name for the same species.

BLack GREBE: The BLACK-NECKED GREBE.

BLACK GROUSE [No. 463]. Occurs first in Willughby (1678),
who calls this species the “‘ Heathcock or Black-game or
Grous,” the first-mentioned name being that of the female,
which occurs first in Merrett’s list (1667) as “‘ Hasel Hen ”’ ;
Sibbald calls it Black Cock. It is variously called Black
Cock, Black Game or Black Grous by later writers, with
Heath Cock, Heath Hen or Hazel Hen for the female. The
spelling ‘“ Grous” in fact survived to 1835 (Jenyns), but
one or two writers and finally Yarrell (1st ed., 1843) adopted
the final “‘e”’ now invariably used. The word Grouse is
of uncertain origin; it first occurs as “Grows” in an

22 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

ordinance for the regulation of the Royal Household, dated
“apud Eltham, mens. Jan. 22, Hen. VIII ” (i.e. 1531), and
referring, Newton thinks, to the Black Grouse. He thinks
the most likely derivation is from Old Fr. griesche, greoche,
or griais, meaning speckled. Cotgrave (1611) has ‘‘ Poule
griesche : a moore-hen, the henne of the Grice.”

BLACK GUILLEMOT [No. 447]. The name Black Guillemot
is first found in Pennant (1766). Occurs in Willughby and
in Albin as the “Greenland Dove or Sea-Turtle.” The
name is in reference to its chiefly black plumage ; Guillemot
being from Fr. guzllemot.

Buack Gutt. The Skuas are sometimes so called from their
dark colour, especially the GREAT SKUA.

Buack Hawk. The MERLIN is sometimes so-called.

BLACK-HEADED BARNACLE. A name for the BRENT GOOSE ;
given in Macgillivray.

BLACK-HEADED Bog: The GREAT TITMOUSE. (Devon.)

BLACK-HEADED Butty: The BULLFINCH. (Yorkshire.)

BLACK-HEADED BUNTING [No. 45]. A southern species of
casual occurrence. The name is also applied to the REED-
BUNTING (a totally distinct indigenous species) which
occurs under the name in the first edition of Yarrell and

is frequently so called provincially on account of its black
head.

BLACK-HEADED BusHcHat: The STONECHAT. (Macgil-
livray.)

BLACK-HEADED DivER: The male SCAUP-DUCK, so called
from its glossy-black head.

BLACK-HEADED FurzEcHAT: The STONECHAT. (Provincial.)

BLACK-HEADED GULL [No. 427]. So called from its “ black”
(really dark brown) cap. Gull (in Old Eng. mew) is
from Welsh gwylan, Fr. goeland. Occurs in Turner, who
calls it ‘‘a white semaw, with a black cop,” giving it no
English name other than the provincial one of “ Sea-Cob.”
He also, without apparent justification, identifies it with
the Fulica of classical writers, a name now given to the
COOT. Willughby and Ray call it the “‘ Pewit or Black-
cap, called in some places the Sea-Crow and Mire-Crow.”
Black-headed Gull appears to be first found in Pennant.

BLACK-HEADED Hay-Jack: The BLACKCAP. (Norfolk.) See
Hay-Jack.

BILACK-HEADED Preaey : The BLACKCAP. (Provincial.)

BLACK—BLACK. 23

BLACK-HEADED SNIPE: The SPOTTED REDSHANK. (Pro-
vincial.)

BLACK-HEADED THISTLEFINCH. Macgillivray’s name for the
SISKIN.

BLACK-HEADED TomTit or TirmousE: The GREAT TIT-
MOUSE; also the MARSH-TITMOUSE (Macgillivray).
BLACK-HEADED WAGTAIL [No. 78]. A south-east Euro-

pean form of Yellow Wagtail.

BLACK-HEADED WicEon: The SCAUP-DUCK. (Provincial.)

Buack Isis: The GLOSSY IBIS. Occurs in Willughby.

BiackiE: The BLACKBIRD. (Northumberland, Yorkshire.)

BLACK KITE [No. 251]. The name is found in Sibbald, and
in most modern authors.

BLACK LARK [No. 58]. A West Siberian species first
recorded in 1907 for our islands.

Brack MarsH-TERN. Macgillivray’s name for the BLACK
TERN.

Buack Martin, MartLet, SwaLitow, or Swirt: The SWIFT.
Occurs in Merrett (1667) as ‘‘ Black Martin or Martlet,”
and in Willughby (1678) as ‘‘ Black Martin or Swift.” As
a provincial name it is still in use locally. According to
Bolam the MARTIN is also so called ‘‘at Wooler, and
perhaps in other places, though [the name is] apparently
dying out.”

Biack Neg or BLACK-NEBBED Crow: The CARRION-CROW.
(North Country.) The latter form occurs in Bewick (1797) ;
so called from its black bill. Nelson and Clarke give “‘ Black
Neb ” for the HOODED CROW and ‘“‘ Black-nebbed Crow ”
for the CARRION-CROW in Yorkshire.

BLACK-NECKED GREBE [No. 339]. This is the Eared Grebe
of Pennant and succeeding writers.

Brack Noppy : The Noddy Tern. (Jenyns.)

Buack OvuzeL: The BLACKBIRD. (Craven and Cleveland,
Yorkshire.) Occurs in Turner as “ Blak Osel.”

Biack Ox-byE: The COAL-TITMOUSE. (Forfar.)

Buack PHEASANT. An ironical Cleveland name for the
CARRION-CROW. (Nelson and Clarke.)

Buack Prover: The LAPWING. (Provincial.)

Buack PoKER or BLACK-HEADED PoKkER: The TUFTED
DUCK. The former is a Norfolk name, “poker” being
a common term for species of wild duck in East Anglia.
Nelson and Clarke give “Black Pocker” (Poker ?) for

24 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

this species at Beverley, Yorks., and Black Poker Duck for
the SCAUP DUCK on the Humber.

BLACK REDSTART [No. 179]. The name is found in Gould’s
“Birds of Europe,” vor (1834). This species has more
black and slate in its plumage than the commoner species,
hence its first name. For derivation of the word Redstart,
see under REDSTART.

Buack Reptait: The BLACK REDSTART. (Jenyns.}

Buack SANDPIPER: The immature KNOT (provincial); also
the immature PURPLE SANDPIPER (Pennant).

Buack Scavup: The SCAUP-DUCK. (Humber.)

Buack Scorer : The COMMON SCOTER is so called by Selby,
Fleming, Jenyns and others.

Biack SHEARWATER: The SOOTY SHEARWATER. (Flam-
borough.)

BuacksmitH : The YELLOW BUNTING. (Salop.)

Buakstart: The BLACK REDSTART. An erroneous name,
as it signifies “ Black tail” (see Redstart), while the tail
happens to be red.

BLACK-STEER : The STARLING (Upton-on-Severn, Worcester-
shire) ; also called Black Starling in East Lothian.

BLACK STORK [No. 257]. The name first appears in Willughby
(1678), who calls it Black Stork to distinguish it from the
Common or White Stork, but it seems to be first recorded
for our Islands by Colonel Montagu in 1815 in a communica-
tion to the Linnean Society.

Buack Swirt: Macgillivray’s name for the SWIFT.

BLACK-TAILED GODWIT [No. 403]. The name is found in
Fleming (1828). It is called Red Godwit by Edwards,
Pennant, Latham, etc. Now only a visitor on migration,
but it used to breed with us up to the year 1847. Dis-
tinguished from the Bar-tailed Godwit by its tail being
black instead of dusky grey with the base white only. It is
described by Willughby (1678), who calls it “the second
sort of Godwit.”

BLACK TERN [No. 412]. A species of Tern which is now only
a migrational visitor, although it used to breed in East
Anglia up to the year 1858. The plumage is really of a
sooty slate-grey, the head only being black. This species
is mentioned by Turner (1544) who calls it “Stern” and
bears witness to its abundance in England in his time,
stating that “throughout the whole of summer, at which
time it breeds, it makes such an unconscionable noise that

BLACK— BLACK. 25

by its unrestrained clamour it almost deafens those who
live near lakes and marshes.” Willughby and Ray (1678)
eall it ‘‘ our Black cloven-footed Gull ” and give also ‘‘ Scare-
Crow” as a popular name. “ Black Tern” occurs in
Pennant (1766).
BLACK-THROATED DIVER [No. 343]. This species is so
called from its black chin and throat. The name is first
used by Edwards, and is also found in Pennant, Latham
and later writers. In Benbecula and North Uist the
natives compare its cry in dry weather to “ Deoch! deoch !
deoch! tha’n loch a tras-ghadh ”—* drink ! drink! drink !
the lake is nearly dried up ” (Gray).
BLACK-THROATED GROSBEAK. Macgillivray’s name for the
HAWFINCH.
BLACK-THROATED TurusH [No. 161]. An Asiatic species in
which the throat and breast are of a dull black hue.
BLACK-THROATED Waxwine. Macgillivray’s name for the
WAXWING.
BLACK-THROATED WHEATEAR: The BLACK-EARED WHEAT-
EAR.
BLACK-THROATED YELLOW-HAMMER. A local name for the
CIRL BUNTING.
Buack TurusH: The BLACKBIRD. (Macgillivray.)
BLACK-TOED GULL: The ARCTIC SKUA. (Pennant.) It is a
local name for this species in Moray, and Swainson also
applies it to the GREAT SKUA.
Buack-Toprrin’ Duck: The TUFTED DUCK. (Yorkshire.)
BLACK WHEATEAR [No. 174]. A recent addition to the
British List ; first recorded in 1909.
Buack WicEon: The female WIGEON. (East Ireland.)
BLACK-WINGED GutL: The BLACK-HEADED GULL.
(Yarrell.)
BLACK-WINGED HornepD OwL: The EAGLE-OWL.
BLACK-WINGED PRATINCOLE [No. 355]. This is the
G. melanoptera of Saunders (“ Brit. Birds” [Mag.], vol. 1,
1, p. 15), hence the name Black-winged.
BLACK-WINGED STILT [No. 400]. This species was not of
quite such rare occurrence in former times. It was known
to the older authors from Pennant (1766) to Donovan as
“Long-legged Plover.” Occurs in Willughby (1678) under
the name of Himantopus (ex Pliny and Aldrovandus).
Black-winged Stilt is found in Selby (1833). The name
Stilt is ascribed by Newton to Rennie in 1831, as a rendering

26 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

of Brisson’s Hchasse (1760), although according to Wilson
used long before in America. I may point out, though,
that in Bewick’s ‘“ Brit. Birds” (1st ed., vol. 1, p. 5, 1804)
will be found a cut of a sportsman walking in the water on
stilts, placed as a tail-piece to the account of the “ Long-
legged Plover,” which suggests both the bird’s present
name and its habits.

BLACK-WINGED STILT-SHANK. Macgillivray’s name for the
BLACK-WINGED STILT.

Black Woodpecker. This fine North European and Asiatic
species has frequently been recorded as British, but no
really authentic British examples are known and it is
therefore yet denied a place on the British List.

Brack Wren: The HEDGE-SPARROW. Swainson says it
is an Irish name for the species, on account of the dusky
plumage.

Bracky-top : The STONECHAT. (Provincial.)

BLAKELING: The YELLOW BUNTING. (Northumberland
and Yorkshire.)

BieateR: The COMMON SNIPE. From the peculiar noise
it makes during its love-flight. Also occurs as “* Blutter.”

BLETHERING TAM: The WHITETHROAT. (Renfrew.)

Buryp DorBir: The PURPLE SANDPIPER. (North Shet-
land.)

Biurxyp Dunnock: The HEDGE-SPARROW. — (Somerset.)
Smith says it is from its stupid blindness in not distin-
guishing the Cuckoo’s egg laid in its nest.

Bioop Hawk: The KESTREL. (Oxon.)

Bioop Hoop, BLoop Or, or BLoop Utr: The BULLFINCH
(see Alp). The term “blood” is from the salmon-red
tint of the under-parts.

Bioop Lark: The YELLOW BUNTING. (Provincial.) Also
the TREE-PIPIT., (Cheshire.)

Bioop Linnet: The LINNET. (Norfolk.) From the crimson
of its breast in breeding-plumage.

BLUE-BACK, BLUE-BIRD, BLUE FELT, BLUE Rump, or BLUE-
TAIL. The FIELDFARE is so called in various localities
from the blue-grey tint of the lower-back. Blue-tail is
noted as used in the Midlands and West Yorkshire, and is
a misnomer, as the tail is dark brown; Blue-Back is a
Cheshire name.

BLUE-BACKED Crow : The HOODED CROW. (Thirsk, Yorks.)

BLACK—BLUE. a

BLUE-BACKED Dove. Macgillivray’s name for the STOCK-
DOVE.

BLUE-BACKED Fatcon: The PEREGRINE FALCON. (North
England.) From the dark blue-grey of the mantle.

BivuE-BAcKED Maw: The HERRING-GULL. (Orkney and
Shetland.) Also occurs in Yorkshire as Blue-backed Gull.

BLUE-BILLED CuRRE: The TUFTED DUCK. (West Coast.)

BivuE-Bonnet or Biurcar: The BLUE TITMOUSE. The
former is a Scots and Irish and the latter an English pro-
vincialname. Nelson and Clarke, however, say Blue Bonnet
is used in the West Riding of Yorkshire, but Bluecap else-
where in the county.

BLUE-BREAST: The NORWEGIAN BLUETHROAT.

BivuE Darr or Biur Daw: The BLACK TERN. (Norfolk.)
Johns says Darr is a corruption of Dorr-hawk, a name for
the NIGHTJAR, “ which it resembles in its mode of flight
and also in its food.”

BuivuE Dove: The ROCK-DOVE. (North Yorkshire.)

Buve Dunnock or BLuE Sparrow : The HEDGE-SPARROW.
From its neck and breast being of a bluish-grey tint. The
first is a Cheshire name.

Bivur Guep or BiuE Kirz: The HEN-HARRIER. (Scotland.)
From the blue-grey plumage of the male.

Bite Hawk. A common name for the SPARROW-HAWK;
also the MERLIN (North Yorkshire), the HEN-HARRIER
(Bewick) and the PEREGRINE FALCON (Macgillivray).

BLUE-HEADED QUAKETAIL: The BLUE-HEADED WAGTAIL.
(Macgillivray.) Macgillivray separated the “ Yellow Wag-
tails ’’ under the name of “ Quaketails ”’ from the Black-and-
White group or “ Wagtails.”

BLUE-HEADED WAGTAIL [No. 74]. The name occurs in
Jenyns (1835). It is sometimes called the Blue-headed
Yellow Wagtail, and erroneously the Grey-headed Wagtail,
the latter being a distinct form. .

Buve Isaac or Biur Jia: The HEDGE-SPARROW. (Pro-
vincial.) Isaac is probably a corruption of Heges-sugge (see
under “ Segge ’’).

BLUE JAcKET: MONTAGU’S HARRIER ; from the blue-grey

of its mantle (or jacket).

Buvr Jay: The JAY. (Linlithgow, and at Scarcroft, York-
shire.)

BivuEe Maa or Maw: The COMMON GULL. (Shetlands.) Blue
Maw is also a Scottish Border name for the species.

28 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Biure Meruin: The SPARROW-HAWK. (Perth.)

Buvue Morr, Biur Tuer, Buvue Trr, Buur Tomtir, Bue Tor,
BLuE Ox-EyE, BLuE Wuavp, or Buur Yaup. Provincial
names in various localities for the BLUE TITMOUSE.

Buivue-NEs (—Bive-Brt). A Northumberland gunner’s name
for several species of ducks, ie. SCAUP-DUCK, WIGEON,
TUFTED DUCK, etc.

Buvue-Picgron : The FIELDFARE. (Ireland.)

BiLuE Poker: The COMMON POCHARD. (Provincial.)

Buvue Rock: The STOCK-DOVE. (Cheshire and Yorkshire) ;
the ROCK-DOVE (Yorkshire.)

Blue-tailed Bee-eater. An Oriental species said to have been
shot at Teesmouth in 1862.

BLUE-THROATED REDSTART, BLUE-THROATED ROBIN, or BLUE-
THROATED WaRBLER: The NORWEGIAN BLUE-
THROAT (commonly known as the Red-spotted Blue-
throat). The first name occurs in Edwards (plate 28),
the second in Bewick, and the third in Yarrell.

BLUE TITMOUSE [No. 89, Continental Blue Titmouse ;
No. 90, British Blue Titmouse]. So called from the pre-
vailing blue colour of the upper-parts. The name occurs in
Willughby (1678). Turner mentions the species, but calls
it the Nun, a name derived from its hooded appearance.
Titmouse appears for the members of this genus in most
old authors, but Yarrell in his first edition shortened the
names of these birds to Tit, and has been followed in this
by many later writers.

BLUE-WINGED JAy. Macgillivray’s name for the JAY. Blue-
wing is a Yorkshire provincial name.

BLUE-WINGED SHOVEL-BILL: The SHOVELER (Macgillivray).

BLUE-WINGED SHOVELER or BLUE-WINGED Stint: The
SHOVELER. Montagu gives the first as a provincial
name.

BLuE-WINGED TEAL. See AMERICAN BLUE-WINGED
TEAL.

BiuE WooppPEcKER: The NUTHATCH. (Provincial.)

Biuty: The BLUE TITMOUSE. (Yorkshire.)

BLYTH’S REED-WARBLER [No. 138]. An Asiatic species
so called in honour of Blyth, who named it in 1849.

Boatswain. A general name for the Skuas. In the Shetlands
and north Scotland it is used for the species now called
ARCTIC SKUA, while Bo’sun is applied at Flamborough
to the GREAT SKUA.

BLUE—BONAPARTE S. 29

Boppy Wren: The WREN. (Norfolk.) So called from its
short tail.

Bor Rosin: The REDBREAST. (Stirling.) Also occurs as
Bob or Bobbie in Notts.

Bop, BoprrorcHoc, Bop WeEnNNoL, Bona cHwiw. Welsh
names for the KITE: fforchog signifies “ fork-tailed,”
wennol ‘“‘ swallow ” and chwiw “ whistling.”

Popa or Bopa tuwyp: The COMMON BUZZARD. (South
Wales.)

Bopa GarwcGors: The ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD. (North
Wales.)

Bop quas: The MERLIN. (North Wales) lit. “ blue hawk.”

Bopr-euerrx. A Cornish name for a “ Buzzard’ (MARSH-
HARRIER 2).

Bop rerrcair. A Welsh name for the COMMON BUZZARD.
(Fleming.)

Bop trnwyn. A Welsh name for the HEN-HARRIER; lit.
** white-tailed Kite.”

Bop y¥ GWERNI or Bop xy wERN. A Welsh name for the
MARSH-HARRIER ; lit. “ marsh kite.”

Bop y Meu. A Welsh name for the HONEY-BUZZARD ;
lit. ““ Honey-Buzzard.”

Boc Buieater: The COMMON SNIPE. (Ireland.)

Boa Biurrer, Boa Burt, Boa Bumerr, Bog Drum, Boe
JUMPER. Provincial names for the BITTERN

Bogty: The RAZORBILL. (Redcar, Yorkshire.)

Boe GLtep: The MARSH-HARRIER. (East Lothian.)

Boe Lark: The MEADOW-PIPIT. (Provincial.)

Boe Sparrow: The REED-BUNTING. (Provincial.)

BoHEMIAN CHATTERER or BoHEMIAN Waxwine: The WAX-
WING. Occurs in Wilughby (1678), in Montagu (1802),
and later authors. The 18th century writers from Edwards
and Pennant to Latham, Lewin and Donovan, called it
the Waxen Chatterer. Albin (1738) calls it “‘ Bohemian
Jay or Chatterer.”

BOHEMIAN PHEASANT: A variety of the PHEASANT.

Boutpre: The CHAFFINCH. (Aberdeen.)

BONAPARTE’S GULL [No. 425]. The name is found in
Audubon. It is the Bonapartian Gull of Thompson.

BONAPARTE’S SANDPIPER [No. 381]. An American
species named in honour of Prince C. L. Bonaparte, the cele-
brated ornithologist. Formerly called Schinz’s Sandpiper.

30 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Boncatu: The COMMON BUZZARD. (North Wales.) Coward
and Oldham think it is. probably from Boda cath=cat
hawk, from its mewing cry.

BonnetiE: The LITTLE GREBE. (Forfar.)

Bonxtie. A Shetland name for the GREAT SKUA;; said to be
used also in the Orkneys.

Boomer: The BITTERN. From its booming cry.

Boonk : The LITTLE BITTERN. (Montagu.)

Booty: The MANX SHEARWATER. Mr. R. Godfrey
informs me it goes under this name on the Hast Coast of
Shetland.

BornaGc. A Gaelic name for the RINGED PLOVER.

BorTte-BsumMe: The BITTERN. (Yorkshire.)

Borrize-Jue: The LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE. (North and
East Yorkshire.) From the shape of its nest.

BortLe-NosE: The PUFFIN. From its peculiarly-shaped bill.
Willughby records it as so called in South Wales.

Bortie Tit or Botrte Tom: The LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE.
(Provincial.) From the shape of its nest.

Boucer or BowGer: The PUFFIN. Bowger occurs in Martin’s
“Voy. to St. Kilda”; while Bouger, or Bulker, is the
Hebrides name.

BRACKEN Ow: The NIGHTJAR. (Longdendale, Cheshire.)

Bracket: The TURNSTONE. (South Northumberland.)

BRAKE-HOPPER or BRAKE LocusTELLE: The GRASSHOPPER-
WARBLER. From its habit of frequenting thick under-
wood.

Brake Nicurincate: The NIGHTINGALE. (Macgillivray.)

BRAMBLE Cock: The BRAMBLING. (Cheshire.)

BRAMBLE-FincH: The BRAMBLING. (Yorkshire and _ else-
where.)

BRAMBLING [No. 38]. The name appears in Turner (1544)
as “‘ Bramlyng ” and in Merrett’s list and also Willughby as
‘“‘ Bramble.or Brambling.” Pennant calls it the Brambling
or Mountain Finch. Also applied to the young of the
SNOW-BUNTING.

Brame: The WHIMBREL. (Kast Suffolk.)

Bran: The CARRION-CROW. (Cornish.) Mr. Harting also
applies it to the Rook.

BRAN or BRAN FAWR: The CARRION-CROW. (North Wales)

lit. “crow ” or “ great crow.”

BONCATH—BRENT. 31

Bran BIG cocH: The CHOUGH. (North Wales) lit. “ red-
beaked crow.”

BraNncHER: The GOLDFINCH ; also the newly-fledged young
of the ROOK and other perching birds. In falconry a
young Hawk which has left the nest but remains near it,
hopping from bough to bough.

BranpreE. A Cornish name for the ROOK.

Branp-tai:: The REDSTART. (North Country.) Some-
times also occurs as Bran-tail, a mere corruption ; lit. fire-
tail, from A.Sax. brand, brond, a burning piece of wood.

Bran GERNYw: The CHOUGH. (North Wales) lit. ‘‘ Cornish
Chough.”

BRAN HEDLYD, BRAN YR [WERDDON, BRAN Lwyp. Welsh names
for the HOODED CROW ; the first signifies ash-coloured
crow, the second Irish crow, and the third grey crow.

Bran syppyn. A Welsh name for the CARRION-CROW ;; lit.
cottage crow.”

Brant or Brand GoosE: The BRENT GOOSE. Occurs in
Turner (1544), who makes it identical with the BARNACLE-
GOOSE. Brant Goose is a Holy Island name for the
BRENT GOOSE, while Brant is a Cheshire name for the
same species.

Bras-y-cyrs, BRAs PENDDU: The REED-BUNTING. (North
Wales.)

BRAS-Y-DDRUTTAN, Bras-yR-yD. Welsh names for the CORN-
BUNTING; the last name signifies “stout (bird) of the
grain.”

BraziuiAN CuRLEW or BrazitiAN WHIMBREL. The immature
GLOSSY IBIS.

Breac-an-1’stu. A Gaelic name for the PIED WAGTAIL.

BREAD-AND-CHEESE: The YELLOW BUNTING. — (Salop.)
From its ery, which has been syllabled “ little-bit-of-bread
and-no-che-e-s-e.”

BRECH Y FUCHES, or BRITH YR OGED: The PIED WAGTAIL
(North Wales); also applied to other species; lit. “ pied
bird of the cowshed,” “ pied bird of the harrow.”

BRENT GOOSE [No. 283, Brent Goose; No. 284, Pale-
breasted Brent Goose; No. 284*, Black Brent
Goose]. The name occurs as Brent Goose in Willughby
and also in Pennant, who says it is called Bernacle in Ireland.
Brent is from Welsh brenig, a limpet. Goose is from A.Sax.
Gos, and is properly the female, the male being called
Gander, and the young Gosling. Brent Goose is also a
Cheshire name for the BARNACLE-GOOSE.

on DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

BriaRk Bunting: The CORN-BUNTING. (North Ireland.)
Brip or Bryp. The original form of Bird in Mid.-Eng. and

A.Sax., being derived from A.Sax. bredan, to breed. The ©

term was properly applicable to the young only, and seems
synonymous with brood, A.Sax. brod, the proper term for
the adult bird being fowl, A.Sax. jfugol, which has in
recent times come to be applied more especially to the
barn-door varieties of gallinaceous birds. Shakespeare
(Henry IV, act v, sc. 1.) has “that ungentle gull the
cuckoo’s bird (i.e. young).” Chaucer has “take any brid
and put it in a cage,” etc., also the plural form briddes.
In the corrupted Northern English it appears to have become
early changed to bird by the shifting of the “r,” although
it survived for a time as brid or bryd in the Wessex, or
Southern English, tongue, which was less subject to cor-
rupting influences. According to Poole brid still survives
in Staffordshire

BrRIDLED GUILLEMOT. A supposed variety of the COMMON
GUILLEMOT ; also known as the Ringed Guillemot.

Briptep Marror. A local name for the Ringed Guillemot
among the fishermen in the West of Scotland (Gray).

BripLE Duck: The SCAUP-DUCK. (Dublin.)

BRIECAN BEATHA. A Gaelic name for the CHAFFINCH.

BrinKER: The RING-OUZEL.

Brisk Frncou, BrRisktz, or BricuTreE: The CHAFFINCH.
(Scotland.) From its smartness of appearance and activity.

BritH y FucHES. A South Wales name for the PIED WAG-
TAIL; lit. ‘pied bird of the cowshed.”’

BrRITH Y FUCHES FELEN. A Welsh name for the YELLOW
WAGTAIL; felen signifies “ yellow.”

BriTH Y FUCHES Lwyp. A Welsh name for the GREY WAG-
TAIL; lwyd signifies “ grey.”

BritisH Coat-Trrmousse. See COAL-TITMOUSE.

BrrtisH Dierper. See DIPPER.

BritTIsH GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN. See GOLDEN-CRESTED
WREN.

BRITISH GREAT SporreED WooDPECKER. See GREAT SPOTTED
WOODPECKER.

British GREAT TirmousE. See GREAT TITMOUSE.

British Hepce Sparrow. See HEDGE-SPARROW.

BririsH Lona-taitep Trrmouse. See LONG-TAILED TIT-
MOUSE.

BRIAR—BROWN. 33

British Marsu-Tirmouse. See MARSH-TITMOUSE.

British NutuatcuH. See NUTHATCH.

British RepDBREAST. See REDBREAST.

British Sone-Turusu. See SONG-THRUSH.

British Witiow-Tirmouss. See WILLOW-TITMOUSE.

BROADBILL or BROAD-BILLED Duck: The SHOVELER. (Pro-

vincially.) So called from its spatulate bill.

BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER [No. 385]. The name is
found in Gould’s “‘ Birds of Europe ” (pt. xvii.).

Broav-BILLED Scaup-Duck: The SCAUP-DUCK. (Macgilli-
vray.)

BRoINN DEARG. A Gaelic name for the REDBREAST.

Bronce: The CORMORANT. (Orkney and Shetland.)

BronruppyN or BroncocH: The REDBREAST (North
Wales) ; lit. ‘‘ ruddy breast,” and “red breast.”

BRONRUDDYN Y MyNypDD: The BRAMBLING. (North Wales.)

Bronwen: The WHITETHROAT. (North Wales) lit.
““ white breast.”

* BRONWEN LEIAF: The LESSER WHITETHROAT. (North
Wales) lit. “lesser white breast.”

Brook OvzeL: The WATER-RAIL. (Willughby.) Hett also
applies the name to the DIPPER. :

BROOK-RUNNER: The WATER-RAIL. (Provincial.)

BrRowWN-AND-WHITE GuLL: The immature GREAT BLACK-
BACKED GULL.

BROWN-BACKED WARBLER |[No. 153]. A rare straggler
from south-east Europe, first recorded in 1907.

Brown Bee-Hawk. Macgillivray’s name for the HONEY-
BUZZARD.

Brown Buzzard: The COMMON BUZZARD. (Macgillivray.)

Brown Crane. A North American species of which a solitary

example, probably an escaped bird, has occurred in
Treland.

Brown Eacre. A name for the GOLDEN EAGLE. (Mac-
gillivray.)

BROWN FLYCATCHER [No. 115]. An Eastern Siberian
species, first recorded in 1909. ,

Brown GLEeD: The female HEN-HARRIER. (Scotland.)
From its brown plumage, an English equivalent being
Brown Kite ; the male is called Blue Gled.

Brown Guiu: The GREAT SKUA ; also the immature BLACK-
HEADED GULL.

D

34 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Brown Hawk: The MARSH-HARRIER (Ireland); the
KESTREL (Yorkshire).

BROWN-HEADED Duck: The GOLDENEYE (female).

BROWN-HEADED GULL: The BLACK-HEADED GULL. (Albin.)

Brown Hen: The female BLACK GROUSE.

BROWN-HOODED Mrw. Macgillivray’s name for the BLACK-
HEADED GULL; the head is really dark brown.

BRowN JERFALCON: The GYR-FALCON. (Latham.)

Brown Linnet: The LINNET. A common provincial name,
properly applicable to the bird in winter-plumage.

Brown LoneBeAK: The RED-BREASTED SANDPIPER.
(Selby.) *

Brown Owi: The TAWNY OWL. (Pennant.) Occurs in
Willughby (1678) as the “Common Brown or Ivy Owl.”
Also commonly called Brown Owl or Brown Hoolet pro-
vincially, the names arising from its tawny-brown plumage.

BrowN PHALAROPE: The RED-NECKED PHALAROPE.
Occurs in Macgillivray.

Brown PrarmicaAN: The RED GROUSE. (Macgillivray.)

Brown SanpprreR: The LITTLE STINT.

Brown SnieE: The RED-BREASTED SANDPIPER in its
winter-dress. The name is found in Pennant, Montagu and
Yarrell.

Brown Sraruina: The STARLING. (Young.)

Brown Swattow: The SWIFT. (Renfrew.)

Brown Tern: The COMMON TERN (immature). Occurs in
Willughby.

Brown TREE-CREEPER. Macgillivray’s name for. the TREE-
CREEPER.

BRowN WooprEcKER: The TREECREEPER. (Provincial.)
From its habit of climbing trees like a Woodpecker, and
from its brown plumage.

Brown Woop-Wren: The CHIFFCHAFF. (Macgillivray.)

Brown Wren: The WREN. (Provincial.)

Brown YoGLE: The SHORT-EARED OWL. (Shetlands.)

BRUNNICH’S GUILLEMOT [No. 446]. The name is found in
Fleming, and also Yarrell and succeeding authors.

Bucuaret: The SWIFT. (Forfar.)

Buckrincu : The CHAFFINCH. (Provincial.)

Bupacocup. A Gaelic name for the COMMON SNIPE;
Graham thought it a corruption of ‘“ woodcock” and
therefore a misnomer.

BROWN—BULLHEAD. 35

Bup-PIcKER, Bup-BirD, or Bup-FiIncH: The BULLFINCH ;
from its habit of picking the buds of fruit trees.

BUFF-BACKED HERON [No. 264]. Also sometimes called
Buff-backed Egret. The name Buff-backed Heron is found
in Selby (1833). Montagu (Orn. Dict.,”’ Supp.) described
the young as the “ Little White Heron.” It is the Red-billed
Heron of Pennant and the Rufous-backed Heron of Gould.
Bewick’s Buff-coloured Egret is the SQUACCO HERON.

BUFF-BREASTED GoOsANDER: The GOOSANDER. (Mac-
cillivray.)

BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER [No. 382]. The name is
found as Buff-breasted Tringa in pany and Buff-breasted
Sandpiper in Jenyns.

BUFF-COLOURED Egret: The SQUACCO HERON. (Bewick.)

BUFFEL-HEADED DUCK [No. 303]. The name is found in
Audubon, Bonaparte, etc. It is the Buffel-headed Garrot
of Jenyns.

Burron’s Skua: The LONG-TAILED SKUA. (Yarrell.)

BUIDHEAG BHEALAIDH. A Gaelic name for the YELLOW
BUNTING ; lit. “the yellowling of the broom.” Mac-
gillivray also gives BUIDHEAG BHUACHAIR.

BuLkKine Lark: The TREE-PIPIT. (Thirsk, Yorkshire.)

Buticoor: The COOT.

BULLFINCH [No. 30, British Bullfinch; No. 29, Northern
Bullfinch]. Probably so called from the stoutness of the
neck and head (cf. Bulldog, etc.), but according to Yarrell,
from its largish size in comparison with other finches. The
name appears in Turner (1544) as ‘“ Bulfinche” and
‘“* Bulfine,’” and in Merrett (1667) as “‘ Bullfinch.” Wil-
lughby (1678) spells it “‘ Bulfinch’ in the text and “ Bull-
finch” on the plate. The British form was first dis-
tinguished by Macgillivray (‘‘ Hist. Brit. Birds,” 1, p. 407,
1837) under the name of Pyrrhula pileata, but most later
writers continued to identify both forms under Vieillot’s
name P. europea. For the principal variants of its peculiar
provincial names, see under “ Alp.”

BuLiFiincy : The BULLFINCH. (Thirsk, Yorkshire.)

BuLLHEAD or ButtseyeE. Irish local names for the GOLDEN
PLOVER and also the GREY PLOVER. The former
name is applied by Macgillivray and also Swainson to the
GREY PLOVER, and the latter says it is on account of
the round shape of its head.

D2

36 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

BULL-HEADED WicEon: The COMMON POCHARD. (North
Treland.)

Buti Linnet: The LESSER -REDPOLL.

BuLiock’s Petre, : LEACH’S FORK-TAILED PETREL; so
called from the type-specimen having been in Bullock’s
collection.

Butt or THE Boc: The COMMON BITTERN. (Roxburgh-
shire.) From its: “booming”’ cry.

BuLw’s-EYE or BULL’s-EYED PLovER: The DUNLIN;; also
the RINGED PLOVER (see also under Bullhead). The
name is probably from their prominent dark eyes.

Butt Spink: The BULLFINCH. Occurs in Merrett (1667)
as “ Bul Spink.” The names Bullspink and Bully are also
applied in Yorkshire to this species, and the latter (Bully)
locally in North Yorkshire to the CHAFFINCH.

Butt THrusH: The MISTLE-THRUSH. (Hants.) So called
from its large size and stout shape.

Butty or BuititreE: The BULLFINCH. An abbreviation of
Bullfinch.

BULWER’S PETREL [No. 333]. The name appears to be
first published in Jardine and Selby’s “Illus. Orn.”
(11, pl. 65, 1829).

BUMBARREL: The LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE. (Notts.)

BumsiteE: The BITTERN. (Provincial.)

Bumpy-coss. Montagu gives this as a provincial name for the
BITTERN; another and more correct form is Bumpy
cors, the derivation being from the Welsh name Bwmp y
gors, lit. ‘‘ Boom of the Marsh.”

BUN-BHUACHAILLE. A Gaelic name for the GREAT NORTHERN
DIVER. (West Isles of Scotland) lit. “‘ herdsman of the
bottom ” (Graham).

Bunpiz. An Orkney name for the DUNLIN, and also the
COMMON SANDPIPER.

Bunter: The MEADOW-PIPIT. (Provincial.)

Buntinc: The CORN-BUNTING. An earlier name for the
species.

Buntine Crow :. The HOODED CROW. (Montagu.) Swain-
son says it is an Irish name for the species.

Bunting Lark: The CORN-BUNTING. Occurs in Montagu
as a provincial name; Buntrne or Buntuinc Lark is
also given by Swainson as a Scottish name for the species,
the name having its origin in the fact that in appearance
this bird somewhat resembles a lark.

BULL—BUTTER. on

BurGcomaster : The GLAUCOUS GULL. Also the immature
GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL. According to Scoresby
the name was first given by Dutch mariners to the former
species, either from its majestic appearance or masterful
ways.

Burrian: The RED-THROATED DIVER. (Ballantrae.)

Burrow-Duck: The SHELD-DUCK. Occurs in Willughby.
Montagu spells it “‘ Burrough Duck,” as also does Bewick ;
there is no doubt, however, that the name arises from
the fact that it makes its nest in a rabbit-burrow or
other hole.

Burrow-Picton: The STOCK-DOVE. (Sedbergh, Yorkshire.)

Busu-Cuat: The STONECHAT and the WHINCHAT have
been so called. The term was apparently first applied by
Macgillivray. For the first-mentioned bird “ bush- eee -
would be a far more suitable name than “ stone-chat,”’
it is found frequenting furze-covered commons and ea
meadows. Hett applies the name less appropriately to the
WHEATEAR.

Busu-Dove: The STOCK-DOVE. (Provincial.) Somewhat of
a misnomer, as it never nests in bushes.

BusH-LARK: The CORN-BUNTING. (Ireland.)

Busu-Macpie: The MAGPIE. A popular supposition is that
it is a different variety of the bird that nests in bushes.

Busu-ovEN: The LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE. (Norfolk.)
From the shape and situation of its nest.

Busu-sparrow: The HEDGE-SPARROW. (Stirling.)

Bustarp: The GREAT BUSTARD. Also the STONE-
CURLEW (Swainson).

BUTCHER-BIRD or MurpERiING-BIRD: The GREAT GREY
SHRIKE. Also applied to the RED-BACKED SHRIKE ;
from their habit of impaling small birds, mice and insects
on thorns. The two names given are applied to the
GREAT GREY SHRIKE by Merrett: Willughby and
Ray call it the Greater Butcher-bird or Mattagess.
Thompson says the MISTLE-THRUSH is called Butcher-
bird in a part of Donegal.

But-ror-But. A Cheshire name for the QUAIL. From its cry.

Burrat or Buttte: The BITTERN. (Provincial.)

Butter Bumr: The BITTERN. Montagu gives it as a
provincial name, and Swainson says it is a Yorkshire name
for the species.

38 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Buttrerrurr: The AVOCET. Montagu gives it as a provincial
name.

Butrertzr. A Holy Island name for the SAND-MARTIN ;
perhaps corrupted from Bitterie (q.v.).

Butrour: The BITTERN. (Turner.)

BuzzarpD : The COMMON BUZZARD. Swainson gives Buzzard-
Hawk as a Forfar name for the species. The name Buzzard
is also sometimes applied to the MARSH-HARRIER.

Bwmpe y Gors. A Welsh name for the BITTERN ; lit. “ Boom
of the Marsh.”

CACKAREEN: The KITTIWAKE GULL.

Cap Crow: The CARRION-CROW. (Kast Riding, Yorkshire.)

CappDAW, CADDER, Cappy, CARDER, CawpAw. Fast Anglian
names for the JACKDAW; Turner (1544) has Caddo.

CAILCHEAG-CHEAN-DUBH. A Gaelic name for the COAL-
TITMOUSE.

CAILLEACH-OIDHCHE. A Gaelic name for the TAWNY OWL;
lit. “‘ old woman of the night.”

CAILLEACH-OIDHCHE GHEAL. A Gaelic name for the BARN-
OWL; iit. ““ white old woman of the night.”

Calandra Lark. A south European species which has been
supposed to have occurred in the British Isles. Calandra
(written Calander by Newton) is from Ital. Calandra=Lat.
caliendrum, a head-dress or ornament of hair. It occurs
in Chaucer (‘‘ Romaunt of the Rose”’) as “‘ Chalaundre” and
‘“‘Chelaundre.”” Edwards (‘ Gleanings of Nat. Hist.,”’ pl. 268)
figured it in error as belonging to Carolina. Willughby
(1678) mentions the ‘Calandra, which perchance is no
other than the Bunting.” This species being common
as a cage bird, it is quite likely that the British birds were
“* escapes.”

Catny Trr: The LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE. (Provincial.)

Catitoo : The LONG-TAILED DUCK. (Orkney and Shetlands.)
From its cry. Swainson also gives Calaw as a variant for
the same localities. Hett gives Calloo as a name for the
CURLEW.

CALMAN-CHOILLE. The Gaelic name for the RING-DOVE ;
lit. ‘‘ wood pigeon.” .

CALMAN-FIADHAICH. The Gaelic name for the ROCK-DOVE.
CaMBRIDGE Gopwit: The SPOTTED REDSHANK. (Bewick.)

Canada Goose. A North American species, which has been
domesticated in this country for more than two centuries,

BUTTERFLIP—CAPERCAILLIE. 39

so that records of examples shot are always open to doubt.
The name occurs in Willughby (1678). Jenyns calls it the
Canada Swan. The name Canada Goose is also applied
to the BARNACLE-GOOSE.

CanaDA OwL: The AMERICAN HAWK-OWL. (Jenyns.)

CaNnaDIAN Diver: The RED-THROATED DIVER. (Winter-
plumage.)

Canary. Originally so called from its having been brought
from the Canary Isles. Wild examples of this universal cage-
bird have occurred in our islands, but, as the species is
non-migratory, such occurrences have been generally put
down to escaped birds.

CanporrLeE: The LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE. (Staffs. and
Salop.) So called from the shape of the nest (see Bottle-tit).
Can occurs in Shakespeare as a kind of cup.

CaoureN. A Cornish name for an Owl.

Cape Pigeon. A species of Petrel inhabiting the Southern
Seas, which is said to have occurred in our islands.

CAPERCAILLIE [No. 462]. The name accepted since the
date of Yarrell’s first edition (1843) for a large species of
Grouse, more often previously known by its English names
of Wood Grouse, or Cock of the Wood, and formerly indi-
genous to the northern parts of the British Islands, but
finally extirpated in Scotland and Ireland during the
eighteenth century, and re-introduced in the Highlands
from Sweden in 1837. The Scots name is variously written
Capercaillie, Capercaliy, Caperkally, Caperkellie, Caper-
cailzie, Capercalze and Capercali, and its precise derivation
seems very uncertain. Gesner (“ Hist. Anim.,” 1554,
lib. mm, p. 159) has, “De capricalca, quam Scoti vulgo
appellunt ane capricalze,” and immediately following he
terms it Capercalze, which is the spelling used by Sibbald
(1684). Yarrell states that the form Capercaillie adopted
by him and given also by Fleming (1842) is derived from
the Gaelic Capullcoille, lit. “‘ horse of the wood,” a dis-
tinction intended to refer to size, it being pre-eminently
large in comparison with others of the genus (a similar
example being found in bullfinch). Rev. Dr. T. Maclauchlan,
as cited by Professor Newton, thinks the derivation is from
Gaelic Cabhar, an old man, but by metaphor an old bird,
and coille, a wood—* the old bird of the wood.” Cabhar,
however, may also mean a hawk, and is pronounced
Cavar. Dr. Maclauchlan thinks it not unlikely, however,
to be the origin of the word spelled “Caper.” A similar

40

DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

metaphoric use may be cited in Cailleach=an old woman, and
cailleach-oidhche==an owl, lit. “* the old woman of the night.”
There is however the word gabhar—=a goat (but this is
a feminine noun) and also capull=a horse, which although
a masculine noun is at the present day limited in its appli-
cation to a mare. Mr. Harvie-Brown says that in Argyle-
shire and Lochaber the bird is still known by the name
of “‘ Capullcoille,” which Macgillivray in 1837 gave as a
Gaelic name for the species. This derivation, as given by
Yarrell, is supported by many authorities and references.
Saunders preferred gabur, a goat (with allusion to the
elongated chin-feathers of the male and his amorous
behaviour in spring) and coille, wood. This latter will, of
course, suggest Lat. caper, capri, a he-goat (cognate with
Eng. to caper) and the Gaelic coille, and I do not know
that the hybrid word would be so very improbable. Gesner’s
“ Capricalea’”” and “ Capricalze ”’ suggest that he derived
from the Lat. capri, a goat, and calca of course suggests
a kicking or capering goat. Merrett (1667) has “ Capri-
calca, Capricalze Scotis,” which of course is probably
copied from Gesner. In any case the metaphorical sense
is similar, i.e. “‘ Old man of the wood,” “‘ goat of the wood,”
etc. Other derivations have been suggested, but without
so much ground for their accuracy. The Erse name appears
to be Capal coile, ‘‘ the Wood Horse, being the chief fowl
of the woods ”’ (Shaw, “* Hist. Prov.”’ Moray, 1775). Jamieson
in his great Scottish Dictionary spells it “‘ Capercailye,” a
variation which Mr. Harvie-Brown traces to Bellenden in
his translation of Hector Boethius, 1553. For further
researches into the origin and spelling of this most difficult
name see Mr. Harvie-Brown’s “‘ Capercaillie in Scotland ”
(1888). There is no doubt, however, that the best and
most correct name for the species, and a good English
one to boot, would be ‘‘ Wood-Grouse,”’ a name moreover
sanctioned by its usage in many of the older ornithological
works from Pennant (1766) to Montagu and on to Mac-
gillivray (1837). Pennant, however, while calling it Wood-
Grouse, states that north of Inverness it is known by the
names of ‘‘ Caper-calze ” and “ Auer-calze,”’ and Macgillivray
in 1837 stated it was known in Scotland by the name of
Capercailzie. It appears now to be flourishing in several
counties of Scotland, while in ancient times it could never
have been particularly common, as most of the references
to it in ancient books show. So far back as 1651, as recorded
in the “‘ Black Book of Taymouth” (pp. 433-4), we find

CAPERCAILLIE—CARRION. 41

one sent by the laird of Glenorchy to Charles IJ. at Perth,
‘**who accepted it weel as a raretie, for he had never seen
any of them.” As regards the date of its former extinction
in Scotland, Pennant records in his first tour in Scotland
in 1769, having himself seen a cock-bird, and this seems the
latest actual record, although of course the bird doubtless
lingered a few years later. As regards Ireland, Rutty
records it in co. Leitrim in 1710 and Pennant says it was
to be found in co. Tipperary as late as 1760. Willughby
in 1678 calls it ‘“‘ Cock of the Wood” only, and speaks of
it as found in Ireland, but does not refer to it as a Scottish
species. The name in Welsh is Ceiliog coed, an equivalent
of Cock of the Wood.

CapERLINTY : The WHITETHROAT. (Jedburgh.)

CapER-LoneTAIL: The LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE.

CaprpED Buzzarp: The HONEY-BUZZARD. Montagu gives
it as a provincial name.

CAPPED PETREL [No. 331]. A species thought now to be
extinct.

CaPpuL corte. A Gaelic name for the CAPERCAILLIE (q.v.).

Car Crow: The CARRION-CROW. (Craven, Yorkshire.)

CaRFIL BACH: The LITTLE AUK. (North Wales) lit.
* Little auk.”

CaRNER Crow or CARENER Crow: The CARRION-CROW.
(Norfolk.)

CAROLINA CRAKE [No. 456]. A North American species,
named by Linneus Rallus carolinus, whence its popular

name.
CarotinaA Cuckoo: The YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO
(Jenyns.)

CARPENTER-BIRD : The GREAT TITMOUSE. (Provincial.)

Carr-Crow: The BLACK TERN (see Carr-Goose). It occurs
as Scare-Crow in Willughby.

CarR-GoosE or CarcoosEe. An old name for the GREAT
CRESTED GREBE: occurs as Cargoose in Charleton
(1668). It arises from the bird frequenting the East
Coast ‘ carrs,” or marshes.

CARRION-CROW [No. 3]. The name “Carrion Crow.”
appears in Merrett (1667) and in Willughby (1678) and is
found as “ Carren Crow ” in “ A Brief description of Ireland
made in this year 1589,” by Robert Payne (Irish Archeol.
Soc. Tracts). Turner (1544) calls it “‘crouu” (=crow)
simply. Crow is derived from A.Sax. crawe (see “ Craw ”’) ;

42 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

and the term ‘“ Carrion ”’ is applied to this species from its
habit of feeding on the flesh of dead animals. Like the
Raven this species was formerly very generally regarded
as a bird of ill-omen. In parts of Northamptonshire it is
believed to be a token of bad luck to see one flying alone.
The belief that it is unlucky to shoot a crow is widely
spread : Seebohm met with it on the Petchora, and I found
it prevalent in eastern Canada regarding the American
Crow, a species almost. identical with the present. There
is a Cornish legend of St. Neotus impounding the crows in
an enclosure during Church service to prevent their depreda-
tions while the people came to Church (Mitchell, ‘ Paroch.
Hist. St. Neots,’? 1833); this enclosure is said to be still
visible. Dyer cites as an Essex saying, in connexion with
crows flying towards one :—

One’s unlucky,

Two’s lucky ;

Three is health,

Four is wealth ;

Five is sickness,

And six is death.
It is said when a Crow makes a hoarse, hollow noise it
presages foul weather (Bourne). The saying “as a crow
flies’ refers to the Rook, which flies straight across country
on its homeward journey, and not to this species.

CaRRION-GULL: The GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL.

Carr Laa-Goosre. An old Yorkshire fowler’s name for a variety
of goose found on the carrs, probably the PINK-FOOTED
GOOSE.

Carr-Sparrow: The REED-BUNTING. (Yorkshire.)

CarR-SwaLLtow. A former name for the BLACK TERN in
Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire, from its frequenting the
‘““carrs’? or marshes. In east Yorkshire it is applied
to the BLACK-HEADED GULL.

CasEeG ERA: The FIELDFARE. (North Wales) lit. “snow
ball.”

CasEG y ppryccin. A North Wales name for the MISTLE-
THRUSH ; lit. “‘Storm-cock.” It has also been applied
to the FIELDFARE.

Cas GAN Lonewr (Sailor’s hatred). The Welsh name for the
STORM-PETREL, signifying the sailors’ dislike to it as a
portent of storms. Swainson gives the name to the
BLACK GUILLEMOT, apparently erroneously.

CASPIAN PLOVER [No. 357]. First recorded as occurring in
Norfolk by Saunders (‘‘ Manual,” 2nd. ed., p. 537).

CARRION—CHACK. 43

CASPIAN TERN [No. 416]. The name is found in Selby and
was adopted by Yarrell and _ subsequent authors.
Macgillivray calls it Caspian Strong-billed Tern.

Cass1an Heron: The SQUACCO HERON.

Cassrn’s SNow Goose. See SNOW-GOOSE.

Castanreous Duck: The FERRUGINOUS DUCK. (Bewick.)

CasurR cLtocH: The WHEATEAR. (Tipperary.) Signifies
** stone-hammer.”’

Car Guin: The HERRING-GULL. (Kirkecudbright.)

Catuac. A Gaelic name for the JACKDAW ; probably imita-
tive of its cry.

CatocteE: The EAGLE-OWL. (Orkneys.) From Norw.
Katugl, from its similarity in habits and appearance to a
cat (Swainson). Saxby gives Catyogle as a Shetland
name for both the SNOWY-OWL and EAGLE-OWL.
Cat Owl is also applied to the LONG-EARED OWL.

Cawpaw: The JACKDAW. (Suffolk.) From its note.

Cawpy Mawpy: The HOODED CROW/;; also the CURLEW.
(North Country.)

CEANN DEARG. A Gaelic name for the REDSTART.

Crarc FRAOICH: The female RED GROUSE. (Gaelic) _ lit.
‘heather hen.”

Crarc LiatH: The female BLACK GROUSE. (Gaelic) _ lit.
“* srey hen.”

Crarc-THOMAIN. A Gaelic name for the PARTRIDGE.

CEri0G corD. The former Welsh name for the CAPERCAILLIE ;
lit. “ cock of the wood.”

Cxritiog ppv. A Welsh name for the BLACK GROUSE; lit.
** black cock.”

CrmLIog y GorED: The PHEASANT. (North Wales) lit.
“cock of the wood.”

Crriioc y Mynypp. A Welsh name for the male RED GROUSE
and BLACK GROUSE; lit. “cock of the mountain ” ;
the female is termed iar (hen) in place of ceiliog.

CerutytH (Y). A Welsh poetical name for the CUCKOO ;
lit. “‘ the songster.”

CETTI’S WARBLER [No. 130]. Named Sylvia cetti by Mar-
mora in 1820, in honour of the Italian ornithologist, hence
the English name; but its first occurrence in our islands
was in 1904.

Cuack, CHACKER, or CHEcKS: The WHEATEAR. From its
cry. The first and last are Orkney names. It is also known
in some parts as Check or Check-bird.

44 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

CHAFFIE, CHAFFY,:CHAFFER, or CHAFFIN: The CHAFFINCH,
Popular contractions.

CHAFFINCH [No. 37]. The name appears in Turner (1544) as
‘“ Chaffinche ” and in Merrett (1667) as “ Chaffinch,” also—
in Willughby (1678) by the latter name. “So called
because it delights in chaff” (Kersey’s Dict., 2nd ed.,
1715); the bird being a frequenter of barn-yards, ete.
Other derivations are, however, possible, i.e. from Mid.-Eng.
chaufen, to warm, indicating the reddish or “ warm ”
breast of the male. Finch is A.Sax. finc—finch ; Modern
German fink, Old High German fincho. From the same
root as the Welsh pinc=—finch, but also applied to anything
smart or gay. Newton thinks it is from the spink or pink
note of the Chaffinch originally. The Welsh name for the
Chaffinch is Winc, also from the note. Jesse says that in
Scotland it is known as “‘ drunken sow ” because the song
has been construed into “ Drink, drink till you’re fou, wee
drunken sowie.”” Chambers says that in Scotland and the
North of England the plaintive note of this bird is taken
as a sign of rain, and that when the boys hear it they
imitate the note and its consequences thus: “ Weet!
weet ! Dreep, dreep!”? A West of England belief is that
about the 25th of March this bird always cries “ Pay your
rent—pay your rent—pay your rent.”

Cuair: The SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. (Worcestershire.)
From its note.

CHALDER, CHALDRICK, CHOLDRICK: The OYSTERCATCHER.
(Orkneys.)

CHANCHIDER: The SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. (Montagu.)
Swainson renders it Chancider, and also gives Chamcider
as a Hampshire name for the SEDGE-WARBLER.

CHANGELESS Swan. Macgillivray’s name for the Polish Swan.

CHANNEL GoosE: The GANNET. (North Devon.)

CHarRBoB: The CHAFFINCH. (Derbyshire.)

CHARLIE Murrire. A common Scots name for the WHITE-
THROAT, from its habit of puffing out the feathers of
the throat.

CHAseR: The ARCTIC SKUA. (Redcar, Yorkshire.) From its
habit of pursuing other species.

Cuat: The SEDGE-WARBLER (Thames Valley); also the
WHEATEAR (Northants.)

CHATTERER: The WAXWING. Occurs in Pennant (fo. ed.,
1766), but in the later editions it is called Waxen Chatterer.

CHAFFIE—CHICKSTONE.: 45

It is really a rather silent bird. The Chatterers are pro- .
perly the Cotingide.

CHATTERPIE: The MAGPIE. (Staffs. and Norfolk.) It is
proverbially a noisy bird.

CHAvK or CHAUK Daw: The CHOUGH. (Scotland.) From its

cry.
CHeat: The GRASSHOPPER-WARBLER. (Upton-on-
Severn.)

CHEEPER, GREY CHEEPER, or Moss CHEEPER. Common Border
names for the MEADOW-PIPIT.

CHEESER : The YELLOW BUNTING. (Northants.) From the
drawn-out termination of its song.

CHEETER: The RED-BACKED SHRIKE. (Provincial.)

CurepsteR: The STARLING. A modification of Shepster
(=Sheep-stare). Chep-Starling is found in Tunstall, while
Ship-Starling and Sheep-Starling are Yorkshire provincial
names.

CHEQUER Birp: The WHIMBREL.

CuEercock: The MISTLE-THRUSH. (Westmorland.) Pro-
bably a corruption of Shercock. ‘‘Chureock” is also
applied to the same species in Yorkshire.

CHERRY CHIRPER: The SNOW-BUNTING (?). (Rutty.)

CHERRY CHOPPER, CHERRY SUCKER, CHERRY SNIPE: The
SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. (Provincial.) Whether this
species is ever destructive to cherries is very doubtful,
although it has been known to eat berries, such as those
of the mountain ash.

CHERRY Finch: The HAWFINCH. (Swaledale, Yorkshire.)
From its fondness for cherry-stones.

CuERuBIM: The BARN-OWL.

CHESTNUT-BACKED TurusH: The FIELDFARE. (Macgillivray.)

CHEVEREL or CuEvin. A bird-fancier’s term for a variety of
the GOLDFINCH having a red patch on the throat. Skeat,
as cited by Newton, thought it to be from Old Eng. chefle,
or chefelen, to talk idly or chatter, hence “ cheveller,” a
chatterer. Nelson and Clarke give the name as in use in
Yorkshire, and make it synonymous with the so-called
“* Pear-tree Goldfinch.”

CHEvvy Linnet or Cuatvey Linnet: The LESSER RED-
POLL. (Yorkshire.)

CHICKELL or CHICKER: The WHEATEAR.

CuickstonE: The STONECHAT. (Cleveland, Yorkshire.) In the
same district “ Chetstone ” is applied to the WHEATEAR.

46 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

CHIFFCHAFF [No. 119, Chiffchaff ; No. 120, Scandinavian
Chiffchaff ; No. 121, Siberian Chiffchaff]. This species was
the Lesser Pettychaps or Least Willow Wren of eigh-
teenth-century authors. The name Chiffchaff is an imita-
tion of its song and is first found as “ smallest willow wren
or chiffchaf’’ in Gilbert White’s ‘‘ Naturalists’ Calendar
and Observations” (p. 77), published in 1795 by Aiken.
The Scandinavian Chiffchaff is a closely-allied form, of
which some few examples have been recorded. The other
sub-species, the Siberian Chiffchaff, is now known as a
regular autumn visitor to Fair Isle.

CHIKEREL. A local name for the WHIMBREL in the Poole
district. (Hawker.)

CHIMNEY SwALLow: The SWALLOW. The species occurs under
this name in Pennant and other authors to Montagu, and
also Macgillivray.

Chinese Goose. A species not entitled to a place on the British
List.

CuinkK: The REED-BUNTING. (Provincial.)

CuHINK CHAFFEY, CHINK CHAWDY, CHINK CHINK, or CHINKY :
The CHAFFINCH. (Provincial.) From its sharp “spink”’
note.

Cure-CHop: The CHIFFCHAFF. From its song. Macgilli-
vray gives it as a provincial name.

CurerEeT Linnet: The LESSER REDPOLL. (Doncaster.)

Cuit-LARK: The MEADOW-PIPIT. (Skelmanthorpe, York-
shire.)

Cuit-PERL: The LITTLE TERN.

CuirreR CHat: The SEDGE-WARBLER. (Northumberland.)

Currie, Currry, or Coir: The MEADOW-PIPIT and also the
TREE-PIPIT. (Lancashire and North of England.) Der.
from A.Sax. cidh, a sprout, child or offspring, and meaning
a small bird, or lit. a small thing. The MEADOW-
PIPIT and the SEDGE-WARBLER are also known as
“Chitty prat,” and at Sedbergh, Yorkshire, the WREN
is called Chitty.

Curry, CHappy, Jirry : The LESSER REDPOLL (Cheshire).
Probably in allusion to its small size.

Currry WrEN. Thompson says the WREN is so called in
Treland on account of its call chit when alarmed by a cat.

Cuocu. Given by Aldrovandus as an English name for the
CHOUGHS; Turner spells it ‘‘ Choghe.”

CHIFFCHAFF —CIACH. 47

CuorcE AND CHEAP: The CHIFFCHAFF. Swainson gives it
as a local name in the neighbourhood of Totnes, Devon.

CHoLpRICK: The OYSTERCATCHER. (Orkney and Shetland.)

CHOUGH [No. 12]. This name is now used to denote a moun-
tain-bird of the Crow kind distinguished chiefly by its
curved red bill and red feet. It ‘is chiefly found on our
Western coasts, hence its frequent name of Cornish Chough.
Turner, in fact, gives “‘ Cornish Choghe”’ as the English
name for the species. The name Chough alone was at one
time in use for the JACK DAW, which is so called in Turner,
in Merrett’s list, and also in Shakespeare. Willughby,
Merrett and Albin called the present species the Cornish
Chough, but succeeding writers up to the time of Montagu
generally called it the Red-legged Crow. A Cornish
legend is to the effect that King Arthur’s spirit entered
into this bird after death (Hawker, “Echoes from Old
Cornwall ”’).

Cuusp Lark: The CORN-BUNTING. (Yorkshire.) Perhaps
from its stout, or “ chubby ” appearance.

Cuuck or CHock: The WHEATEAR. From its note.

CuurFerR: The CHAFFINCH. A corruption of Chaffer.

CuurcH Martnet: The SWIFT. (Merrett.)

CuurcH Owi: The BARN-OWL. Occurs in Sibbald, and is
also in use as a provincial name in Yorkshire and elsewhere.

CuurRN: The LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE. (Cheshire.)

Cuurn OwL: The NIGHTJAR. Found in Willughby (1678),

and White gives it as a Hampshire name. Swainson gives
Churr Owl as an Aberdeen name.

CuurR or CouRR Murrir: The WHITETHROAT. (Provincial.)
Churr is from its harsh note, and Muffit from its habit of
puffing out the throat-feathers.

CuurRE: The DUNLIN in winter-plumage. (Norfolk.)

CHWILGORN Y Mynypp, or CoRNICYLL y Mynypp : The GOLDEN
PLOVER. (North Wales) lit. “mountain plover.”

Cuwitoc: The COMMON GUILLEMOT. (North Wales.)

CHwiw or CHWIWELL: Welsh names for the WIGEON. Pro-
bably from its call-note.

CHWYBANYDD or CHwIBANYDD. A Welsh name for the BULL-
FINCH; lit. ‘* whistler.”

CiacH FawR: The GREAT SNIPE. (North Wales) lit. “great
snipe.” ;

48 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

CIGFRAN or GIGFRAN FAWR. Welsh names forthe RAVEN. The
former signifying “‘ flesh crow ” and the latter “‘ great flesh
crow.”

Cicgypp CEFN-GocH. A Welsh name for the RED-BACKED |

SHRIKE; signifying ‘“red-backed butcher.”

Ciaypp Mawr. A Welshname for the GREAT GREY SHRIKE;
lit. “ great butcher.”

CINEREOUS BUTCHER-BIRD, or SHRIKE: The GREAT GREY
SHRIKE. (Montagu.)

CrnEREOUS Eacue. The name employed by Pennant, Lewin,
Latham, and Montagu for the WHITE-TAILED EAGLE.

CrinEREOoUs Gopwit: The GREENSHANK. (Pennant.) Also
young BAR-TAILED GODWIT.

CINEREOUS SHEARWATER: The GREAT SHEARWATER.
(Selby.)

CrnerEous Waatait: The WHITE WAGTAIL. (Stephens in
Shaw’s ‘ Zoology.’’)

CIRL BUNTING [No. 47]. This species was first ascertained
to be a British bird by Montagu in the winter of 1800 near
Kingsbridge. The name Cirl Bunting appears to be found
first in Latham (‘‘Synopsis,” 11, p. 190). Swainson says the
name is equivalent to “ Cheeper ”’ and it seems to be from
the German Zirl-ammer.

CITRIL FINCH [No. 26]. “ Citril”’ was the name under which

Ray and Willughby in 1663 became acquainted with it in
Vienna.

CuaBitreR. A Cornish name for the BITTERN.

CLACHARAN or CLOCHARET. Gaelic names for the WHEATEAR :
lit. “little mason,” from its cry, resembling the knocking
together of two stones.

CLAKIs or CrLarkis: The BARNACLE-GOOSE. (Scotland.)
It occurs in Willughby, and is also met with as CLAIk
GOOSE.

CLAMHAN. A Gaelic name for the COMMON BUZZARD
according to Fleming. Clamhan, it should be noted,
signifies both a Hawk and a Kite.

CLAMHAN GABHLACH or CLAMHAN GODHLACH. A Gaelic name
for the KITE.

CLAMHAN LUCH: The HEN-HARRIER. (Hebrides.) From
clamhan, a hawk, and luch, a mouse.

CLAMHAN RUADH. A Gaelic name for the KESTREL; lt.
** red-hawk.”’

CLATTER-DoveE: The RING-DOVE. (Yorkshire.)

CIGFRAN—CNUT. 49

CiuaTTeRGoosE: The BRENT GOOSE. Occurs in Montagu,
and Swainson gives it as an East Lothian name ; it is derived
from the noisy cry.

Cir—E: THE REDSHANK. From its cry.

Cuep y @aRREG: The STONECHAT. (North Wales) lit.
“stone gossip.”

CLEP YR EITHIN: The WHINCHAT. (North Wales) lit.
“* gorse-gossip.”’

Ciett: The COMMON TERN.

Curr Daw: The CHOUGH. (Kerry.) A cliff frequenter.

Curr Hawk: The PEREGRINE FALCON. From its nesting-
resorts.

Curr Piczeon: The ROCK-DOVE. (Yorkshire.)

CurmsKER: The AVOCET. (Norfolk.)

CLOCHDER Y CERRIG or CLOCHDAR CERRIG. A Welsh name for
the STONECHAT, signifying “ chirper of the crag.”

CLOCHDER Y MyNyDD. A Welsh name for the PIED FLY-
CATCHER.

CLOCHDER YR EITHEN or CLOCHDAR EITHEN. A Welsh name for
the WHINCHAT. It signifies gorse-chirper.

CLOIBHREAN cLorcH. An Irish name (north and west) for the
WHEATEAR.

Ciop Birp: The WHEATEAR. (See “ Clotbird.’’)

CLop-HoPPER: The WHEATEAR. From its habit of frequent-
ing the newly-turned-up clods.

CLOICHEARAN. A Gaelic name for the WHEATEAR.

CLot-sirpD: The WHEATEAR. (Merrett.) Occurs also in
Turner as ‘“Clotburd.” It is the modern “ clod-bird ”
from its habit of sitting upon the turned-up clods. Hett
also gives Clod-bird as a name for the CORN-BUNTING.

CLOVEN-FOOTED GULL: The BLACK TERN. (Albin.) Montagu
gives it as a provincial name.

Ciuckine Duck. A name for the BIMACULATED DUCK.

CNocELL BRITH: The GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER.
(North Wales) lit. “ spotted pecker.”

CNOCELL BRITH BACH: The LESSER SPOTTED WOOD-
PECKER. (North Wales) lit. “lesser spotted pecker.”

CNOCELL y cnAU: The NUTHATCH. (North Wales.) Signifies
“nut knocker.”

CNOCELL y COED. A Welsh name for the GREEN WOOD-
PECKER;; lit. “‘ knocker of the wood.”

Cnut: The KNOT. (North Wales.)

50 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Coat and‘ CaNDLE-LIGHT: The LONG-TAILED DUCK.
(Orkneys.) Also CoL-CANDLE-wIck (Fife).

Coat GoosE: The CORMORANT. (Kent.)

CoaL Hoop, Coat HoopEn, or CoatLy Hoop: The BULL
FINCH. Scottish provincial names, the first two being
in use on the Scottish Border.

CoaLMousE or CoLEMOUSE: The COAL-TITMOUSE. The
former occurs in Merrett and the latter in Pennant and
later authors.

Coat Tit: The COAL-TITMOUSE. A common abbreviation.

COAL TITMOUSE [No. 91, Continental Coal-Titmouse; No.
92, British Coal-Titmouse; No. 93, Irish Coal-Titmouse].
Occurs in Merrett’s list (1667) as Coalmouse, and in many
later writers as Colemouse. Cole Titmouse is found in
Bewick (1797). The birds occurring in the British Islands
are now separated into three geographical races.

CoaLy Hoop: The COAL-TITMOUSE. (Scotland.) Also the

REED-BUNTING. (Scotland.)
CoatHAaM Crow: The HOODED CROW. (Loftus, Yorkshire.)

Cos: Properly the BLACK-HEADED GULL; but also any
large Gull. (Newton.) Montagu applied it to the GREAT
BLACK-BACKED GULL, while Bolam gives Cob Gull
as a Northumberland name for the same species.

Cos: The male of the MUTE SWAN ; the female being termed
Pen. Newton was in error in supposing no authority could
be found for Yarrell’s statement that these were the former
names for the sexes of the Swans. In that curious old
work entitled, “The Order, Lawes and Ancient Customes
of the Swannes, caused to be printed by John Witherings,
Esquire, Master and Governour of the Royal Game of
Swans and Cygnets throughout England ’’ (1632), are to
be found these names for the sexes.

Cops or SEA Copp: The COMMON GULL. (South-east
coasts. )

CopBLE. A provincial name for the young of both the GREAT
NORTHERN and RED-THROATED DIVERS. Occurs
in Montagu.

CoBBLER’s AwL: The AVOCET (vide “ Awl-Bird.”) Montagu
gives it as a provincial name.

CosBLeE: The HAWFINCH. (Norfolk—Sir Thomas Browne.)

CoBLYN LLEIAF: The LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER.
(North Wales) lit. “‘ lesser pecker.”

COAL—COESGOCH. ol

CoBLyN Mwy4F: The GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER.
(North Wales) lit. “ greater pecker.”

CoBLYN-Y-cozED: The GREEN WOODPECKER. (North

Wales) lit. “woodpecker.” Other local names are Tarad-
y-coed (‘‘ wood-auger”) and ‘Tyllwr-y-coed (‘‘ wood-
borer ’’).

Copwes: The SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. Occurs in Morton’s
“Northants.” (p.426). From its use of spiders’ webs in the
construction of its nest. _

CocH DAN ADEN: The REDWING. (North Wales.) Signifies
“red under wing.”

CocH Y BERLLAN : The BULLFINCH. (North Wales) lit. “red
of the orchard.”

Cocw y «eRuG or CocHiaD: The RED GROUSE. (North
Wales.)

Cock : The WOODCOCK is sometimes so called.

Cockanpy: The PUFFIN. Sibbald gives it as a Fifeshire
name of the species.

CockatHropon: The MANX SHEARWATER. (Scilly Isles.)

Cock oF THE Mountain: The CAPERCAILLIE. Occurs in
Willughby (1678).

Cock o’ THE NortH: The BRAMBLING. (East and south
Scotland.)

Cock oF THE Woop: The CAPERCAILLIE. Occurs in
Merrett (1667), who notes the species as occurring in Ireland
(“in Hibernia occurrit ’”’). Willughby and Ray (1678) also
mention this as an Irish name for the bird, which they say
is not found in England, while they strangely enough omit
to mention Scotland as a habitat. Pennant (1766) gives
Cock of the Wood as the name of this bird, and he further
calls the female, Hen of the Wood.

Cock OvuzEL: The BLACKBIRD.

Cock TurostLteE: The MISTLE-THRUSH.

Cock WrypeR: The WIGEON. (Norfolk.)

Coppy-moppy : The COMMON GULL (immature). Willughby
and Ray give it as a Cambridgeshire name.

CoEGFRAN. A Welsh name for the JACKDAW;; lit. “sham

CoEG GyLrrinuir. A Welsh name for the WHIMBREL ; signifies
“sham curlew.”
CorscocH: The REDSHANK. (North Wales) lit. “red-
shank.”
E 2

52 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

CoESWERDD: The GREENSHANK. (North Wales) _ lit.
“* Greenshank.”

Coc. A Welsh name for the CUCKOO ; from its ery.
CoImILEACH COoILLE. A Gaelic name for the WOODCOCK ; lit.

cock of the wood. Macgillivray gives it as a name for the
CAPERCAILLIE.
CoILEACH DUBH. A Gaelic name for the BLACK GROUSE ;
lit. “‘ black cock ; ”’ the Grey Hen is called Ceare liath.
CorLEACH FRAOICH. A Gaelic name for the RED GROUSE,
lit. Heather Cock; the female being called Ceare fraoich,
or Heather Hen.

CoILEACH RUADH. A Gaelic name for the RED GROUSE:
ruadh signifying red or reddish.

CoisTtREL: The KESTREL. (Shakespeare.) From Fr.
cresserelle, cristel.

Corr. A Cornish name for the GREEN WOODPECKER.

CotprincH : The PIED FLYCATCHER. The name occurs in
Willughby, who describes a “bird called Coldfinch by
the Germans.” It is figured by Pennant (1766) under
this name and by Edwards; Swainson also renders it
Colefinch, and gives Coldfinch as a Shropshire name for
the YELLOW BUNTING.

Cotp1zE: The LONG-TAILED DUCK. (Forfar.)

CoLE-GoosE: The CORMORANT.

Cote-MousE: The COAL-TITMOUSE. Occurs in Willughby.
Also met with as Cole Titmouse.

Cotin BLacKHEAD: The REED-BUNTING. (Renfrew.)

CoLIsHEEN: The PUFFIN. (Galway) lit. “an old woman.”

Cotk : The COMMON EIDER. Occurs in Martin’s ‘‘ Description
of the Western Isles.”

CoLLARED BLACKIE: The RING-OUZEL. (Staithes, Yorkshire.)

CotntarED Duck: The RUDDY SHELD-DUCK.

COLLARED FLYCATCHER [No. 117]. This Continental
species was recorded as British for the first time in 1911.

COLLARED PETREL [No. 332]. A Pacific species of which
one example was obtained in Wales in 1889.

CoLLARED PRATINCOLE: The PRATINCOLE. (Selby, Yarrell,
etc.)

COLLARED STARE: The ALPINE ACCENTOR.

COESWERDD—COMMON. 53

CoLLARED TURNSTONE: The TURNSTONE.

CoLLierR, or CoLLIERJACK: The CURLEW. (Cheshire.) Collier
is also applied to the HOUSE-SPARROW and the SWIFT
in Yorkshire.

CoLLocHaN GuLL: The BLACK-HEADED GULL. (Kirkcud-
bright.) From a loch so called.

CotomMEN. The Welsh name for the wild pigeons. In North
Wales the RING-DOVE is called Colomen wyllt (wild
pigeon) or Colomen goed (wood pigeon); the STOCK-DOVE
Colomen ddof (tame pigeon); the ROCK-DOVE Colomen
y graig (rock pigeon); and the TURTLE-DOVE Colomen
fair (St. Mary’s dove.)

Cotty: The BLACKBIRD. (Provincial.) Der. from A.Sax.
col=coal, and meaning literally, “ sooty ” or “‘ coal-like.”

Cotmorn : The CORMORANT;; also the SHAG (Hett).

Common Auk: The RAZORBILL.

Common Avocet. See AVOCET.

Common BEE-EATER. See BEE-EATER.

Common Birrern. See BITTERN.

Common Brown or Ivy OwL: The TAWNY OWL. = (Willughby.

Common Buuirincw. See BULLFINCH.

Common Bunting: The CORN-BUNTING.

Common Bustarp: The GREAT BUSTARD.

COMMON BUZZARD [No. 243]. The name Common Buzzard
occurs in Willughby (1678). Turner (1544) and Merrett
(1667) call it the Buzzard only, as do succeeding writers
to the time of Pennant (1766), who calls it the Common
Buzzard. The derivation is from Lat. Buteo, through
Fr. Busard.

Common Coot: The COOT. Occurs in most of the old authors
from Willughby to Montagu.

Common Cormorant: The CORMORANT. (Yarrell.)

Common Crane. See CRANE.

Common CreEEereR. A former appellation for the TREE-
CREEPER, to be found in most of the older authors from
Albin to Montagu.

COMMON CROSSBILL [No. 33, Common Crossbill; No.
34, Scottish Crossbill.] Occurs in Willughby (1678)
as Cross-bill, and as Crossbill in most succeeding
authors. The first full account of the habits of feeding of
this bird is given by Yarrell (‘ Zool. Journ.,” tv, pp. 459-65).
The legend of this bird having acquired its twisted beak by

54 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

striving to draw the nails that held Christ to the Cross is
familiar to many. Longfellow, in his “‘ Legend of the
Crossbill,’’ from the German of Julius Mosen, alludes not
to the twisted bill but to the plumage “covered all with
blood so clear.” This supposed origin of a ruddy plumage
is elsewhere attributed to the Robin (q.v.). Hartert has
separated the form inhabiting Scotland from that inhabiting
England and Wales under the name of Scottish Crossbill.

Common Crow: The CARRION-CROW. (Merrett, Willughby.)

Common Cuckoo: The CUCKOO. Most of our older authors
use the prefix ‘‘Common ” for this species.

COMMON CURLEW [No. 404]. The name is imitative of its
whistling note resembling cur-lew. In Fr. Courlis or Corlieu.
Occurs in Barlow’s plates (1655): as “Curlew” and in
Merrett’s list as “Curliew.” Willughby and many later
writers down to Montagu call it the Common Curlew, whilst
others of the nineteenth century drop the prefix ““ Common.”
It has always been esteemed for the delicate flavour of its
flesh. Willughby gives the following as an old Suffolk
saying :-—

A Curlew, be she white, be she black,
She carries twelve pence on her back.

Common Dipper: The DIPPER. (Yarrell.)

Common Duck: The MALLARD. (Montagu.)

COMMON EIDER [No. 307]. From the Norweg. Ejdar, Icel.
Aidur. Willughby calls it “ Cuthbert-Duck; Anas S.
Cuthberti seu Farnensis,” and also Wormius’s Hider.
The Cuthbert is an allusion to St. Cuthbert, who lived
on Farne Island, where the birds breed. Pennant (1766)
calls it “‘ Hider Duck,” while Montagu terms it the “ Eider
Duck or Edder.” It is the ‘‘Great Black and White
Duck ” of Edwards.

Common EvropeaN CrossBitu. Macgillivray’s name for the
COMMON CROSSBILL.

CoMMON GALLINULE: The MOORHEN. (Pennant, Montagu,
etc.)

Common Gannet. See GANNET.

Common Gopwit: The BAR-TAILED GODWIT. (Pennant,
Montagu.)

Common GRosBEAK: The HAWFINCH. (Albin.)

COMMON GUILLEMOT [No. 445]. The name occurs in
Yarrell (lst ed.) as Common Guillemot. Derived from Fr.
Guillemot. Witlughby describes it as “The Bird called by

i

COMMON—COMMON. bo

the Welsh and Manksmen a Guillem ; by those of Northum-
berland and Durham, a Guillemot or Sea-hen ; in Yorkshire
about Scarburgh, a Skout; by the Cornish, a Kiddaw.”
Albin calls it “‘ Guillemot or Sea-Hen,” and Pennant and
Montagu Foolish Guillemot. Gray says its Gaelic name in
the Hebrides is Hun an ?a Sgadan or Herring-bird. In
Welsh it is Gwilym or Gwylog.

COMMON GULL [No. 4380]. It occurs in Willughby as the
Common Sea-Mall and in Pennant (1766) as Common Gull.
It is said in Scotland that when they appear in the fields,
a storm from the south-east generally follows, and when the
storm begins to abate they fly back to the shore. A popular
rhyme is :—

Sea-cull, sea-gull, sit on the sand ;
It’s never good weather when you’re on the land.

Common HawrincH: The PINE-GROSBEAK. (Fleming.)
The HAWFINCH occurs in the same author as Common
Grosbeak.

COMMON HERON [No. 260]. From Fr. Heron, which is
apparently from Gr. cpwd.s. The name occurs as Heron in
Turner (who also calls the species Pella after Aristotle),
also in Willughby as the “common Heron or Heronshaw.”’
Turner relates that it “routs Eagles or Hawks, if they
attack it suddenly, by very liquid mutings of the belly,
and thereby defends itself.” Swainson says it is a belief
in the South of Ireland that small eels pass through the
intestines of a Heron alive, a belief also found in Pontop-
pidan’s “‘ Norway.” Jamieson gives an Angus superstition
to the effect that this bird waxes and wanes with the moon,
being plump when it is full and so lean at the change that
it can scarcely raise itself. In the “ Booke of St. Alban’s ”
it is stated that “‘ The Heron, or Hernsew, is a fowl that
liveth about waters, and yet she doth so abhor raine and
tempests that she seeketh to avoid them by flying on high.
She hath her nest in very loftie trees and sheweth as it
were a natural hatred against the Gossehawk and other
kind of hawks, and so likewise doth the hawk seek her
destruction continually.” The old saying as to a person
not knowing “a hawk from a handsaw ” dates back to the
days of falconry, and occurs in “ Hamlet”: the “ hand-
saw,’ however, is corrupted from “‘ Hernshaw.” A country
belief is, that when the Heron flies low the air is heavy and
thickening into showers.

Common HoopoE: The HOOPOE. (Montagu.)

Common KinerisHer. See KINGFISHER.

56 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Common Kirt. See KITE.

Common Lapwine. See LAPWING.

Common Lark: The SKY-LARK. Macgillivray gives it as a
provincial name.

Common Linnet. See LINNET.

Common Macrie. See MAGPIE.

Common Nutuatcu. See NUTHATCH.

COMMON PARTRIDGE [No. 467]. The name first appears
as ‘“‘Common Partridge” in Willughby (1678). Turner
(1544) calls it the ‘‘ Pertrige,”’ while Merrett (1667) has
‘“* Partridge.” It appears variously as Partridge or Common
Partridge in subsequent authors.

Common PuHEasant. See PHEASANT.

Common Picton: The STOCK-DOVE. (Pennant.)

COMMON POCHARD [No. 298]. The name occurs as Pochard
in Turner and also in Willughby and Ray, the latter authors
calling it “Poker or Pochard.” Pronounced Po-chard,
the o long and the ch hard. Akin to Fr. pocher, Low Ger.
poken, to poke. Littre gives pochard as Fr. for a drunkard.
“Poker ” occurs in Willughby. The female is known as
“ Dunbird.”

Common Prarmican. See PTARMIGAN.

Common Quait: The QUAIL. (Selby.)

Common Rat: The WATER-RAIL. (Selby.)

Common REpDPoLE: The LESSER REDPOLL.

Common RepsHANK TaTLER. Macgillivray’s name for the

REDSHANK.

Common SAanpERLING. The SANDERLING.

COMMON SANDPIPER [No. 387]. The name is found in
Pennant (1766) as Sandpiper, and in the later editions as
Common Sandpiper. According to Willughby, Sandpiper
was originally a Yorkshire local name.

COMMON SCOTER [No. 309]. The name appears in Pennant
(1766) as Scoter. Common Scoter seems to appear first
in Yarrell (1843). The word Scoter is of doubtful origin.
Willughby (1678) calls it ‘‘ Black Diver.”

Common ScraBer: The BLACK GUILLEMOT.

ComMOoN SrA-Matu, Maw or Mew: The COMMON GULL. The
first name occurs in Willughby.

ComMMON SHELLDRAKE: The SHELD-DUCK. (Yarrell.)

CoMMON SHOVELER. See SHOVELER.

Common Sxvua: The GREAT SKUA. (Yarrell.)

COMMON—CONEY. 57

COMMON SNIPE [No. 409]. The name occurs in Merrett’s
list (1667) as “‘ Snipe or Snite,”’ also in the same words in
Willughby. Turner does not mention any species of Snipe.
Derived from A.Sax. Snite, Ice. snipa, Dan. sneppe, a
snipe; properly a “‘Snapper”’ from Old Dan. snabbe, a bird’s
bill, which is also the derivation of the English “ snap.”
Inwards says that the ‘‘drumming ”’ of the Snipe in the air
and the call of the Partridge indicate dry weather and
frost at night to the shepherds of Garrow in Scotland.

Common Stare: The STARLING.

Common Starting: The STARLING. (Yarrell.)

Common SwatLtow: The SWALLOW. (Willughby.)

Common Swirt: The SWIFT. (Selby.)

Common TEAL: See TEAL.

COMMON TERN [No. 419]. This is the Sea-Swallow of old
authors. Pennant (1766) calls it the ‘‘ Greater Tern,” and
in his later editions Common or Greater Tern ; and succeed-
ing authors allcallitCommon Tern. Willughby and Ray call
it the Sea-Swallow and state that “‘ In the island of Caldey,
adjacent to the southern shore of Wales, they call them
Spurres: and that little Islet where they build Spurre
Island. In other places of England they are called Scrays,
a name, I conceive, framed in imitation of their ery, for
they are extraordinarily clamorous. In the northern parts
they call them Terns, whence Turner calls them in Latin
Sterne, because they frequent lakes and great pools of
water, which in the north of England are called Tarns.”
In Norweg. Taerne ; Sw. Tarna ; Dutch, Stern; Dan. Terne.

Common TuickNEE: The STONE-CURLEW. (Fleming.)

Common TurRusH: The SONG-THRUSH. . Occurs in
Macgillivray.

Common Titmouse: The GREAT TITMOUSE. (Merrett.)

Common Turnstonr. See TURNSTONE.

Common WuaitretHroat. See WHITETHROAT.

Common WicEon. See WIGEON.

Common Witp Dove or Picton: The ROCK-DOVE.
(Willughby.)

Common Witp GoosE: The GREY LAG-GOOSE. (Willughby.)

Common WrREN. See WREN.

Common Wryneck. See WRYNECK.

Conry-cuuck. The WHEATEAR ; locally so called on account
of its frequenting rabbit burrows, and from its note.

58 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

CONTINENTAL Coat-Trrmousr. See COAL-TITMOUSE.

CONTINENTAL GOLDEN-CRESTED WrEN. See GOLDEN-
CRESTED WREN.

CoNTINENTAL GREAT Titmouse. See GREAT TITMOUSE.

ConTINENTAL HepGE-Sparrow. See HEDGE-SPARROW.

CONTINENTAL REDBREAST. See REDBREAST.

ConTINENTAL Sonc-Turusu. See SONG-THRUSH.

Coo-poo: The COMMON EIDER. (Berwickshire and East
Lothian.) From its crooning note (Bolam).

Cooper: The WHEATEAR. (South Pembroke.)

Cooscot or CoosHout: The RING-DOVE (Craven and Tees-
dale) ; from A.S. cusccote, a wild pigeon (see Cushat).

COOT [No. 461]. The name occurs as ‘“Cout” in Turner
(1544) and as Coot in Merrett (1667). The derivation
seems to be from the Welsh name Cwta-iar, lit. “‘ short-
tailed hen,” from its very short tail. Newton observes it
is in some parts pronounced “Cute” or “Scute,” and
thinks it is perhaps cognate with Scout or Scoter. Most
of our eighteenth century writers from Pennant to Montagu
call it the ““Common Coot.”’ Col. Hawker observes that
“if a gentleman wishes to have plenty of wild-fowl on his
pond, let him preserve the Coots, and keep no tame Swans.
The reason that all wild-fowl seek the company of the Coots
is because these birds are such good sentries to give the
alarm by day, when the fowl generally sleep. But the
Mute Swans will attack every fresh bird that dares to
appear within reach of them—not so with the ‘ hoopers ’
—they are the peaceful monarchs of the lake.” Aecording
to Thompson the MOORHEN is called Coot in some parts
of Ireland, where ‘“‘ Bald Coot” is then the distinctive
appellation of the COOT. Coward and Oldham also give
Coot as a Cheshire name for the Moorhen.

Coot-FooTEeD TrRinGA. Edwards’s name for the Phalaropes, the
GREY PHALAROPE being termed Great Coot-footed
Tringa and the RED-NECKED PHALAROPE being
termed Cock Coot-footed Tringa and Red Coot-footed
Tringa (female).

Coroc: The HOOPOE; signifying “crested.” (North Wales.)

CoprpeD WREN: The GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN. (Rutty.)

Copper Fincw: The CHAFFINCH. (Devon. and Cornwall.)
From the colour of the breast in the male.

CorrER Heap: The TREE-SPARROW. (Cheshire.) From
the colour of the cap.

ee Ls s.r

et Disha eh

CONTINENTAL—CORN. 59

Corts or CorBy: The RAVEN. (Scotland, generally, and also
the north of England.) Mr. R. Godfrey writes that in
Shetland “ corbyin’”’ is applied to the speech of a person
who is unable to pronounce the letter r aright : he is sup-
posed to resemble the “‘corby” or Raven in this respect.
The name is also applied in Scotland to the CARRION-
and HOODED CROWS.

CorBie Crow or CorBi—E Craw: The CARRION-CROW.
(North Country.) The second form is a common Yorkshire
name.

CoRCAN-COILLE. A Gaelic name for the BULLFINCH.

CoRFRAN, COEGFRAN: The JACKDAW. (North Wales.) The
former signifies “dwarf crow,” and the latter “sham
crow.”

CorawatcH. A Welsh name for the MERLIN; lit. “ dwarf
hawk,” from its small size.

CorHEDYDD: The MEADOW-PIPIT. (North Wales) lit.
“dwarf lark.”

CorRHWYADEN: The TEAL. (North Wales) lit. “dwarf duck.”

Cor-1ar. A Welsh name for the PARTRIDGE; lit. “little
hen.”

CoriraR yR Axpin. A Welsh name for the PTARMIGAN
(Fleming) lit. “little hen of Scotland.”

CORMORANT [No. 316]. Derived from the Fr. cormoran,
Spanish cuervo marino—Lat. corvus marinus, hence meaning
literally “Sea Raven.” The name Cormorant occurs in
Turner (1544), also in Merrett and Willughby. Later
writers such as Pennant, Latham, Lewin and Montagu
spelt it “Corvorant.” Milton (‘‘ Paradise Lost,” bk. tv,
247-68) introduces Satan in the form of a cormorant who
perches upon the Tree of Life and beholds the beautiful
region spread out before him. It does not seem, however,
that evil associations have been properly connected with
this bird, as they have with the true Corvine.

In olden times this bird was frequently trained to
fish, in fact the ‘‘ Master of the Cormorants”? was one
of the officers of the Royal Household. The bird was
carried by its keeper hooded, after the fashion of a hawk,
to keep it quiet until its services were required. The
practice has survived until recent times in Europe, as well
as in the East.

CorRMOREL. A name for the CORMORANT, according to Hett.
Corn Brrp: The CORN-BUNTING. (Ireland.)

60 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

CORN-BUNTING [No. 42]. This species is also commonly
known as the Common Bunting—rather a misnomer, as in
many localities it isnot “common.” Itis called “ Bunting ”
simply by the older writers from Willughby to Donovan,
Montagu (1802) being the first to name it Common Bunting.
The word Bunting (Old Eng. “ buntyle,” Scots ‘ buntlin ”’)
is of uncertain origin. Skeat suggests a connexion with
bunten=to butt; he also cites Scottish buntin—short and
thick or plump, which Newton, however, thinks likely to
have been derived from the bird. Graham (“‘ Birds of
Jona and Mull’’) has suggested Scots bunt=gay, lively, or
brisk.

CorNncRAKE. An alternative name for the LAND-RAIL. Rutty
spells it ‘‘ Corn-Creek,” while it becomes Corn-drake in
North Yorkshire, Corn-rake at Hawes, Yorkshire, and
Corn-scrack in Aberdeen.

Corn GoosE: The BEAN-GOOSE. From its partiality to
orain.

CORNICYLL, CORNICYLL y Gors, CORNICYLL Y WAEN, CORN Y
WICH, or CoRNOR Y GWENNYDD. Welsh names for the
LAPWING ; Cornicyll—Plover.

CoRNICYLL CADWYNOG, CwTyN MODEWyOG: The RINGED
PLOVER. (North Wales.) Both names signify * ringed
plover.”

CoRNICYLL LLWyD: The GREY PLOVER. (North Wales.)

CornisH CHoucH : The CHOUGH. Occurs in Turner (1544) as
‘““ Cornish Choghe,” and in Merrett, Willughby and Pennant
as ‘Cornish Chough.” ‘The prefix Cornish was formerly
necessary on account of the name Chough being also applied
not infrequently to the JACKDAW, which is so called by
Turner and by Merrett.

CornisH Daw: The CHOUGH (Montagu and Rutty) ; ‘also
occurs as Cornish Jack.

CorNnIsH GANNET: The GREAT SKUA. (Willughby.)
CornisH PHEASANT: The MAGPIE. (Cornwall.)
CoRNWALL KaE: The CHOUGH. (Sibbald.)
CoRNWILLEN: The LAPWING. (Cornwall.)

Corny Kerevor: The MISTLE-THRUSH. So called about
Belfast (Thompson).

CorRRA RIATHACH. A Gaelic name for the COMMON HERON.

Corns Hwyap. A Welsh name for the MALLARD; lit. “marsh
duck.”

CORN—CRAKE. 61

CorsHwyAD ppv: The COOT. (North Wales) lit. “biack
marsh-duck.”’

CORSICAN WOODCHAT SHRIKE [No. 110]. A Mediter-
ranean form, recorded once for the British Isles.

Corvorant: The CORMORANT. Appears to have first been
so spelled by Pennant (1766), the succeeding writers up to
Montagu adopting the same spelling.

Cotton Hear: The CORMORANT and SHAG. (Hett.)

COUES’S REDPOLL [No. 25]. A Circumpolar ally of
HORNEMANN’S REDPOLL, named in honour of Dr.
Coues, the well-known American ornithologist

CouLTERNEB: The PUFFIN. (Northumberland) Willughby
records it as so called at the Farn Islands It is so
termed from the likeness of its bil] (or ‘‘neb’’) to the
coulter of a plough. Bolam says in Northumberland it is
also applied to the RAZORBILL.

CouRLAND SnipE: The SPOTTED REDSHANK.

CousHot and Cowscot: The RING-DOVE. See Cushat.

Covik or Covey Duck : The SCAUP-DUCK. (Northumberland.)

Cow-BirD, Cow KLOOT, or Cow kuit : The YELLOW WAGTAIL.
From its habit of frequenting grazing-meadows for insects.

Cowpoy: The RING-OUZEL. (Tipperary.)

Cowf’EN ELDERS: The CORMORANT. (Kirkcudbright.)
Swainson says the name is derived from Colvend, a coast
parish in that county.

CowrrisE. A North Country name for the RING-DOVE.

Craa Maa: The KITTIWAKE GULL. (Shetlands.)

Cracker: The PINTAIL. (Willughby.) Cracker or Craker is
also a North Country name for the LAND-RAIL.

Crackin: The WREN. (North Devon.) Swainson says it is
from its ery.

Crarr: The HOUSE-SPARROW. (Cumberland.)

Crac OuzEL: The RING-OUZEL. (Craven.) From its haunts.

Craiaac: The SHELD-DUCK. (Iona and Mull.) From
Gael. craig and geadh=rock-goose.

Craig Doo: The STOCK-DOVE. (Northumberland.) From
its sometimes nesting in crags.

CRAIGIE-EASLIN : The RING-OUZEL. (Scotland.)

CrAIGIE Heron : The COMMON HERON. (Scotland.) Swain-
son says it is from craig—throat.

Crake: The LAND-RAIL generally; also a North Country
name for the CARRION-CROW. From its hoarse cry.

62 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

CRAKE GALLINULE: The LAND-RAIL. (So called by writers
from Pennant to Montagu.)

Crake: The MISTLE-THRUSH. (Provincial.)

CRANE [No. 453]. Derived from Dutch, Kraan; Old German,
Kraen. The name occurs in Turner (1544), in Barlow (1655),
and in Merrett (1667). Willughby and most of our eigh-
teenth century authors call it the ‘Common Crane.” Now
chiefly known as a straggler on migration in the Orkneys
and Shetlands, etc., but very rarely occurring in England.
According to Saunders the Crane used to breed until 1590
in the fens of East Anglia, but there is no record of its
having done so later. Willughby in, 1678 writes: “ They
come often to us in England, and in the Fen-Countries in
Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire there are great flocks of
them, but whether or no they breed in England (as Aldro-
vandus writes, he was told by a certain Englishman who
said he had often seen their young ones) I cannot certainly
determine, either of my own knowledge or from the relation
of any credible person.” Turner (writing in 1544) says:
“Cranes, moreover, breed in England in marshy places.
I myself have very often seen their pipers (i.e. young)
though some people born away from England urge that
this is false.’ Aristotle credits the Crane with weather-
wisdom, for he writes: “The Grues furthermore do many
things with prudence, for they seek for their convenience
distant places, and fly high that they may look out far,
and if they have seen clouds or a storm, betake themselves
to earth, and take rest upon the ground.” According to
Inwards, if Cranes appear in autumn early, a severe winter
is expected. Hesiod says that the voice of the Crane utter-
ing its annual cry both bring the signal for ploughing and
indicates rainy weather. Cicero (‘‘De Nat. Deor.,” 1, 49)
states that Cranes in their long flights on migration assume
the form of a triangle, the apex of which keeps off the wind
from those birds in the flanks, making their course through
the air easier, the leader being now and again replaced
by one of the latter birds, which are said to be able to rest
in their flight by placing their heads on the backs of those
in front of them. Martial also alludes to the supposition
that Cranes fly in a V shape (‘“‘Ep.,” xz, 75), and he
says the ranks are disturbed and the letter broken if you
destroy a single bird.

Crane. The COMMON HERON is often popularly so mis-
named. The numerous place-names derived from Crane
refer obviously in most cases to the Heron, e.g. Cranbrook

a Se ee

CRAKE—CRESTED. 63

Park on the Roding in Essex, which adjoined a large heronry.
Willughby also gives Crane as a name for the SHAG in
the north of England.

CRANE SwaALLow or CrRAN SwaLtow: The SWIFT. (East
Lothian.)

CRANK-BIRD: A Gloucestershire name for the LESSER
SPOTTED WOODPECKER. (Montagu.) Probably from
its cry resembling the creaking produced by the turning
of a windlass (Swainson).

Crann LAcH: The TEAL. (Iona and Mull.) Signifying “ tree
duck.”

Crann-TacH: The CURLEW. (Iona and Mull.) Signifying
“one with a long bill.”

CratrtTick : The COMMON EIDER. (East Lothian.)

Cravat Goose: The Canada Goose. Occurs in Macgillivray.
Craw: The CARRION- and HOODED CROWS. (Scotland
generally, also Yorkshire.) Sometimes written “ Cra.”
CREAM-COLOURED COURSER [No. 353]. The name is
found in Montagu as Cream-coloured Plover, Cream-
coloured Courser occurring in Fleming, while Selby calls it

the Cream-coloured Swiftfoot.

CREAM-COLOURED GuLL: The immature GLAUCOUS and
ICELAND GULLS. (Yorkshire coast.)

CREAM-COLOURED OwL: The BARN-OWL.

CreceR: The SONG-THRUSH. (North Wales.) It signifies
“* chatterer.”’

Creck. A North Country name for the LAND-RAIL.

CREC Y GARREG, CREC PENDDU’R EITHIN: The STONECHAT.
(North Wales.) The first signifies “stonechat ”’ and the
second “ black-headed gorse-chat.”’

CREC YR EITHIN: The WHINCHAT. (North Wales) lit.
** gorse-chat.”’

CREEPER: The TREECREEPER. Occurs in Turner as
“Creper,’ and in Willughby as “Creeper.” Merrett
applies the name to the WALLCREEPER.

CREEPIE : The HEDGE-SPARROW. (Kirkcudbright.)

Creer TREE: The TREECREEPER. (Norfolk.) Also
CREEPY-TREE (Barnsley, Yorks.).

CRESHAWK: The KESTREL. (Cornwall.) Probably a cor-
ruption of Cristel-hawk (q.v.).

CRESTED CORMORANT or CRESTED CoRVoRANT. Applied in dif-
ferent localities to both the SHAG and the CORMORANT,
but more applicable to the former.

64 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

CRESTED Diver: The TUFTED DUCK. (Ireland.)

CRESTED GREBE: The GREAT CRESTED GREBE. Albin
calls it Crested Diver.

CrEestED Heron: The COMMON HERON. (Provincial.)
CRESTED or GREEN Lapwina : The LAPWING. (Selby).

CRESTED LARK [No. 60]. So named from its very distinct
and pointed crest. The name Crested Lark occurs first
in Willughby (1678). It was added to the British List by
Yarrell in 1845 (“ Brit. Birds,” Suppl.) The bird was
formerly considered to be of medicinal value. Willughby
observes that “* Dioscorides prescribes this bird to be eaten
roasted, Galen in some places of his works roasted, in
some places boiled, to assuage Colic pains. Marcellus
Virgilius prefers the powder of it, put in an earthen pot,
and dried or burnt in an oven, taken in water to the
quantity of two or three spoonfuls, before all other medi-
cines for the Colic.”

CriesteD PuRPLE Heron : The PURPLE HERON. (Selby.)
CresTeD SHAG: The SHAG. (Montagu.)

CRESTED TITMOUSE [No. 94, Scottish Crested Titmouse ;
No. 95, Northern Crested Titmouse; - No. 96, Central
Kuropean Crested Titmouse]. Occurs first under this name
in Willughby (1678). Since the time of Macgillivray and
Yarrell it has been commonly abbreviated to “Crested Tit.”

CreuMHACH. A Gaelic name for the ROOK.

Crew: The MANX SHEARWATER. (Scilly Isles.)

Crityr eas: The COMMON HERON. (North Wales) lit.
“blue crier.” Another name is CRECHYDD (screamer).
CRICKALEEL: The GARGANEY (?). Occurs in Merrett (see

Cricket Teal).

CrickET Brrp: The GRASSHOPPER-WARBLER. (Nor-
folk.)

Cricket Tra: The GARGANEY. From its cry. Hett also
gives Crick as a name for the species.

CRISTEL-HAWK: The KESTREL. Derived from Fr. cristel=
kestrel.

CrocKER: The BRENT GOOSE. Also the BLACK-HEADED
GULL.

CROMAN COILLTEACH: The WOODCOCK. (Iona and Mull)
lit. “‘ crookbill of the woods.”

CRESTED—CUCKOO. 65

CromMAN LocHAIDH. A Gaelic name for the KITE. Croman is
used in Iona and Mull, according to Graham, not only for
the KITE, but other large hawks.

CromMAN Lorn. A Gaelic name for the COMMON SNIPE.

CROM NAR ANILEAG: The WOODCOCK. (Iona and Mull) lit.
“crooked thing of the leaves.”

CROOKED BILL: The AVOCET. Montagu gives it as a pro-
vincial name.

CROPIEDYDD: The TREECREEPER. (North Wales) _ lit.
** creeper.”

CrossBiLL. See COMMON CROSSBILL.

CROTCHET-TAILED Puttock: The KITE. Occurs in Mac-
gillivray. Swainson gives “ Crotch tail’ as an Essex name
for the species. Crotchet-tailed—fork-tailed.

Crourpy Craw. A North Country name for the RAVEN.
(Swainson.) Croupy would be from its harsh cry, and
craw=crow.

Crow: The CARRION-CROW is often so termed without the
prefix. Pennant (1766) calls the species “ Crow ” simply.
The name is also applied popularly to the ROOK.

CrucHetT: The RING-DOVE. Chiefly North of England or
Scotland ; probably a variant of ‘‘ Cushat.”

CryEL Heron or Dwarr Heron. Turner’s name for a species
of Heron, which I take to be the LITTLE EGRET.

Cuacu. A Gaelic name for the CUCKOO. (Iona and Mull.)
Imitative of its ery.

CuckEE: The MANX SHEARWATER.

CUCKOO [No. 214]. The name is onomapoetic, and is such a
well received example. of a sound-name, that the bird has
very few provincial names. This is also the case with its
name in most ancient and modern languages, i.e. Gr.
coccys, Lat. cuculus, Fr. coucou, Ger. kuckuck, Welsh cweew
and Cog, Gaelic Cuthag, Sanskrit kokila, etc. In Old and
Middle English it occurs as coccou, cuccu, cukkow, cocow ;
later it occurs as Cuckow. Chaucer spells it “‘ Cuckowe ”’ ;
Turner (1544) has “cukkouu” and “gouke.” Merrett
(1667) has ‘“‘ Cuckoe or Guckoe.” The spelling “* Cuckoo ”
is found in Barlow’s plates (1655). A ‘‘ Cuckoo Song ”’ of
the thirteenth century (from the Harleian MS8., 978) com-
mencing : —

Somer is icumen in
Lhude sing cuccu.

will be found in the ‘“‘ Trans. Philolog. Soc.,”’ 1868-9.
“=

66

DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

There exist many rhyming allusions to the Cuckoo’s
time of arrival in country-side lore, as for instance :—

When the cuckoo comes to the bare thorn,
Sell your cow and buy your corn:

But if she sits on a green bough,

Sell your corn and buy a cow.

Another rendering is :—

When the cuckoo comes to the bare thorn,

Sell your cow and buy your corn:

But when she comes to the full bit,

Sell your corn and buy your sheep.
the inference being that a late spring is bad for cattle and
an early spring bad for corn.

Another saying akin to this is recorded in “ Notes
and Queries ” (ser. 11, 5, p. 450) :—

Cuckoo oats and woodcock hay

Make a farmer run away.
the meaning being that if the spring is so backward that
oats cannot be sown until the Cuckoo is heard, or the
autumn so wet that the aftermath cannot be gathered until
the Woodcock comes, the farmer is sure to suffer.

In some parts, April 14th is called “ Cuckoo Day,”
being thought that the Cuckoo’s song is first heard about
this day. The date, however, varies in different parts of
the country, and according to Dyer it is believed at Tenbury
in Worcestershire, that it is never heard till Tenbury Fair-
day (April 20th), or after Pershore Fair-day (June 26th).
In Wales it is considered unlucky to hear the Cuckoo before
the 6th of April, but “ you will have prosperity for the whole
of the year if you first hear it on the 28th.”

There are several variants of the fcllowing allusion to
the time of the familar cuckoo-song, which is, of course, heard
at its best during the breeding-period :—

In April the cuckoo shows his bill ;
In May he sings all night and day;
In June he changes his tune ;
In July away will he fly ;
In August go he must.
Another version of this last that I have heard is as follows :—-

In flowery May he singeth all the day
In leafy June he altereth his tune ;
in hot July away he'll fly ;
In August go he must.
Mr. Dyer says that among the Gloucestershire peasants
it is :-—
The Cuckoo comes in April,
Sings a song in May;
Then in June another tune,
And then she flies away.

/

CUCKOO—CUCKOO. 67

while a Lancashire saying is, “ The first cock of hay frights
the Cuckoo away ’’— a reference to the time of it departure.
“In Northants. April 15th is called “Cuckoo Day.”
Concerning the note Heywood has :—
In April the koocoo can sing her song by rote,
In June of tune she cannot sing a note,
At first koocoo, koocoo sing still she can do,
At last kooke, kooke, six kookes to one koo.
The attribution of the song to the female here, must not,
of course, be taken literally, as the female does not sing.
A Yorkshire custom with children was to sing round a
cherry tree :—
Cuckoo, cherry tree,
Come down and tell me
How many years afore I dee.
Each child then shook the tree and the number of cherries
falling stood for the years of its life.

The ‘‘ Cuckoo-penners”’ of Somerset, who believed
they could prolong the summer by caging cuckoos, are
alluded to by De Kay (“‘ Bird Gods of Ancient Europe,”

. 84).

: An Irish superstition is that unmarried persons, on
first hearing the cuckoo, should search the ground at their
feet, and are certain to find a hair there which will be the
same colour as that of the man or woman they will marry.
In England in former times this belief varied somewhat,
the custom being for a young woman to go into the fields
in the early morning to hear the Cuckoo, when, if she pulled
off her left shoe she would find in it a hair of the exact
colour of her future husband’s. This is alluded to by Gay
in the Fourth Pastoral of the “ Shepherd’s Week ” :—

Upon a rising bank I sat adown

And doffed my shoe, and by my troth I swear

Therein I spied this yellow frizzled hair.
A more widely-spread custom on first hearing the call is
to turn the money in one’s pocket, which is supposed to
ensure its increase. Evidently akin to this is the belief
in the north of England, that it is an unfortunate omen for
anyone to have no money in his pocket on first hearing
the Cuckoo, great care being usually taken to avoid such
an occurrence. Howitt records a Norfolk belief that
whatever one is doing on first hearing the Cuckoo, that one
will do most frequently during the year. In Scotland it is
said to be unlucky, and a sign of coming misfortune, to hear
the Cuckoo for the first time before eating a meal. In
Hampshire it is considered unlucky to kill a Cuckoo, and

F2

68

DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

this belief also prevails in other localities, as in Connemara,
where this bird is, moreover, held in veneration. In
Cornwall it is regarded as lucky to hear the Cuckoo first
on the right hand and in front, but unlucky from the left.
In Shropshire in former times the labourers used on first
hearing the Cuckoo to cease work and devote themselves
to merry-making and drinking the ‘“‘ Cuckoo Ale.”

For some reason not very obvious the Cuckoo is uni-
versally believed to be a foolish bird, hence it has long
and very generally been the custom to call a foolish person
a cuckoo. In Scotland (as also in North Ireland) this
becomes “ gowk ”’ (q.v.), and the victim of All Fools’ Day
jokes is invariably termed a gowk. He is usually the
bearer on his fool’s errand of a missive containing
this couplet :—

This is the first of Aprile,
Hunt the gowk another mile.

The knowledge of the Cuckoo’s singular breeding-economy
is as old as Aristotle, who says that it makes no nest and
sometimes lays its eggs in the nests of small birds and
devours their eggs. He says that some say the young
Cuckoo ejects from the nest the other young birds; others
that the foster-parent kills her young ones and feeds the
young Cuckoo with their flesh; and some again that the
old Cuckoo comes and devours them. Cuckold is the name
applied from early times down to the present day to the
husband of an unfaithful wife. The word is of Scandi-
navian origin, and occurs in Mid. Eng. as cukeweald.

An old belief that Cuckoos become SPARROW-
HAWKS in winter should be mentioned. It can be traced
to Aristotle, who says that the Cuckoo is said by some to
be a changed hawk, because the hawk which it resembles
disappears when the Cuckoo comes. The late Canon
Tristram records that on remonstrating with a man for
killing a Cuckoo the defence was that it was “ well-known
that Sparrow-hawks turned into Cuckoos in summer.”
Regarding the old belief in the hibernation of migratory
birds, Willughby says: “‘ What becomes of the Cuckow in
the Winter-time, whether hiding herself in hollow trees,
or other holes and caverns, she lies torpid, and at the return
of spring revives again, or rather at the approach of winter,
being impatient of cold, shifts place and departs into hot
countrys, is not as yet to me certainly known.” He pro-
ceeds to give—second hand—an alleged instance of “some
old, dry, rotten Willows” being cast into the stove when

CUCKOO—CUMHACHAG. 69

a Cuckoo was heard to sing three times, and being taken
out, was kept alive two years. The story, however, occurs
in Aldrovandus and elsewhere, and Willughby himself
appears to be rather less credible on the subject than his
editor, Ray.

Cuckoo’s Maip: The RED-BACKED SHRIKE. (Hereford.)
Because it feeds the young Cuckoo. (Swainson.)

Cuckoo’s MATE or CUCKOO’S MESSENGER: The WRYNECK.
(Provincial.) So-called from its arrival generally preceding
that of the Cuckoo by a few days. It is also known as
Cuckoo’s footman or Cuckoo’s fool in Gloucestershire and
as Cuckoo’s leader in Norfolk, while Swainson gives Cuckoo’s
marrow (i.e. companion) as a name in the Midlands, and
Tunstall (1784) called it Cuckoo’s Maiden.

Cuckoo’s SanpieE: The MEADOW-PIPIT. (Northumberland.)
The meaning is synonymous with “ Gowk’s Fool” (q.v.).
Swainson also gives Cuckoo’s Titling as a Durham name.

CupDBERDUCE: The COMMON EIDER. (Northumberland.)
A corruption of St. Cuthbert’s Duck.

Cuppan: The RING-DOVE. (North Wales) lit. “cooing
bird.”

Cuppy: The HEDGE-SPARROW. (Yorkshire.) The TREE-
CREEPER. (Northants.) Also the MOORHEN ; prob-
ably a corruption of Cutty (q.v.).

CuperzE: The HEDGE-SPARROW. (Notts.) Also probably
from Cutty.

Cupon. A Cornish name tor the RING-DOVE.

Cupyiut cocH: The KESTREL. (South Wales.) Signifies “‘ red
kestrel.”

CupYLL guas: The PEREGRINE FALCON. (North Wales)
lit. ‘‘ blue kestrel.”

CUDYLL GLAs BACH: The MERLIN. (North Wales) lit. “little
blue kestrel.”

CupYLL y Gwynt: The KESTREL. (North Wales) lit.
‘* windhover.”’

Cutver: The RING-DOVE. (Dorsetshire.) It is an old English
name for a pigeon or dove, occurring in Spenser and also
in Chaucer as colver. Derived from A.Sax. culfre, which
apparently is only a corruption of Lat. colwmba (Skeat).

CULVERT or CULVER Duck: The COMMON EIDER. (North-
umberland.) A contraction of St. Cuthbert’s Duck.

CumnacHac. A Gaelic name for the TAWNY OWL.

70 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

CUNEATE-TAILED GuLtL: The WEDGE-TAILED GULL.
(Richardson and Swainson.)

Cur or Curre. Applied to the diving ducks generally, but
more especially to the SCAUP-DUCK. (See also Pied
Curre, Grey-backed Curre, etc.)

CurcaG or CuRocHDAG. Gaelic names for the LAPWING.

CuRLEW. See COMMON CURLEW.

CURLEW-HELP. An obsolete Lancashire name for the CURLEW
(Swainson. )

Curtew-Jack: The WHIMBREL. An equivalent to Jack-
Curlew and Half-Curlew

CurLEW-KnaveE: The WHIMBREL. Occurs in the “ House-
hold book” of Lord William of Naworth (Cumberland),
1612-40; lit. smali or half curlew, from A.Sax. cnafa, cnapa=
a boy, the application of knave to a rascal or dishonest person
being much more recent. An equivalent to Jack-Curlew,
Half-Curlew, etc. (q.v.).

Curtew-Kwnor: The WHIMBREL. (Spalding.)
CURLEW-SANDPIPER [No. 374]. Formerly described as the

Pigmy Curlew, from its resemblance to a miniature Curlew,
the name being apparently first used by Montagu (1802)
as a translation of Latham’s name Numenius pigmeus,
based on Gmelin’s Scolopax pigmea. The name Curlew-
Sandpiper is found in Yarrell (Ist ed.).

CURLEW-WHELP: The BAR-TAILED GODWIT. (Humber
foreshores. )

CurLIEW: The COMMON CURLEW. (Merrett.)
CuRRE-wIGEON : The TUFTED DUCK. (Somersetshire.)

CurRWILLET: The SANDERLING. Willughby says it is so
called “‘ about Pensance in Cornwall.” It is said to be
derived from its cry.

CusHat: The RING-DOVE. Said to be from Lat. Questus (see
also Queest), but much more probably from A.Sax. cusccote,
a wild pigeon. Used in Westmorland, Yorkshire, Cheshire,
Berks., Bucks.; also throughout Western Scotland (Gray).
It occurs in Turner (1544) as “‘ Coushot,”’ and as ‘‘ Cowshot ”
in Ray (1691), while Coward and Oldham give both
Cowshat and Cushat for Cheshire, and Nelson and Clarke
give Cooshat, Cushat, Cushard, Cowscot, Cooshout for
Yorkshire. Swainson thinks it is derived from its cooing
note, and he gives Cushat as a Northamptonshire name
for the STOCK-DOVE.

CUNEATE—DABBER. (i

’ CusHi—e Doo: The RING-DOVE. (Scottish Borders) lit.
Cushat Dove.

CUSTEEN-FAY-CLOUGH. (Properly coistin faoi cloich.) A Kerry
name for the WHEATEAR, signifying “ the cunning little
old man under the stone’ (Thompson).

Curpitt. A North Country name for the GREEN WOOD-
PECKER.

Curr. A name for the COOT. (Macgillivray.)

CurHaGc. The Gaelic name for the CUCKOO; imitative of its
note.

Curnpert Duck : The COMMON EIDER. Occurs in Willughby.
Properly St. Cuthbert’s Duck.

Cut Straw: The WHITETHROAT. (Cheshire.)

Cur-tHroatT: The WHITETHROAT. Bolam thinks it is
from the bird’s habit of raising its crest and puffing out
the feathers on its chin while it sings.

Curty, Cut, or Curry WREN. Provincial names for the WREN.
Cutty is from Welsh cwta=“ short-tailed, from cwt which
signifies literally anything short, e.g. as in “ cutty,” a short
clay pipe, originally applied as a distinction from the long
‘“‘churchwarden ” pipe. The name is in use in some parts
of the north and south-west of England, and also as
“Cutty Wren” in south-west Scotland. Swainson gives
Cutteley Wren as a Somersetshire name.

Cotwater: The GREAT SHEARWATER and the MANX
SHEARWATER.

Cwrtar or Cwrarar. A Welsh name for the COOT; lit. Short
or Bob-tailed Hen. Also applied to the WATER-RAIL.

CwtyN LLwyp: The GREAT PLOVER. (North Wales.)

CwTyN YR AUR, CWTYN AUR, or CwTIAD AUR. Welsh names for
the GOLDEN PLOVER. Cwtyn ddu (“black plover ’’)
is applied to the BLACK-TAILED GODWIT in North
Wales.

Cyrrytoc. A Welsh name for the WOODCOCK ; lit. “‘ wood-
cock.”

Cyrrytog y Mor: The BAR-TAILED GODWIT. (North
Wales) lit. “‘ sea woodcock.”’

Cyenet. The young of a Swan (properly the MUTE SWAN).

Cytionypp : The SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. (North Wales)
lit. “‘ insect catcher.”

CyNFFONWEN: The WHEATEAR. (North Wales.) Signifies
“white rump.”

Dapper: The LITTLE GREBE. (Berks. and Bucks.)

72 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Dascuick: The LITTLE GREBE. Occurs in Merrett (1667).
Willughby has “ Dobchick.”’ The name is also applied to
the MOORHEN in Shropshire (Swainson), and in Cheshire
(Coward and Oldham).

DarrincH : The CHAFFINCH. (North Devon.)

DakER-HEN : The LAND-RAIL. (Yorkshire, Cheshire.) Occurs
in Turner, Merrett and Willughby. It refers, it has been
suggested, to the unsteady flight of the bird. Cordeaux
says that the word to “‘ Dacker,”’ meaning to stagger or
totter, is a well-known word in Lincolnshire. Another sug-
gested derivation is “ t’acre-hen ”’==the acre or land hen.

Datmatian Recuius : The YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER.
(Gould.) Also occurs as Dalmatian Wren.

DanisH Crow: The HOODED CROW. From the supposition
that they visit us from Denmark.

Darsy : The HEDGE-SPARROW. (Provincial.)

Darcock : The WATER-RAIL. (Provincial.) Perhaps “ dark
cock ” from its sombre colour.

Dark-FOOTED PerrycHaprs: The CHIFFCHAFF.

Darr: The COMMON TERN. (Norfolk.)

DARTFORD WARBLER [No. 151]. Takes its name from
the locality where the first examples were obtained in
1773 (Bexley Heath, near Dartford); described by Pennant
in 1776. The name is found in Pennant, Montagu and
other old authors, but Macgillivray in 1839 attempted to
substitute ‘‘ Provence Furzeling.”’

Daup, Daur Crow, or DaupEE: The CARRION-CROW. (York-
shire.)

Daw: The JACKDAW. The name under which it appears
in Shakespeare. Newton says it is “doubtless from the
bird’s cry, as seems also to be the nickname ‘ Jack’ com-
monly prefixed.” This latter assumption, however, seems
erroneous, the term Jack more probably having reference
to its small size (see Jack).

Dprertnioc. A Welsh name for the SISKIN ; also spelt “ Drei-
niog ” (q.v.).

DEARGAN-CHOILLE. A Gaelic name for the BULLFINCH.

Dertor FRAITH. A Welsh name for the GREAT SPOTTED
WOODPECKER ; lit. “ spotted pecker.”

DELOR FRAITH LEIAF. A Welsh name for the LESSER
SPOTTED WOODPECKEER ; lit. “lesser spotted pecker.”

DELOR y cnAU: The NUTHATCH. (North Wales.) Signifies

nut-pecker.””

DABCHICK—DINBOETH. 73

DrEtLoR y DREW. A Welsh name for the GREEN WOOD-
PECKER ; lit. “ oak pecker ” (?).

Demoiselle Crane. This beautiful species cannot properly be
included as a British bird. The name Demoiselle (a young
lady) is borrowed from the French, by whom it is also
applied to several other birds.

Denmark Crow: The HOODED CROW. (Humber district.)

DERYN cOocH Y FFLAM: The REDSTART. (North Wales) lit.
“red fire-bird.”

DERYN DU’R Luan: The SWIFT. (North Wales) _ lit. “ black
bird of the church.”

DESERT-WHEATEAR [No. 168, Western Desert Wheat-
ear; No. 169, Eastern Desert Wheatear]. The Western
form of this species is confined to the African Sahara,
while the eastern form is Asiatic, hence the necessity for
distinguishing the two races.

Dervit: The SWIFT. (Berks.)

DEVIL-BIRD, DEvVIL-SCREAMER, DEVIL-SHRIEKER, DEVIL
SQUEAKER, Devit-screw. Yorkshire names for the
SWIFT. Devil-Screamer is also a Hampshire name for the
species, and Devil-screecher a Devonshire name.

Devitinc: The SWIFT. (Bewick.) It is in use as a pro-
vincial name in Nottinghamshire, Lancashire Westmor-
land and East Anglia. Devilin’ cr Dicky Devlin’ are also
north and west Yorkshire names.

Devit’s BrIrRD: The PIED WAGTAIL (Ireland); also the
YELLOW BUNTING (Scotland) : because, says Macgil-
livray, its song is interpreted as signifying, “‘ Deil, deil, deil
take ye,” that is, the cruel nesters. Devil-bird and Devil’s-
Bitch are also among the Yorkshire names of the SWIFT.

Devit Swattow: The SWIFT. (Provincial.)

Dick Dunnock or Dicky Dunnock : The HEDGE-SPARROW.
(Provincial.) See Dunnock.

DICKIE-DI-DEE: The COMMON SANDPIPER. (Lancashire.)

Dicky Pua: The WREN. (Cheshire.)

Dipaprer or DrepApPER : The LITTLE GREBE. (Dorsetshire,
Hampshire, Yorkshire, Norfolk.) A corruption of Dive-
dapper. Nares says it signifies “ Little Diver.” Occurs
as Didapper in Willughby and Ray.

Dik SmMovuLeR: The HEDGE-SPARROW. Occurs in Turner,
who says it signifies a bird that hides itself in hedges.

DiyportTH (Y): The REDSTART. (North Wales) lit. “ hot-
rump.”

74 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Dinnick : The WRYNECK. (Devonshire.) Swainson says the
name is given it on account of its brown plumage.

Dire Ears: The LITTLE TERN. (Norfolk.)

DIPPER [No. 192, Black-bellied Dipper; No. 193, British
Dipper ; No. 194, Irish Dipper]. The name is first given by
Tunstall in 1771 as Water Ouzel or Dipper. Itis given as
a provincial name by Bewick (1804) under the heading

of ‘‘ Water Ouzel,” and he observes that it may,

be seen perched on the top of a stone in the midst
of the torrent, in a contmual dippmg motion § or
short curtsey, often repeated ; and the name is therefore
probably not (as is commonly supposed) derived from its
habit of entering the water in search of its food. I find
no earlier use than Tunstall’s of this name, and therefore the
derivation sometimes given from A.Sax. dippan or dyppan
to dip or dive, is inaccurate. Selby calls it the “ European
Dipper,” and Fleming the “ Dipper,” from which time on
the name superseded the older one of Water Ouzel. The
species is correctly described under the heading of Alcedo
by Turner (1544), who calls it the “‘ Water craw,” and thinks
it akin to the KINGFISHER. His “ Cinclus’”’ however,
does not refer to the DIPPER. Evans thought it to be
the COMMON SANDPIPER, but the description does not
correspond at all with the latter species. Willughby calls
the present bird ‘‘ Water Crake,” but most subsequent
authors call it the “‘ Water Ouzel.” Swainson gives Dipper
as a Shropshire name for the KINGFISHER. The Black-
bellied Dipper is the Scandinavian and North European
form, which sometimes visits our eastern counties in winter.
Dr. Hartert has lately separated the Irish race from the
race resident in Great Britain ; and it must now be called
Trish Dipper.

Drrrer or DrpreR Duck: The LITTLE GREBE. (Yorkshire.)
The name is also applied to this species by Willughby and
by Montagu.

DrepurRL: The COMMON TERN. (Norfolk.)

DrrsH: The SONG-THRUSH. (Somerset.)

Dirty ALLEN, Dirty Avuin, or Dirt Birp: The ARCTIC
SKUA. (East Scotland.)

DIsHWASHER, PEGGY DisHwASHER, Montuy WasHpisH, PoLLy
WasHpisH, Nanny WasutTait, Mott WasHER, WASHER-
womMaAN, Disuuick. English provincial names for the

PIED WAGTAIL; from the bird’s habit of frequenting _

the water’s edge and holding its tail above the water to
prevent wetting it.

DINNICK—DOTTEREL. 75)

Drtrcn BuackigE: The RING-OUZEL. (East Lothian.)

Dircnw Lark: The MEADOW-PIPIT. (Skipton, Yorkshire.)

DivE-DarreR: The GREAT CRESTED GREBE (Merrett) ;
also the LITTLE GREBE (see “ Didapper’’), said to be
in use in Lincolnshire. The name occurs in Shakespeare
(‘‘ Venus and Adonis ”’), but it is doubtful for which species :

Like a dive-dapper peering through a wave,

Who, being looked on, ducks as quickly in.
Swainson gives Dive an’ dop and Divy Duck as Norfolk
names for the LITTLE GREBE.

Diver: The COMMON POCHARD and the GOLDENEYE.
(Roxburgh.)

Divine Duck: The GOLDENEYE. (Shetland Isles.)

Divine Picton : The BLACK GUILLEMOT. (Farn Isles.)

Dos, Dour, Dourr, Dowr, or DowK: The CARRION-CROW.
(Yorkshire, Westmorland.)

Doscuick: The LITTLE GREBE. (Provincial.) It occurs in
Willughby, and is an equivalent of Dabchick. Dobber is
said to be a casual form of the name in Yorkshire.

Doc-tait: The LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE. (Cheshire.)

Dotuproprer. A provincial name for the MOORHEN, according
to Hett.

Donety : The HEDGE-SPARROW. (Lancashire.)

DorsieE: The DUNLIN. (Banft.)

Dor-HAWK or Dorr-HAWK: The NIGHTJAR ; from its feeding
on the mischievous ‘“ Dor-beetle.”’ It occurs in Charleton
(1668), and is still in use in Cornwall and East Suffolk
apparently. Hett also gives Dog-hawk, perhaps a mis-
spelling.

Dot Prover: The DOTTEREL. (Norfolk.)

DOTTEREL [No. 356]. According to Newton, the word is
a diminutive of dolt. The name appears as Doterell in
Caius (or Kay), who also calls it morinellus, its present
specific name. Drayton (1613) has “ Dotterell.” It occurs
in Merrett’s list (1667) as Dotterel; Willughby has “ Dot-
trel,” as have also most of the later writers up to Montagu
(1802). Kay remarks that it is a very foolish bird, and is
taken in the night time, by the light of a candle, by imitating
the gestures of the fowler, for if he stretches out an arm
the bird also stretches out a wing, if he a foot the bird like-
wise a foot; in brief, whatever the fowler does, the bird
does the same, and so being intent upon the man’s gestures
it is deceived, and covered with the net spread for it. The

76 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

same actions are earlier described by Drayton (“ Polyol-
bion,” 1613). Kay also accounts for its name by saying
that we call a foolish, dull person a Doterell, and “on this
account our people also call it Doterell, as if they were to
say doating with folly.” The Gaelic name for the bird,
An tamadan mointich, also signifies “‘ the fool of the peat
bog,” or moor. Willughby relates that in Norfolk the
bird was caught by several persons carrying stones in each
hand, which they struck against one another and so drove
the birds into the net. A Scottish saying is :—

When dotterel do fast appear,

It shows that frost is very near ;

But when the dotterel do go,

Then you may look for heavy snow.

Dovus_eE Scoter: The VELVET SCOTER. (Bewick.)

DovusLe Snipe: The GREAT SNIPE. So called from its
being of superior size to the COMMON SNIPE.

DovuckER Scorer: The VELVET SCOTER. (Hett.)

Dovux: The DIPPER. (Settle; Yorkshire.)

DovuxEerR or Doucker: The LITTLE GREBE. (Cheshire. )
Willughby calls it the “small Doucker,” while Turner
gives Douker as a general name for the Grebes. The word
sionifies literally “ducker” and is cognate with Dutch
duyck er. It is a local name for the TUFTED DUCK and
COMMON POCHARD, and according to Hawker Doucker
is a gunner’s name for the immature GOLDENEYE in
Scotland.

Dove. A general term for the species of wild pigeons; in
Scotland it becomes “ Doo.”

DovE-cOLOURED Fatcon: The HEN-HARRIER. (Bewick.)
Dove-Hawk is also an old local name for the species, and
probably refers to its blue-grey colour.

DOVEKEE or DOVEKY (also written Dovekie). The whalers’
name for the BLACK GUILLEMOT; but sometimes
misapplied to the LITTLE AUK.

Dovver: The TUFTED DUCK. (East Coast.)

Dow Futrar (Dove Fieldfare): The FIELDFARE.

Downy Woodpecker. An American species said—but on in-
sufficient evidence—to have been obtained in England.
Drain Swattow: The GREEN SANDPIPER. (Spurn,

Yorkshire.)

Drake HEN or DRAKER HEN. Yorkshire names for the LAND-

RAIL.

DOUBLE—DRYW RB. Vi

Draw-waTEeR. A name given to the GOLDFINCH, which in
captivity learns the trick of pulling a small bucket or cup
of water from a reservoir placed below its cage.

Drerioe: The SISKIN. (North Wales) lit. “ urchin,” perhaps
from its small size. Also spelt Ddreiniog.

DREOLLAN, DREATHAN. Gaelic names for the WREN, the
former signifying a silly person or fool.

DREYDWEN, or DRUDWEN. Welsh names for the STARLING ;
signifying the same.

DRINGEDYDD BACH or DRiInGwR BAcH: The TREECREEPER.
(North Wales) lit. “little climber.”

Drink-A-PENNY: The LITTLE GREBE. (Lough Strangford.)

Drvuip, or TrRuip (pron. trootch). A Gaelic name for the
STARLING ; the word means to close or shut up (perhaps
in reference to the bill).

Droumstick: The CHAFFINCH. (Frodsham, Cheshire—
Holland’s ‘“ Glossary.’’)

Drypwy (Y): The STARLING. (North Wales) lit. “the
chatterer.”
Dryw or Dryw sBacH. Welsh names for the WREN; the
former signifies “‘ Wren” and the latter “ little Wren.”
Dryw BAcH Y COED: The GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN.

(North Wales) lit. “little wood wren.”

Dryw BACH Y DDAEAR: The WILLOW-WARBLER. (North
Wales) lit. “little ground wren.”

Dryw BEN AUR: The GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN. (North
Wales) lit. “‘ golden-headed wren.”

DryYW BEN FELEN: The GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN. (North
Wales) lit. ‘‘ yellow-headed wren.”

Dryw FELEN: The CHIFFCHAFF, the WILLOW-WARBLER
and the WOOD-WARBLER. (North Wales) lit. “yellow
wren.”

Drywk COED: The WOOD-WARBLER. (North Wales) lit.
“wood wren.”

Dryw’k DDAEAR: The WOOD-WARBLER. (North Wales)
lit. “ ground wren.”

Dry’wRr DRysNI: The WHITETHROAT. (North Wales) lit.
“thicket wren.”

Drywk HELYG: The WILLOW-WARBLER,. (North Wales)
lit. “ willow wren.”

Dryw’r HESG: The SEDGE-WARBLER. (North Wales) _ lit.

‘““ sedge wren.”

78 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Dryw wen: The WHITETHROAT and the GARDEN
WARBLER. (North Wales) lit. “white wren.”

Dupuy curaice. A Gaelic name for the RING-OUZEL.

Ducker. A provincial name for the DIPPER, according to
Macgillivray (see also ‘‘ Douker ”’).

Duck Hawk: The NORTH AMERICAN PEREGRINE is
usually so called; also applied to the PEREGRINE
FALCON (Montagu) and the MARSH-HARRIER (Bewick),

Dutwitty. A local name for the RINGED PLOVER. Skeat
says it signifies dull of will or stupid.

Dun: The KNOT. (Cheshire.) See also DUNNE.

DunsBirp. A general name formerly applied by decoy-men and
gunners to the smaller species of ducks, especially the
COMMON POCHARD. Montagu gives it as a provincial
name for this bird, while Bolam also gives it as a Northum-
berland name, and Nelson and Clarke as a Yorkshire name
for the same species. Nelson and Clarke also mention
DunpocKER (Dun poker, or Dun Pochard) as a name on
the river Hull.

Dun-Crow: The HOODED CROW. Montagu gives it as
a provincial name, and Swainson says it is a Craven name
for the species.

Dun CurrE: The COMMON POCHARD. (Provincial.)

Dun Diver: The immature or female GOOSANDER and
RED-BREASTED MERGANSER. (Yorkshire.) Occurs
in Willughby for the former.

Dunc-Birp : The HOOPOE. (Charleton.)

DuNG-HUNTER: The immature GREAT BLACK-BACKED
GULL. (Pennant.) Dung-bird is also applied to the
ARCTIC SKUA (Bewick). Pennant says the former
pursues the lesser Gulls until they void their excrement
from fear, which it catches up and swallows. What really
happens is that the pursued disgorge the fish they have
recently swallowed.

DUNLIN [No. 373]. So called from the colour of its plumage,
from A.Sax. dunn—dark or obscure, lit. a little “dun ”
bird, lin (=ling) being a diminutive. Mr. Harting has
argued that this name should be spelled ‘ Dunling ” (see
“Field,” Jan. 12th, 1884, and “ Brit. Birds,’’ Jan., 1912). He
quotes the name as occurring in the “ Durham Household
Book ” containing the accounts of the Monastery of Durham
A.D. 1530-34, as ‘‘ Dunling,” but the change, even though
countenanced by Prof. Newton, seems unnecessary, as if

DRYW—DUSKEY. 79

strict rules or precedents were to be followed in the spelling
of popular names of birds, an enormous number of changes
would be entailed, usage rather than precedent beirg the
rule at present. The name Dunlin appears originally to
have been the name for the species in the North of England.
Willughby speaks of the ‘‘ North Country Dunlin of Mr.
Johnson,” while his “‘ Stint, Sea-Lark or Purre ”’ is also
the Dunlin. In eighteenth century authors the name Dunlin
was generally applied to the bird in summer-plumage, while
in winter-dress it was called ‘‘ Purre.”’

Dunn SnrpE: The GREAT SNIPE.

Dunne. A name for the KNOT in winter-plumage about
Belfast Lough.

Dunnock. A widely-used provincial name for the HEDGE-
SPARROW. Thought to be a corruption of ‘‘ dunn -cock,”’
i.e. a cock or bird of a dark or obscure colour, from A.Sax.
dunn dark; but more probably signifying a little dun
thing or bird, “ock” being a well-known diminutive.

Dun pickLe. An obsolete Wilts. name for the MARSH-
HARRIER.

Dunter. A Scots name for the COMMON EIDER. It is in use
in Mid-Lothian and the Shetland Isles, and in other parts of
Scotland. Sibbald’s “ Dunter Goose” seems to refer to
this species.

Dusky Duck: The COMMON EIDER. (Provincial.)

Dusky and Srorrep Duck: The HARLEQUIN-DUCK.
(Edwards. )

Dusky Gopwit: The SPOTTED REDSHANK, also called
Dusky REDSHANK and Dusky SNIPE.

Dusky GREBE: The SLAVONIAN GREBE. (Bewick.)

Dusky Lark: The ROCK-PIPIT. (Pennant.)

Dusky Perret: The LITTLE DUSKY SHEARWATER.
(Gould.)

Dusky ReEepsHANK TaTLER: The SPOTTED REDSHANK.
(Macgillivray.)

Dusky SanppPirerR: The SPOTTED REDSHANK. (Selby.)

Dusky SHEARWATER. See LITTLE DUSKY SHEARWATER.
Eyton also applies the name to the GREAT SHEAR-
WATER.

DUSKY THRUSH [No. 160]. A Siberian species first obtained
on our shores in 1905. It is the 7’. fuscatus of Pallas,

hence its name. Dusky Thrush has also been applied to
the young of the STARLING.

\

80 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

DutcH Crow : The HOODED CROW. (Ackworth, Yorkshire.)

Dwarr Auk: The LITTLE AUK. (Flamborough.)

DwarFr Heron: The LITTLE EGRET (?). Occurs in Turner. -
Hett gives the name to the SQUACCO HERON.

DwarF Rait: The LITTLE CRAKE.

Dyxet Hopper: The WHEATEAR. (Stirling.)

Dyke Sparrow: The HEDGE-SPARROW. (Provincial.)

DyLLUAN FAWR. A Welsh name for the EAGLE-OWL; lit.
“ oreat owl.”

DYLLUAN FRECH, DYLLUAN FELYNDDU, DYLLUAN FIG, DYLLUAN
RUDD, DyLLUAN Y COED. Welsh names for the TAWNY
OWL, signifying (1) spotted, (2) yellow-black, (3) hoot-
ing, (4) ruddy, and (5) wood-owl.

Dytiuan GLustiog. A Welsh name for the SHORT-EARED
OWL, signifying “eared owl.”

DyLiuAN cornioc. A Welsh name for the LONG-EARED
OWL, signifying “ horned owl.”

DytLuAN wEN. A Welsh name for the BARN-OWL, signify-
ing ‘“‘ white owl.”

Eacue Fisher: The OSPREY. (Scotland.)

EAGLE-OWL [No.* 223]. So called from its pre-eminent size
and supposed resemblance to an eagle. The name occurs
in Willughby (1678).

Fata. A Gaelic name for the WHOOPER SWAN. (Western
Isles.)
Eaqguat, Ecatt, Eccitz, or EcteE: The GREEN WOOD-
PECKER | (see Stockeekle). The first two are Shropshire

names, and the third is an Oxfordshire one.

Earep Doscuick: The BLACK-NECKED GREBE.
(Edwards.) Also occurs as Hared Dabchick.

EarED GREBE. A former name for the BLACK-NECKED
GREBE. Occurs in most authors from Pennant onwards
to Yarrell.

FEARED Ow: The LONG-EARED OWL.

Eart Duck: The RED-BREASTED MERGANSER. (East
Lothian.) In Northumberland it becomes Yearel
(Witherby). No doubt corruptions of Harle Duck, the
Orkney name.

Farta Tirtinc : The MEADOW-PIPIT. (East Lothian.)

Easinc Sparrow: The HOUSE-SPARROW. (Shropshire.)
From its nesting in the eaves, or easing, of houses
(Swainson).

DUTCH—EHEDYDD. 8l

EAsINnG SWALLOw or EAvEs Swatitow : The MARTIN. (Craven.)
See Easing Sparrow.

EASTERLING. A name for the WIGEON. Rutty (‘““N.H. Co.
Dublin”’) gives Easterling for the male and Lady fowl for the
female, and Latham says they were sold in London under
these names.

EASTERN GOLDEN PLOVER: The ASIATIC GOLDEN PLOVER.

EASTERN RUFOUS TURTLE-DOVE [No. 349]. An. East
Asian species, recorded as occurring once near Scarborough.

EASTERN SKY-LARK [No. 63]. A Western Asiatic form of the
Sky-lark.

EAST SIBERIAN MEADOW-BUNTING [No. 50]. An Eastern
Asiatic species which has once reached our shores.

Eave Sparrow : The HOUSE-SPARROW. (Notts.)

Eave Swattow: The MARTIN. (Notts.)

Ess: The COMMON BUNTING. Montagu gives it as a
provincial name.

Eps-SLEEPER : The DUNLIN. (Orkney and Shetland.)

EppEerR: The COMMON EIDER. (Montagu.)

Eee. Given by Aldrovandus as English name for an EAGLE.

Eeret: The LITTLE EGRET. (Montagu.)

Ecret Heron: The LITTLE EGRET. (Pennant.)

Egyptian Goose. An introduced species, of which examples are
not infrequently shot, but without any evidence that they
are genuine visitors. It is included by Yarrell (Ist ed.)
and others of our earlier authors. Macgillivray calls it
Egyptian Fox-Goose.

EGYPTIAN NIGHTJAR [No. 203]. This species, so-called
because Lichtenstein’s type-example came from Egypt,
ranges from the latter country to Afghanistan.

EGYPTIAN VULTURE [No. 255]. The name is first found in
Latham (“Syn.,” 1, p. 13). It is the Alpine Vulture of
Bewick (1832) and other authors. Egyptian Vulture is
derived either from its inhabiting Egypt and other parts
of Africa, or else from Egypt being the locality of Linnzus’s
type.

Emer-Duck. The more general name for the COMMON
EIDER.

Exepypp: The SKY-LARK. (North Wales) lit. “a flier.”

EHEDYDD BACH: The MEADOW-PIPIT and the ROCK-PIPIT.
(North Wales) lit. “ little lark.”

G

82 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

EHEDYDD Y CoED: The WOOD-LARK and the TREE-PIPIT.
(North Wales) lit. “‘ wood lark.”

Etcysen: The BARNACLE-GOOSE. (North Wales.)

EvercH. A Cornish name for the wild Swan (the WHOOPER).

Exiavy : The COMMON GUILLEMOT. (South Pembroke.)

Exix. An east Yorkshire and Northumberland name for the
WHOOPER SWAN. Occurs in Willughby, Edwards and
other writers. It is cognate with the Icelandic Alt.

ELM-TREE GOLDFINCH: The GOLDFINCH. (“ Rather small
size, supposed to have been bred in an elm tree.” —H2rTT.)

Etrck. A Welsh name for a wild Swan (the WHOOPER),.

Emper Goose or ImmMer Goose: The GREAT NORTHERN
DIVER. (Orkney and Shetland.) Swainson gives Ammer
or Emmer Goose as Aberdeen and East Lothian names.
(See Immer.)

EMMET-HUNTER. This name for the WRYNECK is found in
Charleton (1668), and still survives as a provincial name ;
it is derived from the bird’s partiality to ants.

EnGuisH HecKLE: The WRYNECK. (Provincial.)

EneiisH OrtTotAN: The WHEATEAR. Perhaps from its ©

gastronomical qualities.

ENTERMEWERS. A falconer’s term for Hawks of the second
year, after they have moulted their immature-plumage.
Eorn rvs. A Gaelic name for the RED GROUSE. (Western

Tslands) lit. “red bird.”

Eos. A Welsh name for the NIGHTINGALE ; lit. “ nightin-
gale.”

EpicuRIAN WARBLER : The PLED FLYCATCHER. (Hett.)

EQUESTRIAN SANDPIPER: The RUFF. (Provincial.)

Er. A Cornish name for an Eagle.

ERN BLEATER: The COMMON SNIPE.

ERNE: The WHITE-TAILED EAGLE. From A.Sax. Harn. It
appears to have been formerly a falconer’s term for the
male to distinguish it from the larger female, called Eagle.
Occurs in Turner (1544) and Sibbald (1684) ; now chiefly
used in the Orkneys and Shetlands, and perhaps other
parts of Scotland. Scott has :—

Upon her eyrie nods the Erne.—LapDy oF THE LAKE.
The name was sometimes spelt iron, according to Colonel
Thornton.

ERYR CYNFFON WEN, Eryr Tinwyn, or Mor Eryr. Welsh

names for the WHITE-TAILED EAGLE; the first two

i
)

EHEDYDD—FAAKIN. 83

names signify ‘“‘ White-tailed Eagle,” and the third “ Sea-
eagle.”

Eryk Euraipp or ERyR MELYN: The GOLDEN EAGLE.
(North Wales.) The former signifies “ golden eagle” and
the latter “ yellow eagle.”

ERYR Y DwR (water eagle) or ERYR Y MoR (sea eagle): The
OSPREY. (North Wales.)

ESKIMO-CURLEW [No. 406]. The name occurs in Pennant’s
‘“« Arctic Zoology’ (1792), as Esquimaux Curlew.

Ess cock: The DIPPER. (Aberdeen.) Ess is Gaelic for
waterfall. R

Ess FEANNAG. A Gaelic name for the DIPPER; signifying
“Crow of the Waterfall”? (Bolam).

Etwatt: The GREEN WOODPECKER. (Cheshire.)

Eun pv’ Na sGapaIn. A Gaelic name for the COMMON GUIL-
LEMOT. (Western Isles) lit. the ‘“ black herring bird.”

EUN-T-SNEACHDAIDB. A Gaelicname for the SNOW-BUNTING ;
lit. ““ snow bird.”

EUROPEAN DippER: The DIPPER. (Macgillivray.)

EuRopEAN GoATsSUCKER : The NIGHTJAR. (Montagu.)

EUROPEAN HAWK-OWL [No. 219]. So-called in contra-
distinction from the AMERICAN HAWK-OWL.

European NutruatcoH: The NUTHATCH. (Montagu.)

EUROPEAN SCREECH-OWL. Macgillivray’s name for the BARN-
OWL.

EvRoOPEAN WHITE-WINGED CrossBILL: The TWO-BARRED
CROSSBILL. (Thompson.) “ Whitewinged Crossbill” is
found in Latham.

Eve Cuurr: The NIGHTJAR. (Provincial.) From the
vibrating churr or jarring note emitted while the bird is
stationary.

Eve Jar: The NIGHTJAR. (Hants.)

Eventing Jan: The NIGHTJAR. (Cheshire.) Like the last
name, this is derived from the jarring note.

EVERSMANN’S WARBLER [No. 126]. Of this Arctic species
of Phylloscopus two examples have been obtained in the
Orkneys and Shetlands.

-Eyass or Erasse Hawxs. A falconer’s ancient term for
nestling-hawks taken from the nest and brought up by hand
(a corruption of “ Nias,”’ q.v.).

Faakin Hawk: The PEREGRINE FALCON. (Aberdeen.)
A corruption of “ Falcon Hawk.”

G2

84 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Farry Brrp: The LITTLE TERN. (Galway.)

Fatcon: The PEREGRINE was formerly simply designated
Falcon by faleoners. The species occurs in Barlow (1655),
as Falcon, and in Merrett as Faulcon. The name is derived
from Lat. Falco. Newton says the earliest use of this
word (Falco), which is unknown to classical writers, is
said to be by Servius Honoratus (ca. 390-480 A.D.) in his
notes on ‘“‘Atneid,” lib. x, v, 145. It seems to be possibly the
Latinised form of the Teutonic Falk, though fala is
commonly accounted its root.

FaucoN GENTLE or GENTILE Fatcon: The female PERE-
GRINE FALCON. It occurs in Willughby (1678) and
also in Albin. The term Falcon or Falcon Gentle appears
from the days of falconry to have always been given to
the female bird, the former name from her superior size
and excellence, while Gentle is from Fr. genéil, signifyimg
neat or handsome, but perhaps also denoting the more
noble nature of the bird as compared with the Hawks.
Linneus’s Falco gentilis was based upon Albin’s description,
but is without doubt the immature GOSHAWK. — In the
Isle of Skye and other of the western islands of Scotland,
ever since the days of falconry, the larger and stronger
female was designated the “Falcon” simply, the male
being known here, as elsewhere, as the Tiercel or Tiercel
Gentle (q.v.).

Fak or Fark: The RAZORBILL. (Hebrides.) An equivalent
of Auk.

Fatier : The HEN-HARRIER.

FatLow-cHat: The WHEATEAR. (Provincial.) On account
of its partiality for the clods on fallow land. Swainson
also gives Fallow-finch and Fallow-lunch as provincial
names.

FatLow-smicH : The WHEATEAR. (Willughby.) Merrett gives
‘ Fallow-Smiters”’ as a Warwickshire name for the species.

FAMILIAR CREEPER: The TREECREEPER. (Pennant, 1812.)

FANNER-HAWK. A West Sussex (Arundel) name for the
KESTREL. Somewhat synonymous with Windhover
(q.v.), the name no doubt arising from the fan-like move-
ment at intervals when hovering. Also occurs as
Fan Hawk.

FantarL WARBLER: The SEDGE-WARBLER.

FaorLEAnn. A Gaelic name forthe HERRING-GULL. (Western
Isles.)

FAIRY—FELT. 85

Fasceppar: The ARCTIC SKUA. (Newton.) From Gaelic
fasgadair, a squeezer.

Fauverte. Properly the female of the ORPHEAN WARBLER.
Used by Buffon (‘‘ Hist. Nat.,” Ois., vol. v, p. 117). It has
also been applied to other species by various writers, the
Fauvette of some of the old English writers being the
GARDEN-WARBLER, while the Winter Fauvette of
Bewick is the HEDGE-SPARROW, and his Fauvette and
Lesser Fauvette the GARDEN-WARBLER.

FeapaGc. A Gaelic name for the GOLDEN PLOVER, and also
the REDSHANK. (Western Isles) lit. “the little
whistler.”

Fraser: The ARCTIC SKUA. (Bewick.)

FEATHER-PoKE. A common Provincial name for the curious
nest (poke pocket) of the LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE,
but commonly used for the bird. It is a general Yorkshire
name also for the CHIFFCHAFF, while in north and west
Yorkshire the WILLOW-WARBLER is called Feather-
poke, and in east Yorkshire the LONG-TAILED TIT-
MOUSE. Feather-bed is an Oxfordshire name for the
WILLOW-WARBLER, from its lining its nest with
feathers. Swainson says Feather-bird is a Northants. name
for the WHITETHROAT, which, however, does not use
feathers. Bolam says in Northumberland it is also applied
to the CHIFFCHAFF and WILLOW-WARBLER, while
Coward and Oldham apply it in Cheshire to the latter
species.

Frepoa. Occurs in Turner for a species of Godwit. Newton
says the species it was intended for cannot be discovered.

FELDFARE, FELDYFAR, FELDEFARE, FELTYFARE, FELDY, or
FELFER. Common provincial names for the FIELDFARE.
Occurs in Merrett as ‘“‘ Feldefare,” and as “ Felde”’ in
Chaucer.

Fett Buackie (Fell Blackbird): The RING-OUZEL. (Sed-
bergh, Yorkshire.)

Fevt or Fettre: The FIELDFARE. (Staffordshire, Notts.,
Northumberland, Berwick, Northants.) In Ireland the
MISTLE-THRUSH is called Big Felt, and Thompson
says the REDWING is also known as Felt or Small
Felt, while in Yorkshire the latter species is called Felfer
and in South Scotland Feltie is applied to the MISTLE-
THRUSH. These names are corruptions or abbreviations
of “‘feldefare”’ (see Fieldfare).

°

86 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

FeL_ty FLEe’eR or Fevtre Furer. The MISTLE-THRUSH is
so called in south-west Scotland. The FIELDFARE might
seem to be intended, but not necessarily, for the term
(i.e. “ field-flyer ’’) would well fit the MISTLE-THRUSH.

FENDY-FARE: The FIELDFARE. (Northumberland.) Also
applied to the MISTLE-THRUSH, with which it is con-
fused in Northumberland.

Fen Eacite: The WHITE-TAILED EAGLE. (Provincial.)

FEN GoosE: The GREY LAG-GOOSE. Montagu gives it as
a provincial name.

Fen Reepuine: The REED-WARBLER. (Provincial.)

Fen TuorusH: The MISTLE-THRUSH. (Northants.)

Fern Ow: The NIGHTJAR. Found in Willughby (1678) :
from its frequenting bracken. It is in use locally in Hamp-
shire, Cheshire, Shropshire, and East Lothian.

FERRUGINOUS DUCK [No. 299]. The name occurs in
Pennant (1776), probably translated from Gmelin’s Anas
ferruginea. Itisalso the “ Red Duck ” of the same author’s
“Arctic Zoology,” and the White-eyed Duck of many authors.

Fresant. A Welsh name for the PHEASANT.

Frresont. A Cornish name for the PHEASANT.

Friaysoag. A Welsh name for the GARDEN-WARBLER.

Fiacn. An Irish name for the RAVEN.

Fippuer: The COMMON SANDPIPER. (Hebrides.) Swain-
son says the name is derived from the manner in which it
continually vibrates its body, as if on a pivot.

Fretp Duck: The LITTLE BUSTARD. (Albin.)

FIELDFARE [No. 155]. Newton says the name is derived
from A.Sax. Fealo-for (—Fallow-farer). The name appears
in Turner (1544) as “‘feldfare”’ and “ feldefare,” and as
late as 1667 in Merrett’s list also as “feldefare.” Wil-
lughby (1678) has “‘ Fieldfare ” and Sibbald (1684) “‘ Field-
fare.” Various corruptions are prevalent in the provinces,
i.e. Felfit, Felfer, Felfaw, Fildifire, ete., while in Wiltshire
it becomes Velverd. This species usually arrives from its
northern breeding-grounds in September. In the north
it is considered that an earlier arrival than usual indicates
an early and severe winter.

Frevpie: The FIELDFARE ; an abbreviation.

Fretp Lark: The TREE-PIPIT. So called in Pennantfand
other writers to Montagu, the species of Pipits being¥con-
fused with the Larks. Fleming also describes the SKY-
LARK under this name.

Cer =

FELTY—FLAMINGO. 87

Firtp Sparrow: The HEDGE-SPARROW. (Roxburgh.)
Sometimes abbreviated to Fieldie.

Frevp Tittine: The TREE-PIPIT. (Fleming.)

Fiery Branvait or Frery Repraiw: The REDSTART. (Shrop-
shire.) ‘‘ Brantail” signifies fiery tail (Dan. brand, fire-
brand or fire), in allusion to its red tail and coverts.

Fic-EATER or Fic-Brrp. Properly the GARDEN-WARBLER,
the Beccafigo of the Italians (but also sometimes applied to
the SPOTTED FLYCATCHER). It occurs in Willughby
(1678) and in Pennant (1766).

Ficutina Rurr: The RUFF. From the pugnacious habits of
the male.

FIonnAG or FEANNAG. A Gaelic name for the HOODED CROW ;
lit. a “‘skinner’’ or “‘ flayer.”

Frrecrest: The FIRE-CRESTED WREN.

FIRE-CRESTED WREN [No. 104]. This name is first found
in Eyton (1836). Occurs in Jenyns (1835) and Yarrell
(1st ed.) as Fire-crested Regulus. Also sometimes known
as the FIRE-CRESTED or FTRE-CROWNED KINGLET.

FIRE-crown : The GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN. (Yorkshire.)

FIRE-EYED Coat: The DARTFORD WARBLER. (Provincial.)

Frre-riurrt: The REDSTART. (Provincial.) Probably from
the red upper tail-coverts and tail, and the frequent quick
jerks of the latter. A.Sax. fleard (=flirt) properly signifies
a piece of foolishness or trifling (i.e. coquetry).

Frretart. A common provincial name for the REDSTART;
from the colour of the tail and coverts.

FisHER: The KINGFISHER. (West Riding, Yorkshire.)

FisHine Hawk: The OSPREY. (Scotland.) Properly a
name for the American Osprey. Itis first found in Catesby’s
Carolina, but is quoted by Pennant (‘ Brit. Zool.,” 1766),
and Montagu gives Fishing Hawk and Fishing Eagle as
provincial names.

FisH1nG Osprey. Macgillivray’s name for the OSPREY.
FirHeacH, FrpHeAcH, or BrapuTacH. Gaelic names for the
RAVEN ; the last form is that given by Macgillivray.

FLACKIE: The CHAFFINCH. (Cheshire.)

FiamBoroucH Heap Pinot: The PUFFIN. (Flamborough.)

FLAMINGO [No. 270]. The name Flamingo is Portuguese,
in Spanish it is Flamenco. It occurs in Willughby as
‘*Flammant or Phceenicopter,” and he says “the French call
it Flambant or Flammant, rather from the flammeous
colour of its wings and feet, than because it comes from

88 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Flanders in the winter time to the coasts of Languedoc.
For I believe there was scarce ever seen about Flanders a
bird of this kind.” The ancients reckoned the tongue of
this bird among the choicest dainties. The belief that the
Flamingo stands against its conically-shaped nest, with
its rump covering the eggs, instead of sitting on the nest,
appears to date from Dampier’s observations of the American
species in Curacao in the latter part of the seventeenth
century. It is not until recent times that it has been
conclusively settled that they sit with the legs folded
under the body in the usual manner.

FLAMMANT: The FLAMINGO (q.v.).

Fraprer. The young of the MALLARD before taking wing,
after which they are called Wild Ducks. The term is also
applied to the young of other wild species of duck.

FLAT-BILLED SANDPIPER. Macgillivray’s name for the BROAD-
BILLED SANDPIPER.

Fuat Finch: The BRAMBLING. (Cheshire.)

Frax: The WHITETHROAT. (Shropshire.)

Fuax-Fincu: The CHAFFINCH (Tunstall, 1784): “Fleck
Linnet ” is still in use in South Holderness.

FLEINGALL: The KESTREL. (Provincial.) Swainson makes
it an equivalent of Windhover (i.e. “ Fly in Gale”).

FursH Crow: The CARRION-CROW. (Yorkshire.) From
its fondness for carrion.

Furet-rair: The REDSTART. (Ackworth, Yorkshire.)

FLITtrERCHACK: The RING-OUZEL. (Orkneys.)

FrusHer: The RED-BACKED SHRIKE. (Obsolete.) Wil-
lughby (1678) records it as a Yorkshire name. Newton
thinks it should be “‘ Flesher,’? a common North Country
word for butcher, and it is also sometimes spelt “ Flasher.”

FLycaTcHEeR: The SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. (Pennant.)

Fotk: The RAZORBILL. Occurs in Martin’s ‘‘ Voyage to St.
Kilda.”

Fooutish DotrereL: The DOTTEREL. For explanation of
the term “‘ foolish,” see under DOTTEREL.

FoouisH Guittemot : The COMMON GUILLEMOT. (Fleming.)
From the indifference to the approach of man when breeding.

FootisH Sparrow: The HEDGE-SPARROW. From its so
frequently being made the dupe of the CUCKOO.

Foot’s Coat: The GOLDFINCH. According to Sir Thomas
Browne this was an old name of the species, the inference

FLAMMANT—FRENCH. 89

being that its gaudily-coloured plumage suggested a jester’s
parti-coloured coat.

Foot-ars— or Foor-tn-arseE: The LITTLE GREBE.
(Cheshire. )

For Hwyap ppv (Y). A Welsh name for the COMMON
SCOTER ; lit. ‘‘ black sea-duck.”’

Forxk-Taibep Krre: The KITE. (Merrett.) Also formerly
occurred as Forked Kite (Thornton) and _ Fork-tail
(Yorkshire).

ForK-TAILED PeTrEL: LEACH’S FORK-TAILED PETREL.
(Fleming, Yarrell, etc.)

Fork-TaIteD Storm PrTrreL: LEACH’S FORK-TAILED
PETREL. (Selby.)

Frank: The COMMON HERON. (Suffolk, Essex, Stirling.)
From its cry.

Frao. A Cornish name for the SHORT-EARED OWL.

FRECKLED Herron. The AMERICAN BITTERN was first
described under this name by Col. Montagu in 1813 in the
Supplement to his ‘‘ Ornithological Dictionary.”

FRECKLED SANDPIPER: The KNOT (when changing to summer-
plumage).

FrencH Birp: The FIELDFARE is so called at Wirral,
Cheshire, according to Coward and Oldham.

FRENCH GALLEY-BIRD: The LESSER SPOTTED WOOD-
PECKER. (Sussex.) ‘“‘Galley-bird” signifies merry or
laughing bird, in allusion to its loud call, being derived
from A.Sax. gal=merry. For the significance of “ French,”
see French Magpie. |

Frencu Heckite: The LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER.
See above, and also ‘‘ Heckle.”’

FrencH Heron: The BITTERN. (Provincial.)

Frencu Linnet: The LESSER REDPOLL (Yorkshire.) The
CHAFFINCH (South Holderness); the BRAMBLING
(North Yorkshire).

FrencH Macpre or Frencu Piz. Names often given to the
GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER in the southern
counties of England, while Garner gives the first form also
as a Staffordshire name for this bird and Swainson the
second form as a Leicestershire name. It is also locally
used for the GREAT GREY SHRIKE, which is referred to
in Walton’s “ Angler” as French Pie: and in each case
implies a stranger or foreigner, it being a common practice
to desighate an uncommon bird by the name of its supposed

90 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

country of origin. It occurs also sometimes in falconry
books for this species. Swainson also applies French
Magpie to the RED-BACKED SHRIKE (Sussex) and the
LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE.

FreNcH PartripGE: The RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE.
In Nottinghamshire ‘‘ Frenchman ”’ is a local name for this
species, but at Bridlington it is applied to the BLACK
TERN.

FRENcH PrerrincH: The BRAMBLING. (Provincial.)

Frenca Picton: The LAPWING. (Provincial.)

FrencH Sparrow: . The TREE-SPARROW. (Provincial.)
Also the SNOW-BUNTING. (North Riding, Yorkshire.)

French Wooprecker: The GREAT SPOTTED WOOD-
PECKER. (Provincial.)

FrencH YELLOW Hammer: The CIRL BUNTING. (Devon-
shire.)

FRESHWATER SANDLARK: The COMMON SANDPIPER. (Ire-
land.)

FRESHWATER WicEon: The COMMON POCHARD. (North
Ireland.) Also the GOLDENEYE (Strangford Lough).

FRIGATE-PETREL [No. 323]. This well-known bird, first
described by Latham in 1790, is now ascertained to be
a very rare straggler to our shores from the Southern Ocean.

FronFraitH: The SONG-THRUSH. (North Wales) lit.
‘* mottle-breast.”’ |

FRONFRAITH FAWR: The MISTLE-THRUSH. (North Wales)
lit. “ great mottle-breast.”’

Frosty-Back Wicron: The SCAUP-DUCK. (Provincial.)

Furrit: The LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE. (East Lothian.)

FULFRAN LEIAF. A Welsh name for the SHAG; lit. “lesser
crow.”

FuLtt CurteEw: The CURLEW; in contradistinction to the
WHIMBREL (or “ Half-Curlew ”’). The COMMON SNIPE
is also sometimes termed Full Snipe to distinguish it from
the JACK (or Half) SNIPE.

FULMAR PETREL [No. 334]. The name Fulmar is found in
Pennant (fo. ed., 1766) and is used by all succeeding authors
except Montagu, who spells it Fulmer, the added word
Petrel being seldom used, although found in Yarrell (1843)
and others. The name is said to be derived from the
Gaelic Fulmair, but Mr. Harvie-Brown (“ Zoologist,” Oct.,
1912) decides that the Gaelic is derived from the English
and not the English from the Gaelic. The English name

— a

—s

FRENCH—GABBLE. 91

is of uncertain derivation: Swainson thought it akin to
Foumart, a polecat, meaning a foul martin, from the peculiar
and disagreeable odour of the bird, owing to the oil which
it emits and the rankness of its food. The oil vomited
by this bird when caught, is highly valued by the natives
of St. Kilda as a cure for all diseases (Gray). A bit of
weather-lore in the same island, as recorded by Inwards,
is that if the Fulmar seeks land it is a sign to the
inhabitants that the West wind is far off. The species
was formerly known as the Mallemucke or Mallemuck (q.v.).

Futvous Grirron or Futvous Vutrure: The GRIFFON-
VULTURE. The first name is found in Harvey’s ‘“‘ Fauna
of Cork”; the second in Willughby and in Latham and
others.

Furze-cHat: The WHINCAT. Found in Rutty and Montagu.
Swainson gives FuRR-cHUCK as a Norfolk name.

Furze CHequer: The MEADOW-PIPIT. (Provincial.)

Furze CHIRPER or FURZE-CHUCKER: The BRAMBLING. .
(Provincial.)

Furzi-coitterR : The STONECHAT. (Cornwall.)

FURZE-HACKER: The WHINCHAT and the STONECHAT.
(Hants.)

Furze Kirt. An old name for the HEN-HARRIER.

Furze Linnet: The LINNET. (Oxfordshire.)

Furze Wren: The DARTFORD WARBLER. (Provincial.)

GABBLE-RatcHetT. A name applied to one or other species of
wild geese when flying by night and crying as they fly,
although Swainson (quoting Macquoid’s “‘ About York-
shire,” p. 143) gives the name to the NIGHTJAR. Newton
observes that: “In many parts of England, but especially
in Yorkshire, the cries of some kind of Wild Goose [pre-
sumably the BRENT, but according to Yarrell the BEAN-
GOOSE] when flying by night, are heard with dismay
by those who do not know the cause of them, and are
attributed to ‘Gabriel’s Hounds,’ an expression equivalent
to ‘Gabble ratchet,’ a term often used for them, as in
this sense gabble is said to be a corruption of Gabriel, and
that, according to some medieval glossaries, is connected
with gabbara or gabares, a word meaning a corpse [cf. Way,
‘Promptorium Parvulorum,’ p. 302, sub voce Lyche]; while
ratchet is undoubtedly the same as the Anglo-Saxon raecc
and Mid. Eng. racche or rache, a dog that hunts by scent
and gives tongue. Hence the expression would originally
mean ‘ corpse-hounds ’ and possibly has to do with legends

92 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

such as that of the ‘Wild Huntsman.’” Macquoid, as
cited above, says that in Nidderdale the country people say
that the Nightjars embody the souls of unbaptised
infants doomed to wander for ever in the air, and call them
“ gabble-ratchets,” i.e. “‘corpse hounds.” The Cheshire
and Shropshire name for the same species, “lich fowl,”
also signifies “ corpse-fowl.” Nelson and Clarke (‘‘ Birds
of Yorkshire”), while repeating the Nidderdale
legend, say that in the Thirsk district the bird is called
“ Gabble-ratch,” because it ratches (hoots) on the gables
of houses. For an article on the etymology of the name,
see “‘ Notes and Queries,” series Iv, vii, p. 439.

GABHAR-ADHEIR A Gaelic name for the COMMON SNIPE.
(Western Isies.)

GapDEL: The GADWALL. (Merrett.)

GADWALL [No. 288]. Occurs first in Merrett’s list (1667) as
‘“Gaddel,” a name which is probably a corruption of
Gadwall, inasmuch as Merrett says it is called Gaddel by
the bird-dealers. Willughby and Ray call it the “ Gadwall
or Gray.” The latter term is of course an allusion to its
dull colour, but the derivation of the former is apparent.y
unknown. Macgillivray calls it Gadwall Teal. The young
or female PINTAILS are also called “ Gadwall” on the
Northumberland coast (Bolam).

GaE: The JAY. (Scotland.)

Garr y Gors: The COMMON SNIPE. (North Wales) lit.
“ ooat of the marsh.”

GaIR-FOWL. See Gare-fowl.

GALLEY-BIRD or GALLY-BIRD : The GREEN WOODPECKER ;
lit. merry or laughing bird (see French Galley-bird).

GALLINULE : The MOORHEN.

GALLINULE CRAKE: The LAND-RAIL. Possibly a reversal of
Crake Gallinule.

GaLRusH: The RED-THROATED DIVER. (Dublin Bay.)

GAMBET SANDPIPER: The immature REDSHANK. Pennant,
Montagu, etc., described it as a separate species.

GamMBo GoosE: The Egyptian Goose (Hawker), the Spur-
winged Goose (Macgillivray).

Game Hawk: The PEREGRINE FALCON. (Scotland.)

GAN or GANs. A Welsh name for the GANNET, with the same
significance.

GANNET [No. 318]. This species is mentioned by Turner
(1544) who calls it “‘ Goose of the Bass,” and says it nests

GABHAR—GARGANEY. 93

upon the lofty cliffs of the Bass Isle ‘“‘ and nowhere else in
all Britain.” The name Gannet occurs firstin Merrett (1667),
as “Ganet,” and in Pennant as “Gannet.” Willughby
calls it the ‘“‘Soland Goose, Anser bassanus.” It was
formally generally called Solan Goose, and in early days
was classed with the Geese, hence its present name Gannet,
ie. Little Goose. This latter name however is of great
antiquity; itis the A.Sax. ganot, the plural “ ganotes ”
occurring in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. The name is
sometimes met with provincially as “Gant.” <A valuable
article on the history of this species, by Cunningham, will
be found in the “ Ibis ” for 1866 (pp. 1-23).

GANSER or GAMBO GoosE: The Egyptian Goose. (Bewick.)

Garan. A Cornish name for the CRANE.

GARAN Hwyap. A Welsh name for the MALLARD.

GaRDEN Favuvet or Favuvette: The GARDEN-WARBLER.
Given in Macgillivray.

GARDENIAN HERON. The immature NIGHT-HERON is described
under this name in Pennant’s ‘“ Arctic Zoology ” (11, No. 355),
and also in Latham, Montagu, ete. It was the Ardea
gardeni of Gmelin.

GARDEN OvuzEL: The BLACKBIRD.

GARDEN THRUSH: The BLACKBIRD ; also the SONG-
THRUSH.

GARDEN-WARBLER [No. 145]. This name, which appears
in the 1832 edition of Bewick, seems to have been derived
from Gmelin’s name Sylvia hortensis, which, however, had
been wrongly applied to this species, being properly the
ORPHEAN WARBLER. The Garden-Warbler is the
Fauvette of old English authors.

GARDEN WuHITETHROAT: The GARDEN-WARBLER.

GARE-FOWL or GAIR-FOWL: The GREAT AUK. This name
has been made familiar by its adoption by the late Prof.
Newton, who preferred the name to that of GREAT AUK
(a name first applied to the species by Pennant). Gare-fowl
is almost undoubtedly derived from the Icel. Geirfugl.
Newton however prefers to derive it from the Hebridean or
Gaelic name, which is Gearbhul or Gearrbhul, meaning
“the strong stout bird with the spot.” Sibbald mentions
the species as “ the bird called Gare.” Martin (‘‘ Voyage to
St. Kilda’) spells it “‘ Gairfowl.”

GARGANEY [No. 292]. The name occurs in Willughby (1678)
who derives it from Gesner, and also calls it the Summer
Teal, which Newton considers the colloquial name for the

94 : DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

species—Garganey, according to him, being a book name.
Macgillivray calls it Garganey Teal.

Garrot: The GOLDENEYE. Newton says it is a French
name first used by Griffith in 1829, and probably refers to
its rapid flight, “‘one meaning of garrot being a cross-bow
bolt.”

GarruLous RotteR: The ROLLER. (Montagu.)

Garton GreyBack: The HOODED CROW. (Wold district,
Yorkshire.)

Gaunt: The GREAT CRESTED GREBE. (Lincolnshire.)
From A.Sax. ganot, an equivalent of Gannet.

GAVERHALE: The JACK SNIPE. (Devonshire.)

Gawk: The CUCKOO. (Yorkshire.) Also occurs as Gowk in
the same county.

Gawky : The CUCKOO. (Dorsetshire.)

GawturusH: The MISTLE-THRUSH. (Northants.)

GrapH BLAR. A Gaelic name for the BARNACLE-GOOSE ;
signifying ‘“‘ white-faced Goose.”

GEALAG BHUACHAIR. A Gaelic name for the CORN-BUNTING.

Geatan Lry. A Gaelic name for the LESSER REDPOLL.

GreatpHac. A Gaelic name for the HOUSE-SPARROW.

GEARRADH Gort. A Gaelic name for the LAND-RAIL.

Geck : The CUCKOO.

Grp: The JACK SNIPE. (Rutty.)

Gecatp. A Welsh name for the GREENFINCH.

Getyinak. A Cornish name for the CURLEW ; from its long
bill (=gelvin).

GenTIL Fatcon or GENTLE Fatcon : The female PEREGRINE
FALCON (see Falcon Gentle).

Ger Crow: The CARRION-CROW. (Craven.)

Grach or GiacH mynrAR: The COMMON SNIPE. (North
Wales).

GIBRALTAR QuaiL: The Andalucian Hemipode. (Latham.)

Gip or Gipp: The JACK SNIPE. The former spelling occurs
in Willughby ; the latter is given by Hett.

GILLEBRIDE: The OYSTERCATCHER. (West coast of Scot-
land.) Signifies gilly or servant of St. Bride.

GILL-HOOTER or GILL-HOWTER: The BARN-OWL. From A.Sax.
jil =noctua (Swainson). In Norfolk Gill-howter: in Staf-
fordshire it becomes “ Gill-houter,” according to Poole,
“‘houter ” being an equivalent of ‘‘ hooter,” and in Cheshire
“ Gil-hooter,”’ according fo Coward and Oldham.

GARROT—GLAUCOUS. 95

GILLIVER WREN. A Lincolnshire local name for the WREN ;
Hett also gives “Giller Wren,” which would be a con-
traction.

GILLY-HOWLET or GILLIHOWLET: The BARN-OWL. (Scot-
land.) Gilly is thought to be a diminutive of Gillian, a
proper name.

GINGLING CuRRE. A west-country name for the immature
GOLDENEYE. (Hawker.)

Girerrik. A Cornish name for the PARTRIDGE. Mr.
Harting suggests the name is imitative of its note.

GuappIE: The YELLOW BUNTING. (Devon and Cornwall.)
From A.Sax. gladde= bright.

GLADE, GLEAD, GLED, GLEDE: The KITE. The spelling
and derivation seem uncertain, but the name in its several
forms is an ancient one in this country. Turner (1544)
and Merrett (1667) spell it “ Glede,” while Willughby (1678)
has “‘Glead ” as do various later writers. The derivation
is probably from A.Sax. glida, from glidan, to glide and move
smoothly, this latter happening, however, to be from the
same root as the modern “glade” (i.e. an open—hence
sunny—part, or grassy passage, in a wood). Glade is from
A.Sax. gled, Icel. gladhr, signifying something bright,
smooth or shining, and being in fact the derivation also of
our modern. word “ glad.” Glede (according to Poole) is a
Staffordshire provincialism for a red-hot cinder, and he
thinks the red colour of the plumage may be the origin of
its use for the kite. Such references as :—

The cruel ire red as any glede.—THE Knicut’s TALE.

and,

His armor glitteryde as did a glede—CHEVY CHASE.
may, of course, apply to the red Kite, but are equally
applicable to the red-hot cinder.

Both “Gled” and ‘‘ Glead ” were lately still in use
for this bird in Lincolnshire ; the latter also in West York-
shire and perhaps other districts. ‘“‘ Fork-tailed Glead ”
is another provincial name, while Gray (‘‘ Birds of West
Scotland ”’) gives “‘ Salmon-tailed Gled.”

GLAISEAN DARACH. A Gaelic name for the GREENFINCH.

GuLasian. A Gaelic name for the MEADOW-PIPIT and also
the ROCK-PIPIT.

GLAS Y DORLAN. A Welsh name for the KINGFISHER ; lit.
“blue (bird) of the river bank.”

GLAUCOUS GULL [No. 435]. The name occurs in the 1832
edition of Bewick, and was adopted by Yarrell in his first

96 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

edition. It is the Burgomaster of many authors and the
Great Grey Gull of Albin. The name Glaucous is from
the white frosted appearance of its feathers.

GLEAD or GLED: The KITE (formerly). Also a Border name
for the HEN-HARRIER, while Swainson says it is applied
in north Scotland to the BUZZARD.

GLEAD Hawk: The KITE. (Cheshire.)

GLEG Hawk: The SPARROW-HAWK. (Renfrew.) ‘“Gleg”
signifies quick-eyed.

GLIMMER Gowk: An Owl.

GLOSSY IBIS [No. 259]. Apparently in former times a not
uncommon visitor to our islands. The name “Ibis”
occurs in Willughby (1678), who speaks of them in the
plural as “Ibes.” Glossy Ibis seems to occur in most
authors, from Pennant to Yarrell.

Guat, Gnat Snap, Knat, or Kner. Names for the KNOT.
Gnat is the same as Knot according to Sir Thomas Browne
(see Newton, “‘ Dict.,” pp. 364-5).

Guat Hawk: The NIGHTJAR. (Hants.)

Gnat SNAPPER: The BEE-EATER.

Goat CHAFFER: The NIGHTJAR. (Scotland.)

Goat OwLt: The NIGHTJAR (Montagu). Swainson says it
is a Gloucestershire name.

GoATSUCKER. A common provincial name for the NIGHT-
JAR. The name occurs in Merrett (1667) and in Wil-
lughby. Turner (1544) calls it by the Latin equivalent
Caprimulgus, and says on hearsay evidence that it sucks
the milk of the goats, making them go blind, a tale which
occurs in Aristotle, who says that “flying to the udders
of she-goats, it sucks them and thus gets its name. They
say that the udder withers when it has sucked at it, and
that the goat goes blind.” Needless to say the story has
long been refuted.

GoBHA DHUBH NAN ALLT. A Gaelic name for the DIPPER,
signifying ‘‘ blacksmith of the stream ” (Bolam).

GoBHA UISGE or GOBHCHAN UISGE. A Gaelic name for the
DIPPER: “uisge” signifies water. From its haunts.
GOBHLAN GAINBHICH. A Gaelic name for the SAND-MARTIN.

GOBHLAN-GAOITHE. A Gaelic name for the SWALLOW.

Gopwit, Gopwit SNIPE, GODWIN, Goopwin, or GopwyNn: The
BAR-TAILED and BLACK-TAILED GODWITS. The
name Godwit is from A.Sax. god=good and wihta=an
animal, lit. “good eating.” Godwit occurs in Turner (1544)

GLEAD—GOLDEN. 97

and in Merrett (1667) who identifies it with the “ Attagen ”
(q.v.) of older authors and says it occurs in Lincolnshire.
The name Godwit Snipe is more especially used to denote
the BAR-TAILED GODWIT, I believe. Willughby’s
“Godwit, Yarwhelp, or Yarwip” is the BAR-TAILED
GODWIT, and his “‘second sort of Godwit” the BLACK-
TAILED GODWIT. Godwyn is used by Rutty (1772) and
Swainson gives Godwin as an Irish name, while Nelson and
Clarke give it as a Redcar name for the BAR-TAILED
GODWIT. The Godwit Snipe of Pennant is the BAR-
TAILED GODWIT and his Red Godwit Snipe the
BLACK-TAILED GODWIT.

Goa, Gok. Cornish names for the CUCKOO.

GoLpcrEsT: The GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN.

GoLDEN AMBER, GOLDFINCH, GOLDIE, GowpIEz. Local Cheshire
names for the YELLOW BUNTING. From its yellow
plumage.

GOLDEN-COLOURED WREN: The GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN.

GOLDEN-CRESTED KINGLET, or REGULUS, or WARBLER: The
GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN. The word Regulus is from
Cuvier’s generic name (1800), and is used by Yarrell.

GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN [Nos. 102-103, Continental and
British Golden-Crested Wrens]. Occurs in Willughby
(1678) as the ‘“Golden-crowned Wren,” while Pennant
(1766) calls it Golden-crested Wren, the crown having
a conspicuous recumbent crest, yellow in front and
rich orange behind, bordered on either side with black.
Turner correctly describes this species under the name of
Tyrannus, but confuses it with the Shrikes and gives “‘ Nyn
Murder” as its English name, which belongs to the latter
birds. Willughby and Ray remark, “‘ What is spoken of the
antipathy and feud between this bird and the Eagle we look
upon as an old wives’ fable.” The legend, so I believe,
belongs to the WREN (q.v.) and not this species. The
British form appears to be a resident, or partially so, with
us, while the Continental form is a migrant to our coasts.

GOLDEN Cutty: The GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN. (Hants.)

GOLDEN EAGLE [No. 240]. This name is first found in
Willughby and is adopted by succeeding authors. It
occurs in Merrett’s Pinax (1667) as Aquila, “the Eagle,”
which is also given as the English name for it by Aldrovandus
(p. 110) who names it Chrysetos. Merrett states that it
migrates here from Ireland, where it is abundant. Turner
(1544) has “aero's, aquila, Anglice anegle,” but apparently

H

98 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

this is the WHITE-TAILED EAGLE. The name arises
from the golden tinge of the plumage, especially on the
head and neck. From time immemorial the Eagle has
figured as the embodiment of courage and strength, and has
been chosen from the days of ancient Rome as the emblem
of all the great empires of Europe. Trevisa (1495) says
“the egle is a foule that selde syttyth abrood and selde
hath byrdes.” That a good deal of truth lay in this
statement is shown in the fact that this species does not
lay more than two or three eggs. It was an ancient belief
that the Eagle could look at the sun without hurt, and it
was furthermore believed that the young Eagle which
could not look at the sun without blinking was killed by
its parents. In the aeries were found stones called
‘* Aétites ” or “‘ eagle stones ” which the eagles were thought
by some to bring down from the sun to help hatch their
eggs and by others from volcanoes, and these stones were
formerly greatly prized for their virtues, being thought
to cure a variety of ills. In the Welsh Mabinogion tales
the Eagle occurs, being deemed to be only outclassed in
longevity by the Salmon of Llyn Llyw. Giraldus Cam-
brensis tells us of the Eagle of Eagle Mountain (now called
Snowdon) which was prophetic of war, and “perching on
a fatal stone every fifth holiday, in order to satiate her
hunger with the carcases of the slain, is said to expect war
on that same day and to have almost perforated the stone
by cleaning and sharpening her beak.” In the story of
Llen, son of Arianrhod, also, he flies off when wounded
in the shape of an Eagle. Several stories are extant of
infants having been borne away by this bird to its aerie,
and lack nothing of probability. Montagu mentions that
in Orkney a law existed to extirpate this species by entitling
any person who killed an Eagle to “a hen out of every
house in the parish in which it is killed.”

GOLDENEYE [No. 302]. The name occurs in Willughby
(1678) and is in reference to the rich yellow colour of
the iris.

GOLDEN-EYED Diver: The SCAUP-DUCK. (Provincial.)

GOLDEN-EYED Duck, GOLDEN-EYED GARROT, or GOLDEN-EYED
Poker: The GOLDENEYE. (Provincial.)

GoLDEN GLADDY: The YELLOW BUNTING. See Gladdy.

GotpEN Heap: The WIGEON. (East coast of Ireland.)
Also occurs as Golden-headed Wigeon.

GoLpEN Maw: The GLAUCOUS GULL.

GOLDENEYE—GOLFAN. 99

GOLDEN ORIOLE [No. 15]. The name is first found in the
Appendix to Pennant’s “ Brit. Zool.” (vol. 4). Oriole, Fr.
Oriol, from Lat. aureolus, is in reference to its golden
colouring. It is the Golden Thrush of Edwards and the
“Yellow bird from Bengal” of Albin. This species is
mentioned by Turner under the name of Vireo, and he says
that the English name for it is “ Witwol,” a name given
by Willughby to the GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER.

GOLDEN PLOVER [No. 362]. Formerly known by all the
older authors, from Merrett and Willughby to Pennant
(fo. ed.), as the “‘ Green Plover ” (a term now applied to the
LAPWING). Golden Plover is found in the later editions
of Pennant, in Montagu, and other writers, and was finally
put into use by Yarrell. The term “golden ” arises from
the yellow markings on the upper-parts in spring-plumage.

GOLDEN THRUSH: The GOLDEN ORIOLE. (Edwards.) It is
also a local name in Cleveland (Yorkshire) for the MISTLE-
THRUSH.

GoLpDEN Wren: The GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN. (Albin.)
Also the WILLOW-WARBLER (Ireland). Coward and
Oldham also give Golden Wren as a local name for the
SISKIN in Cheshire on the authority of Lord de Tabley.

GOLDFINCH [No. 18, British Goldfinch]. So called from
the bright yellow on the wings and general gayness
of its plumage. Occurs in Turner (1544) as “ Gold finche,”
in Merrett (1667) as “ Gold-finch,” and in Willughby as
“Goldfinch.” The ‘resident British form of this species
has been separated by Hartert from the Continental form,
hence the change of name. Swainson gives Goldfinch as
a Shropshire name for the YELLOW BUNTING.

GoLp-HEAD : The POCHARD. (North Ireland.)

GOLDIE, GOOLDIE, GOLDSPINK, GOWDSPINK, or GOLD LINNET.
North Country (Yorkshire to Scottish Border) names for
the GOLDFINCH. Goldspink is also a name for the
species in the North of Ireland. The same names are also
applied in parts of Yorkshire to the YELLOW BUNTING.

Gotprz-winc. A Northumbrian name for the BRAMBLING.
Sometimes rendered “ Yallawing.”

Gotp Tip: The SPARROW-HAWK. (Sedbergh, Yorkshire.)

Gold-vented Thrush. Included by Yarrell on the strength of
an example shot near Waterford in 1838, but it cannot be
considered British. The name is found in Latham.

GotFan. <A Welsh name for the HOUSE-SPARROW ; lit.
“* sparrow.”

H 2

100 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

GoLran TINGocH: The TWITE. (North Wales) lit. “red
rumped sparrow.”

GoLFAN-y-Gors. A Welsh name for the REED-BUNTING;
lit. “‘ marsh sparrow.”

GOLFAN-Y-MyNyDD. A Welsh name for the TREE-SPARROW ;
lit. ‘‘ mountain sparrow.”

GOLFAN-YR-EIRA. A Welsh name for the SNOW-BUNTING ;
lit. “snow sparrow.”

GOLVAN or GYLVAN. Cornish names for the HOUSE-SPARROW.

GOLVAN-GE or GYLVAN-GE. Cornish names for the HEDGE-
SPARROW.

GooLER, GooLy, or Goo Finch: The YELLOW BUNTING.
A corruption of Goldfinch, from the bright yellow of its
plumage.

Goot French: The GOLDFINCH. (Devon.) Apparently
a corruption of Goldfinch.

GOOSANDER [No. 312]. The name occurs in Merrett’ (1667)
as Gossander, while Willughby (1678), who spells it
Goosander, bases the species on the Merganser of Aldro-
vandus. The female was formerly described as a separate
species (Mergus castor of Linnzeus), and is the “ Dun-diver
or Sparkling (now Sparling) Fowl” of eighteenth century
authors, the male being termed Goosander or Merganser.
Newton derives the word from Old Norse Gas and «nd,
literally “ goose-duck.”’

GoosE GuLL: The GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL.
(Ireland.)

Goos—E Hawk: The PEREGRINE FALCON. (Provincial.)

Goprroc or Coroc. A Welsh name for the HOOPOE; lt.
“ erested.””

Gor-cock, Gor-HEN: The RED GROUSE. (Staffordshire.)
Gorcock for this species occurs in Willughby. .,.% — uve tig

Gor Crow: The CARRION-CROW. (Oxfordshire, Yorkshire.)
Montagu gives it as a provincial name. The derivation is
from A.Sax. gor—carrion.

Gorma: The CORMORANT. Swainson thinks it an equivalent
of “Gor Mew,” i.e. Carrion Gull (but see Gormer).

GorMER: The CORMORANT. (Northumberland.) Bolam

- thinks it a contraction of Gormorant: a guttural pronun-

ciation.

Gors Duck or Gurs Duck. A name for the LAND-RAIL.
(Huddersfield.) Swainson spells it Gorse Duck.

GOLFAN—GRASS. 101

GoRSE-BIRD, GORSE HATCHER, GORSE THATCHER. Provincial
names for the LINNET; on account of its frequenting
and nesting in the gorse.

GORSECHAT, GORSE HATCH, or GORSE HOPPER: The WHINCHAT.
From its partiality to gorse.

GOSHAWK [No. 248]. Literally ‘‘ Goose-hawk,” from A.Sax.
Gos—=goose and hafoc—hawk. The name Goshawk appears
in Merrett (1667) andin Willughby. Merrett calls the bird
Accipiter palumbarius after Aldrovandus (p. 342), who
describes and figures this species under the latter name.
Turner (1544) also alludes to Accipiter palumbarius, ex
Pliny, but erroneously identifies it as the SPARROW-
HAWK. Linnezus described the species under the names
of Falco gentilis and F. palumbarius, and although the latter
has been generally accepted, the name gentilis, as standing
first, must replace it. In falconry the name Goshawk was
applied to the female, the male being termed Tercel or
Tiercel (q.v.). In Ireland the name is also applied to the
BUZZARD and the PEREGRINE FALCON, and in the
Shetlands to the latter species.

Goss Liynet or Gorse Linnet. A Yorkshire bird-catcher’s
name for a supposed variety of the LINNET, those bred
in gorse being considered to sing better than those reared
in hedges.

GoupsPInK: The GOLDFINCH. (Scotland.)

GourDER : The STORM-PETREL. (Smith’s “ Hist. of Kerry.’’)
Swainson gives Gourder or Gourdal as a Kerry name.

Gow (=Gull): The COMMON GULL. (Aberdeen).

Gowpy Duck: The GOLDENEYE. (Orkney, Shetland, and
East Lothian.)

Go-West: The LONG-TAILED DUCK. (Redear, Yorkshire.)

Gowk. An old name for the CUCKOO, still very generally
used in Scotland and also North Ireland. It occurs in
Turner (1544) as “gouke.” The derivation seems to be
from A.Sax. geac. Newton, however, gives Norse gj«/)k,
Swed. gék. According to Saxby the name Gowk is applied
in the Shetlands to the COMMON SNIPE.

Gowx’s Foot. A North Country name for the MEADOW-
PIPIT, on account of the frequency with which it is vic-
timised by the CUCKOO.

GRAND DvuKE and Ducuzss. Macgillivray gives these as names
for the male and female EAGLE-OWL.

Grass-Coat: The WHINCHAT. (West Yorkshire.)

102 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Grass-CRAKE: The LAND-RAIL. (Ackworth, Yorkshire.)
Grass Quake (Barnsley) is, perhaps, a corruption.

Grass Drake: The LAND-RAIL. (West Yorkshire.) Gress
Drake and Dress Drake are corruptions.

GRASSHOPPER CHIRPER. Macgillivray’s name for the GRASS-
HOPPER-WARBLER

GRASSHOPPER Lark: The GRASSHOPPER-WARBLER.
(Pennant.)

GRASSHOPPER-WARBLER [No. 133]. Occurs first as the
“Grasshopper Lark” in Pennant’s “ British Zoology ”
(1766 ed.), as “‘ Grasshopper Lark Warbler” in his later
editions, and as the GRASSHOPPER-WARBLER in
Latham’s “ Synopsis,”’ but is first mentioned by Willughby
(1678) as the “Titlark that sings like a Grosshopper ”
(p. 207).

Grass Mumrvurrin: The WILLOW-WARBLER. (Worcester-
shire.)

Grass Quait: The LAND-RAIL. (Cheshire.)

Grass WHEew. A Yorkshire name for the female WIGEON.
Whew is from the note; Grass probably refers to sea-
grass (Zostera) of which they are very fond (Witherby).

Grass WREN or GRASS WARBLER. (Cleveland, Yorkshire.)
Names for beth the WILLOW-WARBLER and _ the
CHIFFCHAFF.

Gray: The GADWALL. (Willughby.)

GREAT ALLAN or Bic Attan: The POMATORHINE SKUA.
(Yorkshire coast.)

GREAT ASH-COLOURED BuTcHER Birp: The GREAT GREY
SHRIKE. (Pennant.)

GREAT ASH-COLOURED SHRIKE: The GREAT GREY SHRIKE.
(Bewick, 1797.)

GREAT AUK [No. 444]. The present name of this species is ~
not of any antiquity. The older name is Penguin, which
occurs in Pennant (1766), but the latter calls it Great Auk
in the 1776 edition, as do also Latham, Lewin, Wa!cott,
Montagu, ete. Willughby (1678) calls it “the bird called
Penguin by our sea-men.” Sibbald (1684) mentions it as
“the bird called Gare ”’ (see Gare-fowl). This fine species
is thought to have been formerly an inhabitant of the north
of Scotland and the Scottish Isles, yet whether it was of
more than accidental occurrence elsewhere than in St.
Kilda is open to grave doubt. Gould thinks it ‘‘ doubtless
existed, and probably bred, up to the year 1830,” on the

GRASS—GREAT. 103

northern islands of Scotland. But that this is largely
an erroris proved by the evidence of Low, Bullock and other
writers acquainted with those islands. The last isolated
bird believed to have occurred in St. Kilda was killed about
1840 (see Harvie-Brown and Buckley’s “‘ Vertebrate Fauna
of Outer Hebrides’). Montagu, writing in 1802, says that
“it is said to breed in the isle of St. Kilda.” In earlier
times it appears to have been abundant in the North
Atlantic islands, yet Willughby mentions that he only
saw it in the collection cf the Royal Society, and in
Tradescant’s Cabinet at Lambeth. Its last known resort as
a breeding species was on a practically inaccessible
island off the coast of Iceland, where it became extirpated
in 1844.

GREAT-BILLED ScoTEeR: The SURF-SCOTER.

Great BLacK-AND-WuHITE Duck: The COMMON EIDER.
(Edwards.)

Great BLAcK-AND-WHITE GuLL: The GREAT BLACK-
BACKED GULL. (Willughby.)

Great Brack -AND- WHITE WoopPrECKER: The GREAT
SPOTTED WOODPECKER.

GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL [No. 434]. So called from
the slate-black of the mantle and its large size. Occurs in
Willughby (1678) as Great Black-and-White Gull. Pen-
nant (1766) has the same, but in the later editions calls it
** Black-backed Gull,” as do also Lewin, Walcott, and others.
The name GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL occurs in
Montagu (1802), and is used by most later writers.

Great Brack Cormorant: The CORMORANT.

Great Brack Duck: The VELVET-SCOTER. (Bewick.)

GREAT BLACK-HEADED GULL [No. 429]. A Mediter-
ranean species, so called from its large size and black head.

Great Buack-HEeapED TomTit: The GREAT TITMOUSE.
(Provincial.)

Great Black Woodpecker. This fine species was added to the
British List by Latham, Lewin, Montagu, Donovan and
others, on the strength of the statement of Latham that he
had been informed that it was sometimes met with in the
south, and in particular Devonshire. The name is found
in Albin (11, pl. 27), on the plate, the text-name being Black
Woodpecker.

Great Brut Hawk: The PEREGRINE FALCON. (North-
west Fells, Yorkshire.)

t

104 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

GREAT BUSTARD [No. 450]. Occurs in Turner (1544) as
Bustard or Bistard, and in Merrett (1667) as Bistarda or
Bustard ; he says it is found on Newmarket Heath and
Salisbury Plain. Newton says it is a corruption from the
Lat. avis tarda. Gesner calls it “ Otis vel Bistarda.” Wil-
lughby (1678) has ‘‘ Bustard—Otis seu tarda avis.” Hector
Boethius (1526) has ‘‘ Gustardes,” and Sibbald also gives
the popular name as “ Gustard.” Pennant calls it merely
““ Bustard ” in his folio edition (1766), but in the later
editions as well as by later British writers it is called Great
Bustard. In Montagu’s day (1802) this noble bird was
still to be found on the Wiltshire plains “ where they are
become very scarce within these few years.” He states
that the eggs were sought after for the purpose of hatching
under hens: “ Half a guinea is no unusual price for an
egg, and ten to twelve guineas a pair for young birds.”

Great ButcHeR Brrp: The GREAT GREY SHRIKE.

GREAT CINEREOUS SHRIKE: The GREAT GREY SHRIKE.
(Pennant.)

GREAT Coot-FooTED TrincA: The GREY PHALAROPE.
(Edwards.)

GREAT CorBIE Crow: The RAVEN. Occurs in Bewick (1797).

GREAT CRESTED GREBE [No. 336]. From its prominent
size and its crest. Grebe is from Fr. grébe. Occurs in
Willughby (1678) as “Greater Loon, Greater Crested or
Copped or Horned Doucker.” Pennant (1766) calls it
GREAT CRESTED GREBE.

GREAT CuRLEW: The CURLEW. (Macgillivray.) So called
in contradistinction from the WHIMBREL or “ Half-
Curlew.”

GREAT Diver: The GREAT CRESTED GREBE. (Cheshire.)

GREAT DvucKER or GREATER DouckER: The GREAT
NORTHERN DIVER. The former name occurs in
Merrett and the latter in Montagu. Great Doucker appears
still to be a local name for the species.

GREAT EAGLE OwL: The EAGLE-OWL. (Macgillivray.)

GREAT FEARED OwL: The EAGLE-OWL. (Pennant, Montagu,
Bewick.) ,

Great Ecret: The GREAT WHITE HERON. (Gould.)

GREATER BrRamMBLiInG: The SNOW-BUNTING. (Pennant.)

GREATER ButcHER Birp: The GREAT GREY SHRIKE.
Occurs in Willughby (1678).

GREAT—GREAT, 105

GREATER Coot. A supposed larger northern form of the
COOT, described as distinct by Willughby, Pennant,
Latham, Montagu and others. It is the Fulica aterrima of
Linnzeus.

GREATER CRESTED or CorpPED or Hornep DovuckEeR: The

GREAT CRESTED GREBE. (Willughby.)

GREATER Dapcuick or Doscnick: The GREAT CRESTED
GREBE. Greater Dobchick occurs in Edwards.

GREATER Loon: The GREAT CRESTED GREBE. (Wil-
lughby.) Also a local name in Norfolk and West Ireland.
It is applied to the GREAT NORTHERN DIVER by Hett.

Great ERNE: The WHITE-TAILED EAGLE. (Bewick.)

GREATER PerrycHars: The GARDEN-WARBLER. Occurs
in Montagu. Latham, Lewin and cthers call it the Petty-
chaps, and Willughby and Ray’s Pettychaps is also pro-
bably this species, as well as Bewick’s Fauvette or Petty-
chaps. Newton says the name was not obsolete near
Sheffield in 1873, while Latham records its use in Lanca-
shire. Pennant (fo. ed., 1766) under “ Pettychaps ”
unites both the present bird and the Lesser Pettychaps or
CHIFFCHAFF, but separated them in later editions.

GREATER PLtoveR: The GREENSHANK (Willughby); the
STONE-CURLEW (Macgillivray).

GREATER ReD-HEApED LinneT: The LINNET. (Willughby.)

GREATER REDPOLE: The LINNET. (Montagu.) Also spelt
Greater Redpoll.

GREATER SEA-SwALLow : The COMMON TERN. (Albin.)

GREATER SHEARWATER: The GREAT SHEARWATER.
(Yarrell.)

GREATER TERN: The COMMON TERN. (Pennant.)

GREATER YELLOWSHANK [No. 393]. A North American
species.

GREATEST BuLttFincH: The PINE GROSBEAK. (Edwards.)

GREATEST Martin or Swirt: The WHITE-BELLIED SWIFT.
(Edwards.)

GREATEST SPECKLED Driver or Loon : The GREAT NORTHERN
DIVER. (Wiilughby.)

GREAT GALLINULE: The MOORHEN.

Great Grey Guu. (Willughby and Albin.) Apparently the
immature GLAUCOUS GULL. Willughby and Ray, how-
ever, ‘“‘ take it to be the Cornish Wagel,” which latter name
is a local name for the GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL.

106 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

GREAT GREY SHRIKE [No. 107]. So called because it is
both the largest species of the genus and the larger of the
Grey Shrikes. The name GREAT GREY SHRIKE seems
to occur first in Yarrell (1843). It is the Greater Butcher
Bird of Willughby. The name “Shrike” occurs first in
Turner (1544) who remarks that he had seen the bird twice
only in England, but more frequently in Germany, and that
in England he found no one who knew its name except
Sir Francis Lovell. Newton considered the name “ Shrike ”
(A.Sax. Scric=“ shrieker,” der. of Mid. Eng. “ scriken,” to
shriek) probably belonged originally to the MISTLE-
THRUSH (see Shrite and Shreitch), but the employment of
the name for the Grey Shrike by Turner and also by Merrett
(1667) and by nearly all later writers has confirmed it in
usage. Turner gives a lengthy and generally accurate
account of this bird and notices its habit of impaling its
prey on thorns. Willughby remarks that this species was
formerly used by falconers to take small birds. Col.
Thornton in his list of Falcons and Hawks used in this
country includes “‘two sorts of French Pie.” Yarrell
observes that its Latin name of excubitor, or watchman,
was given it “‘ because fowlers in France fasten it close to
the living bird which they use as a lure. When the Shrike
sees the hawk it utters a shrill cry of terror and thus gives
notice of its enemy’s approach, enabling the fowler to. draw
the string of the net and enclose the falcon, before the
latter has time to carry off the bait.”

Great GrousE: The CAPERCAILLIE. (Pennant.)

Great Harvest CuRLEw: The CURLEW. (Norfolk.) Swain-
son says they are so called from their size, and because
the birds appear in the marshes about harvest-time.

GREAT HEADED POKER or WIGEON: The COMMON POCHARD.
(Provincial.)

Great HornepD Owt: The EAGLE-OWL. The name occurs
in Willughby (1678) as “‘ Great Horn Owl.”

GREAT NORTHERN DIVER [No. 341]. This name first
appears in Pennant (1766), Willughby having termed it
the Greatest Speckled Diver or Loon. Sibbald calls it
“the Goose of our country folk called the Ember Goose,
which is said to make its nest under the water and also
to hatch out its eggs there.”

Great OwL: The EAGLE-OWL. Montagu gives it as a pro-
vincial name.

GREAT—GREAT. 107

Great Ox-EyvE: The GREAT TITMOUSE. Occurs in
Merrett’s list. Turner has “ Great Oxei.”

Great Pecey: The WHITETHROAT. (Leicestershire.)

Great Prep Mountain Finca: The SNOW-BUNTING.

Great Prover: The STONE-CURLEW. (Yarrell.)

Great Pur: The COMMON TERN. (Norfolk.)

Great RED-HEADED Wiceon: The COMMON POCHARD.
Occurs in Willughby.

GREAT REED-WARBLER [No. 135]. The name is found
in Gould (‘‘ Birds of Europe”) as Great Sedge Warbler.
Yarrell (Ist ed.) calls it the Thrush-like Warbler.

Great Scart or Great ScaRVE: The CORMORANT. (Pro-
vincial.)

Great SEDGE WaRBLER: The GREAT REED-WARBLER.
(Gould.)

GREAT SHEARWATER [No. 325]. The name is found in
Yarrell (1st ed.) as Greater Shearwater. It is the Cinereous
Shearwater of Selby and the Dusky Shearwater of Eyton.

GREAT SHRIKE: The GREAT GREY SHRIKE.

GREAT SKUA [No. 439]. Often called the Common Skua,
but it is nowhere very common, breeding only in small
protected colonies in the Shetlands and visiting the other
parts of our coasts in winter. It appears to be first men-
tioned by Willughby and Ray, who term it “our Catar-
racta”’ and identify it with the “Cornish Gannet”’ and
also Hoier’s Skua of Clusius. They remark that “the
Cornish Gannet doth constantly accompany the sholes of
Pilchards, still hovering over them in the air. It pursues
and strikes at these fish with that violence that they catch
it with a strange artifice. They fasten a Pilchard to a
board, ‘which they fix a little under water. The Gannet,
espying the Pilchard, casts himself down from on high
upcn it with that vehemence that he strikes his bill clear
through the board, and dashes out his brains against it,
and so comes to be taken.” This habit, however, was
obviously fastened erroneously on the present species, as
it is a trait of the true GANNET. It is called Brown and
Ferruginous Gull by Pennant (1766) in the text, but “Skua ”
simply on the plate, and the writers succeeding him up
to Montagu call it “Skua Gull.” The name Skua dates
from Hoier the correspondent of Clusius, who sent the
latter a species from the Feroe Islands under this name.
It is probably an attempted imitation of the cry of the
bird.

108 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

GREAT SNIPE [No. 408]. The name first appears in Pennant
(1778).

GREAT SPOTTED CUCKOO [No. 215]. The name is found
in Edwards (“‘ Gleanings,” pl. 5). It was added to the
British List by Yarrell in 1845 (Supp. ‘“ Brit. Birds ”’).

GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER [No. 211, British Great
Spotted Woodpecker; No. 210, Northern Great Spotted
Woodpecker]. The name occurs first as Greater Spotted
Woodpecker in Willughby (1678) and is also found
in Pennant and _ succeeding authors. Yarrell and
others call it Great Spotted Woodpecker. MHartert
has separated the British | resident-form from the
North European form which visits our east coast in autumn.

GREAT SwaLLow: The SWIFT. (Turner.)

Great TERN: The COMMON TERN.

Great Tir: See GREAT TITMOUSE.

GREAT TITMOUSE [No. 88, British Great Titmouse ; No. 87,
Continental Great Titmouse]. The name, which arises
from its being the largest of the British species,
first occurs in Turner (1544), also in Merrett’s list
and in Willughby. The British resident-form has been
separated from the Continental form, which visits our
coasts on migration. The “saw-sharpening ” note of this
bird is said to foretell rain.

Great Whaup: The CURLEW. (Orkney.)

Great WuitE Ecret: The GREAT WHITE HERON.

GREAT WHITE HERON [No. 262]. This is a southern species
which has never been more than a very rare straggler, at
long intervals, to our islands. The name as Great White
Heron first occurs in Willughby (1678).

Great WuHitE OwL: The SNOWY-OWL. (Edwards.)

GREEDY GLEAD or GLED: The KITE. (Provincial.)

Green-backed Gallinule. Examples, probably escaped from cap-
tivity, of this species have been taken in our islands.

GREEN-BILLED GuLL. A provincial name for the COMMON
GULL.

GREEN Birp or GREEN CHUB: The GREENFINCH. (Pro-
vincial.)

GREEN CorMoRANT: The SHAG. (Ireland.) From the dark
green of its plumage.

GREENEY: The GREENFINCH. (Cumberland, Forfar.)

GREAT—GREEN. 109

GREENFINCH [No. 17]. Thename originatesin the general
green colour of its plumage. It occurs in Turner (1544) as
‘*Grene finche,” and in Merrett and Willughby as “ Green-
finch.”

GREEN-FOOTED GALLINULE or WareR-Hen. Macgillivray’s
name for the MOORHEN.

GREEN GROSBEAK: The GREENFINCH. (Tunstall, Bewick.)

GREEN-HEADED Bunting: The ORTOLAN BUNTING. Occurs
under this name in Latham and in Brown’s “ New [Illus-
trations of Zoology.” Montagu thought it a variety of
the YELLO ER.

GREEN-HEADED Diver: The SCAUP-DUCK. (Belfast.) From
the rich green gloss on the black feathers of the head.

GREEN-HEADED GOOSANDER: The GOOSANDER. (Fleming.)

GREEN-HEADED QUAKETAIL. Macgillivray’s name for the
YELLOW WAGTAIL (see Blue-headed Quaketail).

Green Heron. A North American species said to have occurred
once in Cornwall.

GREEN Isis: The GLOSSY IBIS.

GREENICK, GREEN LENNART. Northumbrian names for the
GREENFINCH.

GREENISH WARBLER [No. 124]. An East European species
which winters in India, where it was first described by
Blyth as long ago as 1843.

GREENLAND DovE: The BLACK GUILLEMOT. Albin says
the name is on account of its laying two eggs.

GREENLAND FALCON [No. 232]. The white form of the
GYR-FALCON inhabiting Greenland.

GREENLAND REDPOLL [No. 22]. A close ally of the
MEALY REDPOLL, which has its summer-quarters in
Greenland.

GREENLAND TURTLE: The BLACK GUILLEMOT.

GREENLAND WHEATEAR. See WHEATEAR.

GREEN-LEGGED Horseman: The GREENSHANK. (Albin,
Bewick.)

GREEN-LEGGED LonesHANK: The GREENSHANK. (Macgil-
livray.)

GREEN LinnET: The GREENFINCH. (Provincial.) Greeny
is also used in parts of Yorkshire.

GREEN OtF: The GREENFINCH. (Norfolk.) Also met with
as Green Ulf.

GREEN PEEK: The GREEN WOODPECKER. (Lincoln.)

110 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

GREEN PLoveR: The LAPWING generally at the present day,
especially in Ireland. Merrett and Willughby both apply
it to the Golden Plover, however, as do also Albin and
Pennant (1766) and even Fleming (1828).

GREEN SANDPIPER [No. 390]. The name is found in
Pennant (1766), and originates in the olive tint of the upper-
plumage.

GREEN Scout: The SHAG. (Provincial.)

GREENSHANK [No. 396]. So called from the olivaceous
colour of the tarsi and feet. The name is found in Pennant
(1766) as “Green Shank.” Occurs in Willughby as the
Greater Plover (ex Aldrovandus).

GREENSHANK SNIPE: The GREENSHANK. Occurs in Mac-
oillivray.

GREEN Snipe: The KINGFISHER. (Hett.)

GREEN TATLER. Macgillivray’s name for the GREEN SAND-
PIPER.

GREENWICH SANDPIPER: The RUFF (winter), described by
Latham as a separate species from an example killed at
Greenwich.

GREEN-WINGED TEAL: The AMERICAN GREEN-WINGED
TEAL. Also applied to the COMMON TEAL.

GREEN WOODPECKER [No. 209, British Green Woodpecker].
The name is bestowed on account of the green of the
upper-parts. It occurs first in Merrett’s list (1667)
and also in Willughby. Turner (1544), who is not
clear as to the several species of Woodpeckers, calls
it the “‘Huhol” (=Hewhole). The legend of the
baker’s daughter who was turned into an owl by Jesus
for having refused Him bread, has been tacked on to this
bird by the poet Montgomery, who makes it say :—

Thus am I ever labouring for my bread.
In some parts this species is known as the “ Rain-bird ”
or ‘“‘ Rainfowl,” it being believed that when their cries are
much heard rain will follow.

GREEN WREN: The WOOD-WARBLER. (Albin.) From the
green upper-plumage.

GrepranoG. A Welsh name for the TREECREEPER.

GREvVE: The RED-NECKED GREBE. (Redcar, Yorkshire.)
A corruption of Grebe.

Grew. A Cornish name for the CRANE.

GREY-AND-Wuite WactaiL: The WHITE WAGTAIL. (Mac-
gillivray.)

GREEN—GREY. 111

GREY-AND-YELLOW WaaTarL: The GREY WAGTAIL. (Mac-
gillivray.)

GREYBACK: The HOODED CROW (Northumberland, York-
shire) ; from its grey mantle.

ee ore Crow: The HOODED CROW. (Hants.; York-
shire.)

GREY-BACKED CuRRE: The SCAUP-DUCK is so called by
gunners in parts of the south and west of England.

GREY-BIRD or GREY: The LINNET (North Ireland, West-
morland); the SONG-THRUSH (Sussex, Devonshire,
Cornwall); the SEDGE-WARBLER § (Arkengarthdale,
Yorkshire).

Grey Buzzarp: The HEN-HARRIER. (Hants.)

Grey CHEEPER: The MEADOW-PIPIT.

Grey CRANE. Macgillivray’s name for the CRANE.

Grey Crow or Grey Dun: The HOODED CROW. (Pro-
vincial.) Grey Crow is a common name in Yorkshire.

Grey Cuckoo: The CUCKOO. (Macgillivray.)

Grey Diver: The RED-BREASTED MERGANSER. | (Islay.)

Grey Duck: The MALLARD. (Yorkshire coast.) Also the
GADWALL.

Grey Eacrr. A name for the WHITE-TAILED EAGLE.
(Macgillivray.)

Grey Fatcon: The HEN-HARRIER. Pennant (1766) also
describes a bird under this name, the description and
name of which were copied by subsequent authors to
Montagu, but afterwards identified with the PEREGRINE
FALCON.

Grey Fett: The FIELDFARE. (Notts.)

Grey FrycatcHer: The SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. (Mac-
gillivray.) It is also a provincial name in Yorkshire and
elsewhere, on account of its greyish plumage.

Grey GuEAD. A Scottish Border name for the HEN-HARRIER.

Grey Gopwit: The BAR-TAILED GODWIT. (Lewin.)

Grey Goose: The GREY LAG-GOOSE.

Grey Hawk. A name for the PEREGRINE FALCON. (Mac-
gillivray.)

GREY-HEADED Duck: The KING-EIDER (Edwards); also
the female GOLDENEYE (Pennant).

GREY-HEADED WAGTAIL [No. 76}. So called from its
grey crown. The name occurs in Gould’s “Birds of
Europe ” (1832). Also called Grey-headed Yellow Wagtail.

112 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Grey-HEN. A North Country name for the female of the
BLACK GROUSE.

Grey Heron. Macgillivray’s name for the COMMON HERON.

Grey Kats or GREY Pate: The young GOLDFINCH. (North
and Kast Yorkshire.)

GREY LAG-GOOSE [No. 274]. The name appears to have
arisen from the fact that this was the grey Goose that lagged
behind the other species when they betook themselves to
their more northern breeding-quarters. Willughby and Ray
call it the “common Wild Goose.” The name Grey
Lag Goose first appears in Pennant (1777). It is the Grey
Goose of some authors, and the “ Grey-legged Goose ” of
Yarrell (Ist ed.). In Scotland when Wild Geese are seen
flying north before the breeding-season, it is looked upon
as a sien of fair, settled weather.

Grey Lennart. A Northumbrian name for the LINNET.
(Lennart—Linnet.)

Grey Linnet: The LINNET. A common provincial name ;
also applied to the TWITE in parts of Yorkshire.

Grey Lona-BEAK: The RED-BREASTED SNIPE. (Mac-
gillivray.)

Grey Nicut-Hreron: The NIGHT-HERON. (Macgillivray.)

Grey OwL: The TAWNY OWL. (Willughby.)

GREY PartRipGeE: The COMMON PARTRIDGE. (Macgillivray.)

GREY PHALAROPE [No. 398]. The name, which originates
in its grey-and-white winter-plumage, occurs first in Pennant
(1766) as Seallop-toe Sandpiper, but in later editions as
Grey Phalarope. It is the “ Great Coot-footed Tringa ” of
Edwards (pl. 308), upon which is based Brisson’s genus
Phalaropus, whence the name Phalarope.

GREY PLOVER [No. 365]. The name originates in the grey-
and-white of the winter-plamage. Occurs first in Merrett’s
list (1667). Willughby also terms it the “Grey Plover,
called at Venice Squatarola.”” The name has also been
applied in Ireland to the GOLDEN PLOVER, and in
Scotland to the KNOT.

Grey Prarmican: The PTARMIGAN. (Macgillivray.) The
name is only appropriate when in summer-plumage, the
upper-parts being then freckled with grey and brown.

Grey Repstart: The REDSTART. (Edwards.)

Grey SANDPIPER: The GREY PLOVER. (Pennant.)

GREY SHRIKE: Properly the GREAT GREY SHRIKE, but
also applied to the LESSER GREY SHRIKE.

GREY—GRUGIAR. Lil bs

Grey Skit: The WATER-RAIL. (Devonshire.) From its
stealthy habit of running (“skit to slide).

Grey Snipe: The RED-BREASTED SANDPIPER. (Gould.)

Grey Starting: The young STARLING. (East Lothian.)
From its greyish-brown plumage.

Grey THrusH: The FIELDFARE. (Scotland.) Also the
MISTLE-THRUSH according to Macgillivray, while the
SONG-THRUSH is known in parts of England as Grey-bird
or Grey Throstle.

GREY WAGTAIL [No. 80]. The name originates in the slate-
grey of the upper-parts. It occurs first in Willughby
(1678). Pennant calls it Grey Water Wagtail.

Grey YocteE: The SHORT-EARED OWL. (Shetlands.)
Yogle—Owl.

GRIFFON-VULTURE [No. 254]. This is the Grype or Gryffon
of Aldrovandus, from which the name seems to be derived.
It is found in Yarreil’s First Supp. (1845) as an English
species.

GricEAR. A Cornish name for the PARTRIDGE; also
the female BLACK GROUSE.

GRISARD : The GLAUCOUS GULL. (Bewick.)

GRISELLED SANDPIPER: The KNOT in winter-plumage.

GRosBEAK: The HAWFINCH. (Willughby, Pennant, etc.)
It is a frequent name for this bird in Yorkshire.

GROUND FEATHERPOKE: The WILLOW-WARBLER. (Don-
caster). See “ Featherpoke.”

GrounpD Huckmuck, Grounp Isaac, GRoundD OvEN: The
WILLOW-WARBLER. English provincial names, in
allusion to the structure and materials of its nest (Isaac is
a corruption of “ hayjack,” q.v.).

GrounD Lark: The SKY-LARK, generally ; also the CORN-
BUNTING (Doncaster); and the MEADOW-PIPIT
(Cleveland, Yorkshire).

GrounD WrREN: The WILLOW-WARBLER (Cheshire,
Yorkshire, Scotland); the CHIFFCHAFF (Yorkshire).

Grous: The RED GROUSE. (Pennant.) This is the ancient
form of spelling.

Grouse. The RED GROUSE is frequently termed Grouse
simply.

Grove Perrycuars: The WOOD-WARBLER. (Provincial.)

GRUGIAR DpU: The BLACK GROUSE. (North Wales) lit.
“black heather hen.”

I

114 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

GRUNDLING: The RINGED PLOVER. (Lancashire.) Swain-
son thinks it equivalent to Groundling.

GRYPE or GRyFFON. Aldrovandus gives these as names for the
GRIFFON-VULTURE.

GUENOL or GUENBOL. A Cornish name for the COMMON
WHITETHROAT.

GUERNSEY NIGHTINGALE: The BLACKCAP.

GUERNSEY ParTRIDGE: The RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE.
(Montagu.)

Guea. An Irish name for the GANNET.

GuILBINN: The CURLEW. (Western Isles of Scotland.)
From Gaelic guil, wailing, and binn, music.

GuILLEMoT. See COMMON GUILLEMOT.

GUINEA-BIRD DivER: The RED-THROATED DIVER. (Kast

Riding, Yorkshire.) From its speckled back resembling
that of a Guinea-fowl.

GUIRENAN. A Gaelic name for the BRENT GOOSE.

GULDEN-HEAD: The PUFFIN. Willughby records it as so
called in South Wales.

GuLER: The YELLOW BUNTING. (Norfolk.) From A.Sax
geolu—yellow.

GULLALLAN. A Northumbrian name for the Skuas.

GULLAN. Cornish for a Gull.

GULL-BILLED TERN [No. 415]. The name occurs in Montagu
(Supp. ‘‘ Orn. Dict.”’).

GULL-TEASER: The COMMON TERN. Occurs in Montagu.

GunnER: The GREAT NORTHERN DIVER.

GURADNAN. A Cornish name for the WREN.

GuRFEL: The RAZORBILL. (Provincial.)

GustaRD: The GREAT BUSTARD. (Sibbald.)

GutrER Cock: The WATER-RAIL. (Cornwall.) From its
frequenting ditches.

GuTTEeR TeEETAN: The ROCK-PIPIT. (Orkneys.)

GwatcH: The SPARROW-HAWK. (North Wales) lit.
“hawk.”

GWALCH bi nos: The NIGHTJAR. (North Wales) lit. “night
hawk.”

GwaLcH y PENWEIG. A Welsh name for the RAZORBILL;
lit. “ herring hawk.”

GwaLcH y weILer. A Welsh name fcr the OSPREY, signifying
** sea-hawk.”

os

GRUNDLING—GWYLAN. 115

Gwas y coc, Gwpprro. A Welsh name for the WRYNECK
and also the MEADOW-PIPIT. It signifies ‘‘ Cuckoo’s
knave,” i.e. servant.

Gwas y sem. A Welsh name for the GOLDFINCH; lit.
** sheriff’s servant.”

GwWDDFGAM or GwppFRO. Welsh names for the WRYNECK ;
lit. “ wryneck.”

Gwpprewyn. A Welsh name for the WHITETHROAT.

GweENNoL, Gwenrot. Welsh names for the SWALLOW;
lit. “‘ white belly.”

GWENNOL ¥ BARGOD, GWENNOL y BONDO. Welsh names for
the MARTIN. The former signifies “eave swallow,” the
latter ‘ house swallow.”

GWENNOL-Y-GLENNYDD. A Welsh name fcr the SAND-
MARTIN ; lit. ‘‘ bankside swallow.”

GWENNOL-yY-M6R: The COMMON TERN. (North Wales)
lit. “‘ sea-swallow.”

GwicH HEDYDD. A Welsh name for the GRASSHOPPER-
WARBLER.

Gwitym: The COMMON GUILLEMOT. (North Wales)
lit. “‘ William.”

GwitymM ppv: The BLACK GUILLEMOT. (North Wales)
lit. ‘‘ Black William.”

Gwrea, Gwipal, or Gwepra. Welsh names for the SPARROW-
HAWK.

Gwyacn FacH. A Welsh name for the LITTLE GREBE ;
lit. “little grebe.”

GwyacH Gornioc. A Welsh name for the GREAT CRESTED
GREBE; lit. “‘ horned grebe.”

Gwysepoc. A Welshname for the SPOTTED FLYCATCHER ;
lit. ‘“‘ insect catcher.”

GWYBEDOG BRITH, or GWYBEDOG DDU A GwyN: The PIED
FLYCATCHER. (North Wales) lit. “ pied flycatcher.”

Gwypp Bonar: The BEAN-GOOSE. (North Wales) lit.
** bean-goose.”

GwyDD DALCEN Gwyn: The WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE.
(North Wales) lit. ‘‘ white-forehead goose.”

GwyDD DROED BINC: The PINK-FOOTED GOOSE. (North
Wales) lit. “‘ pink-footed goose.”

Gwypp wytit: The GREY LAG-GOOSE. (North Wales)
lit. “‘ wild goose.”

GwyLaN BENDDU: The BLACK-HEADED GULL. (North
Wales) lit. “‘ black-headed gull.”

12

116 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

GWYLAN BENWEN: The KITTIWAKE. (North Wales) lit.
“* white-headed gull.”

GWYLAN FRECH : The POMATORHINE SKUA. (North Wales)
lit. “spotted gull.”

GWYLAN GEFNDDU FAWR: The GREAT BLACK-BACKED
GULL. (North Wales) lit. the same.

GWYLAN GEFNDDU LEIAF: The LESSER BLACK-BACKED
GULL. (North Wales) lit. the same.

GWYLAN GYFFREDIN: The COMMON GULL. (North Wales)
lit. “common gull.”

GWYLAN GYNFFON HIR: The ARCTIC SKUA. (North Wales)
lit. “ long-tailed gull.”

GwYLAN MANAW: The MANX SHEARWATER. (North
Wales) lit. ‘“ Manx Gull.”

GwyLan wypp: The GANNET. (North Wales) lit. “ gull-
goose.”

GWYLAN Y PENWEIG: The HERRING-GULL. (North Wales)
lit. “ herring gull.”

GWYLAN Y weEiILe1: The STORM-PETREL. (North Wales)
lit. “ocean gull.”

GwyLoc: The COMMON GUILLEMOT. (North Wales) lit.
* ouillemot.”

GYLFINBRAFF. A Welsh name for the HAWFINCH.

GyLrrneross (Y). A Welsh name for the COMMON CROSS-
BILL; lit. “the crossbill.”

GytrinHir. A Welsh name for the COMMON CURLEW;
lit. “ long-bill.”

Gyp STARLING, Grp STARNILL, Gyp, or Gypey: The STARLING.
(Yorkshire.)

GYR-FALCON [No. 230]. Anciently often called the Ger-
Falcon, and erroneously Jer-Faleon. The name properly
belongs to the female, the male being formerly called the
Jerkin (either dim. of “‘ Jer” or else from Jerkin, a short
coat, hence indicating an inferior size). Willughby spells
it “ Jer-Falcon” and says it “seems to take its name from
the High Dutch word Gyrfalco, i.e. a ravenous Falcon, or
Vulturine Falcon” (Gyr=Vulture). Newton thinks the
derivation is probably from Low Latin Gyrofalco. Originally
the three forms of Falco rusticolus (the GYR-FALCON,
ICELAND FALCON; and GREENLAND FALCON) were
confused together under the name of Gyr-Falcon or Jer-
Falcon, under which name they will be found in Pennant,
Lewin, and other early writers.

GWYLAN—HANDSAW. 117

Gyr Fatcon: The PEREGRINE FALCON. (Longdendale,
Cheshire.)

Hackspott: The GREAT SHEARWATER. (Scilly Isles.)

Hacket or Hacktet: The KITTIWAKE. (Provincial.)

Hacpown: The GREAT SHEARWATER. (Dungarvan, Isle
of Man; and coast of Ireland.)

Haaearp or HaaearD Fatcon: The PEREGRINE FALCON
in adult-plumage. (Willughby.)

Hacearp Hawk. In falconry, a full-grown hawk, taken in
its unreclaimed state.

Hacaister or Hacister. An old Kentish name for the
MAGPIE. Occurs in Scott’s “ Discovery of Witchcraft,”
where it is said that, “‘ to prognosticate that guests approach
to your house upon the chattering of pies or haggisters is
altogether vanity and superstition.”

Haicrie: The COMMON HERON. (Shetland Isles.)

Harr-rart: The GARDEN-WARBLER. (Nidd Valley, York-
shire.)

Hairy Woodpecker. An American species said by Latham,
Montagu and others, without sufficient evidence, to have
reached our shores.

Hatcyon: The KINGFISHER. (Poetical.)

Hatr-pirp. A fowler’s name for the TEAL, COMMON
POCHARD, SCAUP-DUCK and other small ducks which
bring lesser prices than the larger kinds. It seems to be
proper to any kind under the size of the MALLARD. It
is used in the Fens, also in Norfolk and elsewhere.

Hatr-CurLew: The WHIMBREL. (Norfolk, Yorkshire.) So
called from its being a miniature of the COMMON CURLEW
(see Half-bird). The name is also applied in Norfolk to
the BAR-TAILED GODWIT.

Hair Ness: The RED-NECKED PHALAROPE. (Provincial.)

Hatr-SnipE: The JACK SNIPE. (Norfolk.) So called from
its being much smaller than the COMMON SNIPE.

Hatr Wuaur: The BAR-TAILED GODWIT. (Forfar). An
equivalent of Half-Curlew.

Hampure GRosBeAK: The TREE-SPARROW. (Latham.)

HampurG TREE-CREEPER: The TREE-SPARROW. (Albin.)

Hammer BuateE (or BLEAT) : The COMMON SNIPE. (Provincial.)

Hanpsaw: The HERON. A corruption of ‘ Heronseugh.”
Occurs in Hamlet (act m, sc. 2): “I know a hawk from
a handsaw.”

118 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Haretp: The LONG-TAILED DUCK. (Orkney.) From
haveld, the Icelandic name of the species.

Hartan: The PINTAIL. (Wexford.) In the same county the
RED-BREASTED MERGANSER is known as Land Harlan.

Harte: The GOOSANDER (female or young). Also the
RED-BREASTED MERGANSER (Orkneys and Shet-
lands.) From the Fr. name Harle.

HariEquin. According to Hett the BUFFEL-HEADED
DUCK is sometimes so called.

HARLEQUIN-DUCK [No. 305]. This name was first given
by Pennant (“ Arctic Zoology,” 11, No. 490, 1785). Newton,
however, says it was anglicized by Forster in 1791 from
Linneus’s Anas histrionica. It is the Harlequin Garrot
of Selby.

Hartey: The SWIFT. (Ferfar.)

Harpy, Harpy Duck Hawk, or WHITE-HEADED Harpy: The
MARSH-HARRIER.

Harry Dutcuman : The HOODED CROW. From the supposi-
tion that the winter-immigrants come from Holland.
HaseL Hen, Hazet Hen, or Hazen Grouse: The female
BLACK GROUSE. Occurs in Merrett (1667) as ‘“‘ Hasel
Hen ” and in Willughby as “ Hazel Hen,” the fatter saying

that it is the Attagen of Gesner (see Attagen).

Hatcuer: The HEDGE-SPARROW. (Provincial.)

HAWFINCH [No. 16]. The name probably implies a partiality
for haw-berries, but can also mean hedge-finch, the original
meaning of the word haw being hedge, from A.Sax. haga, an
enclosure. Occurs first in Willughby (1678). It is the
Grosbeak or Haw-Grosbeak of many authors from Pennant
to Montagu.

Haw Grospeak. See HAWFINCH.

Hawk Day-Owt. Macgillivray’s name for the Hawk-Owls,
now separated as AMERICAN HAWK-OWL and EURO-
PEAN HAWK-OWL.

Hawk oF THE First coat. A falconer’s term for a Hawk of
the fourth year, when it has attained its full growth and
perfection. A Hawk of the fifth year was moreover called

‘a hawk of the second coat,” and so on.

Hawk-Own. Montagu gives this as a provincial name for the
SHORT-EARED OWL, on account of the smallness of its
head, which gives it a somewhat hawk-like appearance, and
Saxby gives it as a Shetland name for that species. The
name, however, properly belongs to the EUROPEAN and
AMERICAN HAWK-OWLS, members of the genus Surnia

HARELD—HEBOG. 119

Hay-sirp: The BLACKCAP (Northants.); the WILLOW-
WARBLER (a general provincial name); the WOOD-
WARBLER (West Yorkshire); and the WHINCHAT
(Ryedale, Yorkshire). From the nest being composed
principally of, dry grass.

Hay-CrakE: The LAND-RAIL. (Ackworth, Yorkshire.)

Hay-sack. A name applied to several small birds which build
nests of hay or bents, such as the WHITETHROAT,
BLACKCAP, GARDEN-WARBLER, ete. Also occurs as
Hayceuat (Northants.), Hazeck (Worcestershire) and Hay-
SUCKER (Devonshire). Originally Hey-suck (or Heges-sugge)
according to Newton (see “Segge”). The Hay-chat of
North and West Yorkshire is the WHINCHAT.

Hay-tir: The WHITETHROAT. (Oxfordshire, Shropshire).

Haz, Hort, Hovz. Cornish names for a Duck.

Hazev LInNET: The LESSER WHITETHROAT. (Provincial.)

Heatucock : The BLACK GROUSE. (North Country.) Occurs
in Willughby. The female or Grey-hen is termed
HEATH-HEN.

HEATHER-BLEAT or HEATHER-BLEATER : The COMMON SNIPE.
(Bewick.) Also a provincial name in parts of the North
of England and in Scotland and Ireland. From its familiar
“ drumming.”

HeatHer Lintie or Heatuer Lintese. A Border name for the
TWITE. From its habit of nesting amongst the heather ;
also applied in Scctland to the LINNET, and in Cumberland,
Westmorland, and Yorkshire to the MEADOW-PIPIT ;
the latter being also known as HEATHER CHEEPER.

HEATHER PEEPER : The COMMON SANDPIPER. (Aberdeen.)

Heatu-poutt. A New Forest name for the BLACK GROUSE ;
lit. Heath-fowl, a name elsewhere applied to the species.

Heatu THRosttE: The RING-OUZEL. (Provincial.)

Heavy Prover. A name for the GREY PLOVER, according
to Hett.

HesoG cHwytpro. A Welsh name for the GYR-FALCON.

Hresoc tiuwypLtis: The male HEN-HARRIER. (North
Wales) lit. “‘ grey-blue hawk.”

Heroc pramor. A Welsh name for the PEREGRINE
FALCON;; lit. “foreign falcon.” Hebog gwlanog was also
formerly applied to the “Lanner” or young Peregrine
Falcon.

Hesoc MARTHIN. A Welsh name for the GOSHAWK.

120 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Hersog yr Hepypp. A Welsh name for the HOBBY; lit.
“lark falcon.”

HEBRIDAL SANDPIPER: The TURNSTONE. (Pennant.)

Hxcco. An obsolete name for the GREEN WOODPECKER.
from A.Sax hicgan=to try. Occurs in Drayton’s
“The Owl” as “ sharp neb’d hecco.”

HECcKLE or HEEKLE: The GREEN WOODPECKER. From the_
same derivaticn as Hecco.

Heckymat, Hackyman, Hacxmat, Hagman, Hickman: The
BLUE TITMOUSE. (Cornwall and Devonshire.) From
the strong pecks which it deals with its bill, according tv
Swainson. Heckymal is also a Dartmoor name for the
GREAT TITMOUSE.

Hepce-Accentor. Sometimes applied to the HEDGE-
SPARROW, on account of its belonging to the former
genus Accentor, and to avoid the misnomer “Sparrow.”
The name is found in Selby (1825) and was adopted by
Yarrell (1848).

Hepecet-Betry: The HEDGE-SPARROW. (Provincial.)

HEDGE-CHANTER: The HEDGE-SPARROW. (Macgillivray.)
Also a local name in Yorkshire.

HepGe-Cuat: The HEDGE-SPARROW. (Northants.)

Hepce-Cuicken: The WHITETHROAT. (Provincial.)

HEDGE-CHICcKER: The WHEATEAR. (Previncial.)

HEDGE-CREEPER: The HEDGE-SPARROW. (Yorkshire.)

HepGe-Jue: The HEDGE-SPARROW. (Provincial.) From
the shape of the nest.

HEDGE-MIKE: The HEDGE-SPARROW. (Sussex.)

HEDGE-SPARROW [No. 188, British Hedge-Sparrow ; No. 187,
Continental Hedge-Sparrow]. The name occurs as
‘* Hedge-sparr’w ” in Chaucer, and as ‘“‘ Hedge sparrow ”
in Turner (1544), in Merrett, and in Willughby;
and we find it stated in the latter that, “In the
nest of this bird the Cuckow is said to lay her egg, which
the foolish bird sits upon, hatches and brings up the young
one till it be fledg’d and can shift for itself.” Chaucer also
alludes to the Cuckoo in his “ Parliament of Foules ” as the
‘““murtherer ” of the Hedge-Sparrow that brought it forth.
Turner identifies the Trogledytes of AXtius and others with
the Hedge-Sparrow, but it is of course the WREN.
Hartert has lately separated the resident British form from
the Continental form, only a few examples of which have,
however, yet been certainly identified here.

—— eee

HEBOG—HERMIT. 121

Hepes Spick: The HEDGE-SPARROW. (Sussex.)

Hepce WarsiLer: The HEDGE-SPARROW. (Bewick.) Also
local name in Yerkshire.

Hepey or Hencrr: The HEDGE-SPARROW. (Provincial.)

HeEpyppD, EHEDYDD, or UcHEDYDD. Welsh names for the SKY-
LARK; the first two signify a “ flier,” the third a “ high
flier.”

Hepypp-y-corp. The Welsh name for the WOOD-LARK ;
lit. “‘ wood-lark.”

Heepy-Craw : The HOODED CROW. (Scotland.) No doubt
a corruption.

Herrut, Herratp: The GREEN WOODPECKER. (York-
shire.) Probably same as “ yaffle.”

Hee@rif, HEGRIW’s SKIP, or Skip Hearm: The HERON. (Shet-
lands.)

Hetecvc: The PUFFIN. Willughby records it as so called
in South Wales.

HewiesaAy: The RAZORBILL. (Shetlands.) Hett also gives
* Helligog ” for this species.

HempieE: The HEDGE-SPARROW. (Scotland and York-
shire.)

Hen-Driver. An occasional name for the HEN-HARRIER
(Thornton.)

HEN-HARRIER [No. 24]. Formerly a common species in our
islands, but now rare as a breeding species. The names
Hen-Harrier (male) and Ring-tail (female) both occur in
Willughby (1678). Turner (1544) has “Hen _harroer,”
and says, “It gets this name among our countrymen from
butchering their fowls.” It is related in the “ Zoologist ”
that in the Hebrides it is said of any one, should he be more
than ordinarily fortunate on a certain day, that he must
have seen‘\the “clamhan luch” or Hen-Harrier.

Hen Harroer: The HEN-HARRIER. Occurs in Turner
( 1544), and is copied from him by Aldrovandus.

HeratD: The COMMON HERON. (Forfar.)

HERALD Duck or Heratp: The RED-BREASTED MER-
GANSER. (Shetland Isles, Forfar.)

HerpsMAN: The GREAT SKUA. (Orkneys.) Because it is
believed to protect the young lambs from Eagles (Swainson.)

HerRL: The adult male RED-BREASTED MERGANSER.
(Northumberland. )

Hermit Crow: The CHOUGH. From its solitary habits.

22 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Hern, HERNsHAW, HeRNSEUGH, HERNSEW, Harn, HARNSER,
HarnsEy: The COMMON HERON. Vulgar contractions
of Heronseugh. ‘Hern or Hernshaw ”’ occurs in Merrett
(1667). The first four are North Country, and the last three
East Anglian names. Whitaker gives Herring Sue for
Nottinghamshire, and Nelson and Clarke give Heron-
sew, Herring-sew, Heronseugh, Heron-sue, Heronshaw, and
Heronshew for the Yorkshire districts.

Heron. See COMMON HERON.

HeEronsEvuGH. An old English name for the HERON, the
precise meaning and derivation of which is doubtful. Some
authorities derive it from the Sanskrit hansa. It occurs
as Heron-sewe in Chaucer, which has led to the supposition
that the “sewe” is derived from Old Eng. sewe, a dish,
in reference to the bird as a table dainty.

Herring Gant: The GANNET. (Norfolk.)

HERRING-GULL [No. 431]. The name occurs in Willughby,
also in Pennant and succeeding writers.

Herring Spink: The GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN. (Kast
Suffolk.) So called from being often caught in the rigging
of the boats during the North Sea fishing when on migration
(“ Kast Anglian,” rv, p. 115).

HeEw-HOLE: The GREEN WOODPECKER (see Hickwall.)
The name occurs in Turner (1544) and in Willughby.

HickmMatL. A provincial name for the BLUE TITMOUSE (see
Heckymal.)

HickwaLtt: The GREEN WOODPECKER, according to
Merrett, but Willughby applies the name to the LESSER
SPOTTED WOODPECKER, as do also Yarrell, Bewick,
and other authors. Newton derives the name from A.Sax
higera or higere, lit. a laugher ; in which case the GREEN
WOODPECKER would appear to be the species intended.
Another form of the word is Hickway, from which Newton
thinks the names Highaw and Hewhole may be corrupted.

HicH-HoE: The GREEN WOODPECKER. (Shropshire.) Occurs
in Willughby (1678). Heigh-hawe and Hayhoe are other
forms of the word, which Newton thinks comes from
A.Sax higera or higere (see Hickwall), but it has been
thought to refer to the height at which the bird makes
its nesting-holes.

Hittan Pret: The MISTLE-THRUSH. (Aberdeen.) Pro-
bably ‘‘ Highland Pie.”

Hitt Brrp: The FIELDFARE. (Scotland.)

HERN—HOLLAND. 1s

Hitt Biacksirrp: The RING-OUZEL. (Northumberland.)
Hitt Cuack: The RING-OUZEL. (Orkneys.)

Hitt Hooter: The TAWNY OWL. (Cheshire.)

Hit Lintre: The TWITE. (Orkneys.)

Hitz Picron : The STOCK-DOVE. (Cheshire.)

Hitt Plover: The GOLDEN PLOVER. (Forfarshire.)

Hitt Sparrow: The MEADOW-PIPIT. (Orkneys and Shet-
lands.)

Hissinc Own: The BARN-OWL. (Yorkshire.) From the
hissing sound uttered at times.

HOBBY [No. 235]. The name occurs Latinized ‘“ hobbia ” in
Turner (1544), but in English in Willughby (1678), who
correctly designates it “ swbbuteo of Aldrovandus,” a name
applied by Turner to the female HEN-HARRIER, or
Ringtail. Willughby remarks that the word Hobby is
derived from its French name (which in Old Fr. was
Hobé, Mod. Fr. Hobereau, or Hobreau), but Swainson thinks
the Mod. Fr. Hobereawis from Old Provencal Alban (white,
from its light plumage) through Old Fr. Aubreau.
Aldrovandus spells it ‘‘ Hobie.” In addition to being a
favourite species for hawking, this bird was formerly
employed in what was called the ‘“ Daring of Larks,” an
ancient usage in fowling, in which a Hobby was let off
to prevent the larks from rising while they were being
netted. Among faleoners Hobby was properly the name
of the female, the inferior male being called Jack or Robin.
Tn the Shetlands the name Hobby is applied to the MERLIN
according to Saxby.

Hossy Brrp. An old Norfolk name for the WRYNECK
according to Sir Thomas Browne, “ because it comes either
with, or a little before, the hobbies in the spring.”

Hogsspy Owt: The BARN-OWL. (Northants.)

Hosicocu Broncocu (Yr). A Welsh name for the REDBREAST.

Hoppy Craw or Huppy Craw: The CARRION-CROW.
(South Scotland.)

HOLBOLL’S REDPOLL [No. 22]. A rare vagrant from the
Polar regions. Of doubtful distinction from the MEALY
REDPOLL.

Hotianp Duck: The SCAUP-DUCK. (Forfarshire.)

Hoitianp Hawk : The GREAT NORTHERN DIVER. (Ballan-
trae, Scotland.)

124 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Hoitm Cock, Horm Screecu, or Hotm TorusH: The MISTLE-
THRUSH. (Cornwall, Devonshire, Dorsetshire) ; in Yorkshire
‘* Hollin-Cock.” From its partiality to the berries of the
holly or holm (Mid. Eng. holin) and from its loud song or
its harsh note when taking flight.

HONEY-BUZZARD [No. 252]. Willughby (1678) thought it
new and gave it the name of Honey-Buzzard from having
found the combs of wasps’ nests in its nest. It was however
the Boudree of Belon (1555). Its food is the wasps and bees
and their larve, not their honey, a fact which perhaps
accounted for Macgillivray’s attempt to change the name
to “ Brown Bee-Hawk.”’

Hoop Awt: The GREEN WOODPECKER. (Cornwall.)
Perhaps a corruption of Wood Awl, which is possibly
again a corruption of Whetile, from A.Sax. thwitan—to cut.

HOODED CROW [No. 2]. The name Hooded Crow is first
used by Pennant. Willughby and Ray call it the Royston
Crow; Turner called it the “‘ Winter Crow.” The term
Hooded is derived from the black head and nape contrasting
with the grey of the mantle. For description of a curious
ceremony practised by Scottish herdsmen, in which offerings
are made to the hooded crow, eagle, ete., to induce them
to spare the flocks, see Pennant’s ‘‘ Tour in Scotland,” 11,
pp. 110-11.

The Guil, the Gordon and the Hooded Craw,
Were the three worst things Murray ever saw,

is a Morayshire saying (the guile, or gule, being an obnoxious
weed). The CARRION-CROW is frequently called Hooded
Crow or Hoodie in Scotland, while in the Orkneys and in
East Lothian, according to Swainson, the BLACK-HEADED
GULL is known as Hooded Crow or Hooded Mew.

HOODED MERGANSER [No. 315, American Hooded Mer-
ganser]. The name is found in Selby and also in Yarrell
and succeeding authors.

Hoopep Tern: The LITTLE TERN. From the black crown
and nape.

Hoopie or Huppre Craw: The HOODED CROW. (Scottish
Borders.)

Hooter: The BARN-OWL. (Scottish Lowlands.) Also applied
to the TAWNY OWL.

Hoor or Cock Hoor: The BULLFINCH. (Cornwall, Devon-
shire, Dorsetshire, Somersetshire, and Upton-on-Severn.)
It seems to be derived from the bird’s_ whistling-
note. The name Hoop or Houp is also applied to the
HOOPOE (q.v.)

HOLM—HORNEYWINK. 125

Hooper or Hooper Swan: The WHOOPER SWAN. Yarrell
calls it the Hooper.

HOOPOE [No. 206]. The name, which is derived from its note,
occurs in Turner (1544) as “ Houupe;” in Barlow (1655)
as “ Hoopoe;” in Merrett (1667) as “ Hoopee ; ” and in
Willughby (1678) as “ Hoop, or Hoopoe,” while in Bailey’s
Dictionary it is “ Houp.” Turner says the species is
nowhere found in Britain, but Merrett says that it occurs
in the New Forest and in Essex, but is rare. Plot (1677)
calls it the “ Hoopoe or Hooping-bird,” and Pennant
(1766) the Hoopoe. The French name is Huppe, and
Newton observes that although originally onomatopoetic
it is now used to denote a crest or tuft, this secondary
meaning having arisen from the bird’s crest. Houghton
says that the Hoopoe is the bird denoted in the Bible by
the Hebrew word dukiphath, which is rendered “ lapwing ”
in our version (an error arising from the fact that both
birds are crested) ; it occurs only in the list of birds for-:
bidden to be used as food by the ancient Jews. It is also.
figured on the Egyptian monuments and appears, according
to Horapollo, to represent the quality of gratitude, while
the Arabs have a superstitious reverence for it, as they
believe it to Possess marvellous medicinal properties,
calling it “the doctor,” and also fancy it is able to point
out underground wells and fountains. It figures largely in
Continental folk-lore, but not in English, on account of its.
scarcity with us.

Hoot Ow: The TAWNY OWL. (Craven.)

Horneitt Bunting: The CORN-BUNTING. (Ireland.)
Horn-coot: The LONG-EARED OWL. (Swainson.) From
the two erectile horn-like tufts of feathers or “ ears.”
Hornep DovuckerR or HorNnep Dascuick: The GREAT
CRESTED GREBE. (Provincial.) The term “ horned ”

is from its crest; Doucker signifies ducker or diver.

Hornep GoosE: The BRENT GOOSE. (Provincial.) An evi-
dent misnomer. Perhapsa mistake for Horra Goose (q.v.).

HorNnED GREBE: The SLAVONIAN GREBE. (Latham.)

Hornep Lark: The SHORE-LARK. Macgillivray gives it as
a provincial name.

HORNEMANN’S REDPOLL [No. 24]. A Greenland species
which sometimes strays to our shores.

Horner: The GOOSANDER. (Holderness, Yorkshire.)

Horneywink: The LAPWING. (Cornwall.) From the long
horn-like crest.

126 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

HornFincH: The STORM-PETREL. (Provincial.)

Hornovut or Horn-Owi: The LONG-EARED OWL. The
first mame occurs in Turner, the second in Willughby
and many subsequent writers up to Bewick. Horned Owl
is an English provinciai name, and Hornie Oolet cr Hornie
Hoolet a Scots one for the species.

Horn-PigE: The LAPWING. (Norfolk and Suffolk.) From
its erectile crest and its pied plumage.

Horra Goose or Horrie Goose: The BRENT GOOSE. (Shet-
lands.) From its frequenting the Sound of Horra.

Horse Fixcu: The CHAFFINCH. Montagu gives it as a
provincial name. It is also called Horse-dung Finch, from
its frequenting the roads.

HorsE Gowk or Hors—e Gawk: The COMMON SNIPE.
(Orkneys and Shetlands.) Because the “drumming” is
supposed to resemble the neighing of a horse (Swainson.)
It has also been rendered Hoarse Gowk, which implies
another meaning.

Horse Lark: The CORN-BUNTING. (Cornwall.)

HorsrE MasHer or Horst SmatcH: The WHEATEAR. (Corn-
wall.)

HorsE TurusH: The MISTLE-THRUSH. (Northants.)

Hortuton or HorrutaneE: The ORTOLAN BUNTING.
(Albin.)

Hovuss-Martin: The MARTIN. So called from its building
under the eaves and porches of houses. Montagu gives it
as a provincial name.

HOUSE-SPARROW [No. 40]. Perhaps the most commen and
well-known of British birds. The name “Sparrow” is of
great antiquity, and is the A.Sax. Spearwa, Goth. Sparva,
while it is the Passer of classical writers, and occurs under
this name in Aristotle, who says it is of all birds the most
wanton. ‘‘ House-Sparrow ” occurs in Merrett’s list (1667)
and in Willughby (1678), but Turner (1544) calls it simply
“Sparrow,” which is now and has generally been the col-
loquial name for the species. As regards folk-lore I do not
find very much relating to this bird. A Yorkshire legend,
however, of the Hermit of Lindholme on Hatfield Chase,
is to the effect that being left at home when a boy to keep
the sparrows from the corn he shut them all up in a barn
without a door, and when his parents got home the birds
were all found lying dead on the floor, and the only sparrow
seen in the place since was a solitary one as white as snow
(“‘ Folklore Journal,’’? December, 1883). A similar tale,

HORNFINCH—HWYADEN. 1 P

however, is related in Monmouthshire of John of Rent. In
Wiltshire, the superstition attaching to other birds in some
other counties is held of the Sparrow, that if one taps at a
window it is said to indicate a death in the family. A
popular belief is that if sparrows chirp a great deal wet
weather will ensue (Inwards).

HovsE-SwaLtow: The SWALLOW. Occurs in Merrett and
in Willughby.

Hover-Hawk: The KESTREL. (Berks., Bucks., Yorkshire.)
An equivalent of “ Windhover” (q.v.).

Howter. An Owl (diminutive). Applied by Aldrovandus, who
spells it in old fashion ‘‘ Houulet,” to the LITTLE OWL,
and also to the BARN-OWL; and by Willughby to the
TAWNY OWL.

Howster: The KNOT. (Provincial.)

Huck-Muck: The LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE and _ the
WILLOW-WARBLER. Applied to the latter perhaps in
allusion to the somewhat slovenly appearance of its nest.

Hurt: The GREEN WOODPECKER. (East Riding, York-
shire.) Swainson thinks it is from its laughing note.

Huns, Uta. Cornish names for an Owl.

Hutytot, Huiiart, or Utter. Local Cheshire names for the
BARN-OWL:; corruptions of Howlet and Owlet. Hulote
or Hullat is also an Orkney name.

Hoummine-Brrp: The GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN. (Red-
ear, Yorkshire.)

Hunting Hawk: The PEREGRINE FALCON. § (East
Lothian and Cheviot Hills.)

Hutan. A Welsh name for the DOTTEREL; lit. “ stupid.”

Hutan-y-mor. A Welsh name for the TURNSTONE lit.
“sea dotterel.” Also applied to the RINGED PLOVER
in North Wales.

HwyapD ADDFAIN. A Welsh name for the GARGANEY.

HwyADEN BENGOCH or Hwy4pD BENGOCH. Welsh names for the
POCHARD ; lit. “red-headed duck.”

HwyADEN DDAN HEDDOG : A Welsh name for the GOOSANDER.
lit. “ teothed duck.”

HwyaDEN ppu: The COMMON SCOTER. (North Wales)
lit. “‘ black duck.”

HwyADEN GopoGc or HwYADEN GopynoG: The TUFTED DUCK.
(North Wales) lit. “‘ crested duck.”

128 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

HwYADWYDD GYFFREDIN : The GOOSANDER. (North Wales)
lit. “‘common duck-goose.”

HwyYADEN LOSTFAIN: The PINTAIL. (North Wales) _ lit.
“‘narrow-tailed duck.” Hwyad gynffconfain is also given
by Fleming as a Welsh name for this species, and signifies
“Jong-tailed duck.”

HwyADEN LypaNnBic: The SHOVELER. (North Wales) lit.
“‘ broad-beaked duck.”

HWwyYADEN LYGAD ARIAN: The SCAUP DUCK. (North Wales)
lit. “‘ silver-eyed duck.”

HwyADEN LyGAD AUR: The GOLDENEYE. (North Wales)
lit. “‘ golden-eyed duck.”

HwyaDEN wytLtT: The MALLARD, or Wild-Duck. (North
Wales) lit. “ wild duck.”

HWwYADEN YR EITHIN: The COMMON SHELD-DUCK. (North
Wales) lit. “ gorse-duck.”’

HwyAD FELFEDOG: A Welsh name for the VELVET SCOTER.
lit. ‘‘ velvet duck.”

TAN-ANT ’SNEACHD: A Gaelic name for the SNOW-BUNTING.

TAR DDWFR FOEL: A Welsh name for the COOT; lit. “ bald
water-hen.”’

IarR ppwRr: The MOORHEN. (North Wales) lit. “‘ water-hen.”’

Tar Gocu: The RED GROUSE. (North Wales) lit. “red hen.”

Ian corp : The PHEASANT. (North Wales) lit. “ wood-hen.”

Ipis. See GLOSSY IBIS.

Ice Brrp or Icktanp Auk: The LITTLE AUK. The second
name is used on the Yorkshire coast.

Ic—e Duck: The LONG-TAILED DUCK. (Northumberland.)

ICELAND FALCON [No. 231]. The Icelandic form of the
GYR-FALCON, intermediate between the Scandinavian
typical form and the GREENLAND FALCON. The
name first occurs in Latham’s ‘“ Synepsis” (1, p. 71).

ICELAND GULL [No. 436]. This name according to Edmon-
ston was the local name in Unst, Shetland Isles, for both
this species and the GLAUCOUS GULL, or Burgomaster.
He seems to have been the first to publish the name
(“ Wern. Mem.,”’ rv, p. 506). Yarrell also calls it Lesser
White-winged Gull.

IcrLAND Hawk: The ICELAND FALCON and GREENLAND
FALCON. (Shetlands.)

IceLaAND ScorrE: The ICELAND GULL and the GLAUCOUS
GULL. (Shetlands.)

HWYADWYDD—IVORY. 129

ICTERINE WARBLER |[No. 141]. Occurs in Hewitson,

Yarrell, and Gould as Melodious Willow Warbler, and
-Melodious Willow Wren. The species was named Sylvia
iclerina by Vieillot in 1817, whence its name arises.

IcwELL: The GREEN WOODPECKER. (Northants.) See
** Kaqual.”

Imper Diver: The GREAT NORTHERN DIVER. (Ireland.)
See Immer.

Immer, IMMER Diver: The GREAT NORTHERN DIVER,
(Scotland.) Said to be lit. cmmerse, signifying the act of
diving, from Lat. immersus, to plunge intc. Conf. Dan.
Imber; Sw. Immer and Hmmer; Icel. Himbrim. The
name was formerly written ‘“ Imber Diver” by the older
ornithological writers from Willughby and Pennant to
Montagu, the last, however, also gives “Immer” as
a previncial name. Sibbald calls it the “‘ Ember Goose.”
Bewick (1804) gives “‘Imbrim” as a name for the species.

Indian Gallinule. Examples of this species recorded as taken
in our islands had no doubt escaped from captivity.

INDIAN STONECHAT [No. 177]. This is the Indian race
of the STONECHAT, first described by Blyth as long ago
as 1847.

IoLAIR BHUIDHE, [oLAIR RIAMHACH. Gaelic names for the
WHITE-TAILED EAGLE.

IoLarr DHUBH. The Gaelic name for the GOLDEN FAGLE;
signifying “ Black Eagle.”

Io“tarR vIscE. A Gaelic name for the OSPREY ; lit. ‘* water
eagle.”

IntsH Coau-Tirmouse. See COAL-TITMOUSE.

IrisH Dipper. See DIPPER.

IrtsH NIGHTINGALE. Aname applied to the SEDGE-WARBLER
in some parts of Ireland, from its habit of singing at night,
and because the true NIGHTINGALE is unknown there.

Isaac or Hazock: The HEDGE-SPARROW. (Worcestershire. )
A corruption of Old. Eng. hetsugge (see Blue Isaac).

ISABELLINE WHEATEAR [No. 173]. An Asiatic species
which takes its name from the isabelline colour of its plumage.

IstE or Wicut Parson: The CORMORANT. (Hampshire.)

IVORY GULL [No. 438]. The name, arising from the ivory
whiteness of its plumage, appears in Bewick (1832) and
Selby, and was adopted by Yarrel]. It was, however, first
called “ Snow-bird” by Edmondston and by Fleming.

Ivory WHALE GULL: Macgillivray’s name for the IVORY GULL.

K

130 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Ivy OwL: The TAWNY OWL. (Willughby.) In casual use
provincially.

Jack: Properly the JACKDAW. A common provincialism.
From its small size as compared with the other Corvi (see
JACKDAW). In the days of falconry, Jack or Jack Merlin
was also the term for the male of the MERLIN, which is
of smaller size than the female, as is usual in the birds of
prey. The male HOBBY was also in the same way termed
Jack or Robin to distinguish it from the female, termed
Hobby.

Jack BAKER: The RED-BACKED SHRIKE. (Surrey, Sussex,
Hants.)

Jack Brrp: The FIELDFARE. From its cry.

JAcK-CURLEW or CURLEW JAcK: The WHIMBREL. (Rutty.)
lit. a small curlew. Curlew Jack is a Yorkshire name for
the species. Swainson applies the name, possibly errone-
ously, to the CURLEW.

JACKDAW [No. 5]. Occurs in Merrett (1667). In Shakespeare
it is “daw.” Willughby has “ Jack-daw.” Jack (properly
a diminution of John) is used in this connection, not as a
nickname, but to indicate insignificance or small size (lit.
“boy ’’) and is therefore an equivalent of “ knave ” (q.v.).
For other instances, cf. Jack-snipe, Jack-Curlew, ete.
Daw (Mid. Eng.) is apparently onomatopoetic. In Lanca-
shire a Jackdaw alighting on the window-sill of a sick-room
is considered an ill omen (Harland and Wilkinson). A
Norwich saying is :—

When three daws are seen on St. Peter’s vane together

Then we’re sure to have bad weather.
Turner, writing in 1534, says of this bird that it is “ by the
Latins named Monedula, as if it were Monetula, from the
Moneta (money) which alone of birds, as Pliny says, it
steals . . . Moreover, Ovid happily describes its thievish
habits in the following lines :—

Was changed into a bird, which even now loves gold,
Monedula, the black of foot, in plumage black arrayed.”

Jack DouckER: The LITTLE GREBE. (Shropshire.) From
its small size and diving propensities.

Jack Hawk: The KESTREL. (Arkengarthdale, Yorkshire.)

Jack HERN or JacK Heron: The HERON. (Sussex.)

Jack IckLE: The GREEN WOODPECKER. (Northants.)

Jackie Foster: The LONG-TAILED DUCK. (Northumber-
land.

ns : The LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE. In
reference to the shape of its nest.

IVY—JAR. 131

Jack Merimn: The male of the MERLIN in falconry (see
Widack:’?).

Jack NickER, JAcK-A-NioKas, or NickER Nocker : The GOLD-
FINCH. (Cheshire.) The first name is also found in
Northants and Shropshire.

JACK PLoveR: The DUNLIN. (North Riding, Yorkshire.)

Jacksaw: The GREAT TITMOUSE. So called from its note
in many parts of Scotland (Gray). It is also applied
on the Yorkshire coast to the GOOSANDER, on account of
its saw-like bill.

JACK SNIPE [No. 410] lit. boy or half snipe. So called from
its being a miniature of the COMMON SNIPE. The name
occurs in Merrett (1667), also in Willughby, who calls the
species the “‘Gid or Jack-Snipe, or Judcock,” and says
he “thought it not to differ from the Snipe in kind, but
only in sex, taking it to be the Cock-Snipe. But afterwards
being advised by Mr. M. Lister, I found it to differ specific-
ally : for dissecting several of these small ones some proved
to be males, some females.”” Swainson says the same be-
lief is still held in Ireland, the JACK SNIPE being believed
to be the male and the COMMON SNIPE the female, on
which account it is called Jill Snipe. At Longdendale,
Cheshire, the name “ Jack Snipe” is also applied to the
COMMON SANDPIPER, and in the Shetland Isles to the
DUNLIN.

JACK-SQUEALER: The SWIFT. (Upton-on-Severn.)

JACK-sTRAW: The WHITETHROAT (Shropshire); the
BLACKCAP (Somerset). In reference to the materials
of which the nest is composed.

Jacos. A name for the STARLING. (Near Beverley, York-
shire.)

JADREKA SNIPE: The BLACK-TAILED GODWIT. (Pennant,
Latham, Lewin, Montagu, etc.)

JAGER: The GREAT SKUA.

JAN-CHocHaiL. A Gaelic name for the LONG-TAILED

DUCK. (Hebrides.) From its plaintive cry.

JAR-BIRD: The NUTHATCH. (Hett.)

JAR-oWL: The NIGHTJAR. (Provincial.) From its jarring
note and nocturnal habits.

JAR-PEG: The GREEN WOODPECKER. _ (Northants.)
Baker says it is ‘‘ because it stands on an old stump and
strikes with its beak on a hard knot or peg, so that the
jar is heard at a great distance.”

K2

132 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

JAY [Ne. 10, British Jay; No. 9, Continental Jay; No. 11,
Irish Jay]. Occurs in Barlow’s Plates (1655), in
Merrett (1667), and in Willughby. From Fr. Géai.
Hartert has separated the resident British and Irish
forms of the Jay from the Continental form, hence the
change of name.

Jay: The MISTLE-THRUSH is so called in many parts of
Ireland. (Thompson.)

JAYyPIE: The JAY (Notts., Cornwall, Devonshire); the
MISTLE-THRUSH (Wilts.).

Jay pret: The JAY. (Perth, and Sedbergh, Yorkshire.)

Jay Test: The TEAL. (Kirkecudbright.) Swainson thinks it
is from its colour.

Jepcock: The JACK SNIPE. (Provincial.)

JENNIE CutT-THROAT: The WHITETHROAT. (Roxburgh.)

JENNY Crow. A name for the HERON according te Swainson.

JENNY CRUDLE: The WREN. (Provincial.)

JENNY Heron: The HERON. (Kirkcudbright.)

JENNY Howiet: The BARN-OWL and the TAWNY OWL.
(North of England.) Yorkshire variations are Jinny Hullut
and Jinny Yewlatt.

JENNY JAY or Jinny JAY: The JAY. (North and west York-
shire.)

JENNY OwL: The BARN-OWL. (Northumberland.)

JENNY Reptait: The REDSTART. (North Yorkshire.) Nelson
and Clarke give Jenny Wrentail and Wrenny Redtail as
local Yorkshire variations.

JENNY WREN or JENNY. A common provincial name for the
WREN. Itisin use in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Lancashire,
and other counties. Johnson (“ Zoologist,” 1848) also
gives “ Jenner Hen ”’ as a Yorkshire name, and “ Jinties ”
is said to be used at Barnsley.

JERCOCK or CHERCOcK: The MISTLE-THRUSH. (West-
morland.) Perhaps a corruption of ‘‘Shercock” (q.v.),
but Swainson thinks it to be from its harsh ery.

JEREMY Joy (=—January Joy). A Cleveland name for the
MISTLE-THRUSH.

JER-Fatcon: The GYR-FALCON. Also probably formerly
applied by falconers to the ICELAND FALCON and
GREENLAND FALCON. The name occurs in Willughby
(1678), and is a corruption of Gerfalcon (or Gyrfalcon).

JERKIN. An old falconer’s term for the male of the GYR-
FALCON.

Sn

JAY—KELNE. 133

JETcocK: The JACK SNIPE. (Bewick.)

JinL Snipe: The COMMON SNIPE. (Ireland.) See JACK
SNIPE.

JINNy WreEN: The GOLDCREST. (Teesdale, Yorkshire.)
Jenny Wren is a common provincial name for the WREN.

JOBBIN: The NUTHATCH. (Northants.) Apparently akin to
Nutjobber.

JOBBLER : The WHEATEAR. (Dorsetshire.)

JoE Ben: The GREAT TITMOUSE (Suffolk) ; the MARSH-
TITMOUSE (East Anglia).

Jourones: The ARCTIC TERN. (Galway.) Watters says it
signifies a cross and peevish disposition.

Jupcock: The JACK SNIPE (Willughby); also occurs as
Juddock, a corruption. Perhaps now obsolete; Nelson
and Clarke, however, give Judcock as a local Yorkshire
name for the DUNLIN. —

Kak or Kay: The JACKDAW is so called in many parts of
Scotland, from its cry. It occurs as Kae in Sibbald, and as
“Ka” in Turner. According to Swainson, Kae is also a
Roxburgh name for the JAY.

KakerRA. Hett gives this as a name for the RED-THROATED
DIVER.

KastreL: The KESTREL. (Turner.)

Katapetta: The HEN-HARRIER. (Orkneys.)

Katt: The BRAMBLING. (Kent.) Occurs also in Montagu.
Swainson gives it also as a provincial name for the HAW-
FINCH.

Katiz Brantait or Bessizr BrantaiL: The REDSTART.
(Shropshire. )

Katirz Wren: The WREN. (Provincial.)

Katocie: The EAGLE-OWL (see Cat Ogle).

Ka WattieE: The JACKDAW. (North Scotland.) Ka (—Kae)
is from its cry.

Kazex. A Cornish name for the GREEN WOODPECKER.

EDYDD YR HELVYG. A Welsh name for the SEDGE-
WARBLER.

Krrewie: The KESTREL. (Neighbourhood of Edinburgh.)
From its loud, shrill cry (Swainson).

Kett-Brrp. The nestling of the COMMON GUILLEMOT.
(Flamborough. )

Ketne: The STONE-CURLEW. (East Yorkshire.)

134 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Kewttie: The KITTIWAKE. (Aberdeen.)

Kentisu Crow or Kentisuman: The HOODED CROW. (Pro-
vincial.)

Kentish DoTTEREL: The KENTISH PLOVER. (Provincial.)

KENTISH PLOVER [No. 360]. This species was first described
by Latham (‘‘ Synops.,” Supp., p. 316) from examples sent
by Dr. Boys which were obtained at Sandwich, Kent, in
1787 and 1791, hence the name. It was distinguished under
the name of Charadrius alexandrinus by Linneus in 1758,
‘but even as late as 1842 Fleming was of opinion that it was
only a phase of the RINGED PLOVER. Selby, Yarrell,
and later writers, however, include it as a good species.

Keruipu. A Cornish name for the HERON.

Kertiutock. A name for the SHOVELER (Hawker); also
rendered “ Kirk tullock.” ;

KESTREL [No. 237]. Fr. Cresserelle, Crécerelle; Old Fr.
Quercerelle or Quercelle. The name first appears as Kestrel
in Willughby (1678). It occurs in Turner (1544) as “a
kistrel or a kastrel,’’ and in Merrett (1667) as ‘‘a Keshrel or
Kastrel.” Pennant (1766) spells it “ Kestril.”” In Lanca-
shire it is pronounced kisstrill.

Ket Crow: The CARRION-CROW. (West Riding, York-
shire.) ‘‘ Ket” signifies carrion.

Kippaw: The COMMON GUILLEMOT. Willughby gives it
as a Cornish name for the species. Swainson thinks it is
derived from skite—to mute.

KILLDEER PLOVER [No. 361]. A North American species.
The name is derived from its cry.

KOLLIEWEEACK: The KITTIWAKE. (Orkneys.) From its
cry.

KiLLicREw : The CHOUGH (Charleton); Montagu also gives
it as a provincial name.

KILLILEEPIE : The COMMON SANDPIPER is so called in some
parts of Scotland, from its cry. (Gray.) Also rendered Killie-
leepsie (East Lothian).

KitLockpoE: The BLACK GROUSE. (Scotland.)

Kine CHArLes: The GREAT TITMOUSE. (Cheshire.)

Kine Duck. See KING-EIDER.

KING-EIDER [No. 308]. The name first appears as ‘“ King
Duck ” in Pennant’s “ Arctic Zoology,” and as King Hider
in Fleming. It is the Greyheaded Duck of Edwards.

KELTIE—KING. 135

KINGFISHER [No. 208]. Literally the chief of the, fishers ;
from A.Sax cyning, a king or chief of the tribe, and fisher.
The name occurs in Turner (1544) as “‘ kynges fissher ”’ ;
in Merrett (1667) as ‘“‘ Kings-fisher” and in Willughby as
“ Kingfisher,’ as also in most succeeding authors. A
celebrated belief among the ancients was that the Halcyon
or Kingfisher made its nest of fish-bones and launched it
upon the sea, and it was while brooding thus upon its young
that the fabled halcyon days were enjoyed, when “ God
has ordered that the whole ocean should be stayed,” as
Montaigne gravely observed. This author (Essay Lxvm,
on “ Cruelty ’’) has given some account of the belief. Pliny
remarks that “they breed in winter, at the season called
the Halcyon days, wherein the sea is calm and fit for navi-
gation, the Sicilian sea particularly so,” and that they
‘build their nests in the seven days before the winter
solstice and hatch out their young in the seven following.”
Drayton writes :—

Then came the haleyon whom the sea obeys,
When she her nest upon the water lays.
He makes use of the belief five times, viz. in Noah’s Flood,
the Elegy upon Lady Aston’s departure from Spain,
England’s Heroical Epistles, and twice in the Polyolbion.
It is also alluded to by Milton in the “ Hymn on Christ’s
Nativity,” and by Dryden. A common belief in England
was that a dead Kingfisher, hung by a string, would always
turn its bill in the direction from whence the wind blew.
Shakespeare (King Lear, act 1, sc. 1) alludes to this belief
in the words :—.
.. . turn their haleyon beaks
With every gale and vary of their masters.
Marlow also, in his “‘ Jew of Malta,” 1633, says :-—
But how now stands the wind ?
Into what corner peers my halcyon’s bill ?
That the belief has lingered to recent times is shown by the
fact that a dead Kingfisher thus suspended may still
occasionally, it is said, be met with in country cottages.
Another country belief sometimes encountered is that when
a Kingfisher is seen it is a sign of rain.

KinGFisHEeR: The DIPPER is so called in the Highlands and
in parts of Ireland, its flight being supposed to resemble
that of the KINGFISHER. Also applied to the COMMON
TERN at Lough Neagh.

Kine Harry or Kine Harry Repoap. A provincial name
for the GOLDFINCH. (Suffolk, Shropshire, north and
east Yorkshire.)

136 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Kina Harry Briackcar: The BLACKCAP. (Norfolk.)

Kinetet: The GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN.

Kio. A Cornish name for the COMMON SNIPE.

Kier: The COMMON TERN. (Provincial.)

Krep. A local name for the Terns about Dungeness and
Lydd.

Krrr-Mew. A local name for the COMMON TERN. Kirr is
from the ery, and Mew is Old Eng. for Gull.

KisHieraik: The KITTIWAKE. (Orkneys.) From its cry.

KistrEL: The KESTREL. (Turner.)

Kir: The FIELDFARE. (Cheshire.)

KITE [No. 250]. The name, of great antiquity, is from the
A.Sax.cyta. It occursin Turner (1544) as “ kyte,”’ in Merrett
(1667) as “‘ Fork-tailed Kite,” and in Willughby (1678) as
“Kite.” This well-known species is now of rare occurrence
in most parts of our islands and has long ceased to breed
except perhaps in a few localitiesin Wales. Turner says that
in his day it was “abundant and remarkably rapacious.
This kind is wont to snatch food out of children’s hands
in our cities and towns.” Its former abundance is indeed
perhaps best exemplified by the commonness of kite-flying
among boys. The employment by this bird of rags and
anything else it can possibly steal as material for its nest is
by no means a modern trait in its character, and formerly,
when the bird was common in England, this predilection
appears to have been well-known, as may be gathered from
the instance in the speech of Autolycus in the ‘“ Winter’s
Tale” (act Iv, sc. 2) :—

When the kite builds, look to the lesser linen.
An old popular saying, now perhaps almost beyond verifi-
cation—in England, at any rate—is that if Kites fly high,
fine weather is at hand. The term Royal Kite originated
in the fact that only the King’s falcons could take it, its
powers of flight being beyond those of the lesser kinds of
falcons.

Kirt: Used erroneously for the MARSH-HARRIER and the
COMMON BUZZARD (Ireland); the KESTREL (Shrop-
shire).

Kirti-akKeE: The KITTIWAKE GULL. (Flamborough.)

Kirtre or Kitty: The KITTIWAKE GULL. (East Anglia,
Yorkshire, Banffshire.)

Kirtrr Nreepie: The COMMON SANDPIPER. (Kirkcud-
bright.)

KING—LADY. 137

KITTIWAKE GULL [No. 437]. Often known as “ Kittiwake ”
. simply. The name first appears in Sibbald (1684), but
Ray (<< Itinerary,” 1671) has Cattiwike, derived from an
attempted rendering of its cry. Willughby calls it “ Bello-
nius’s ash-coloured Gull, called in Cornwall Tarrock,” and
under the latter name the immature bird was treated of

up to the time of Montagu as a supposed distinct species.

Kirry Carew: The MANX SHEARWATER. (Provincial.)

Kirry Coot: The MOORHEN. (Dorset.)

Krrry Wren or Kirry-ME-Wren. A Border name for the
WREN, where according to Bolam it takes the place of
the familiar name Jenny Wren. In Yorkshire it occurs
also as “ Kitty” only.

KniFE-BILL: The PUFFIN. (Provincial.)

KNOT [No. 371]. The name Knot occurs in Willughby, who
remarks that ‘“‘King Knout” is reported to have been so
fond of them that from him they got the name of Kntos
or Knouts. The authority for the derivation of the name
from Canute appears, however, to rest with Camden (1607)
who has “ Knotts, i. Canuti aves.” Du Bartas (‘“ Divine
Weekes and Wordes,”’ 1633) calls it “Gnat-snap.” Sir
Thomas Browne has “Gnatts or Knots” (see Newton’s
“Dict. Bds.”? on this latter). Buffon calls it Le Canut.
Drayton (‘“ Polyolbion,” 1613) speaks of it as—

The Knot that called was Canute’s Bird of Old.
In winter-plumage it was distinguished by Pennant and
other writers under the name of ‘“‘ Ash-coloured Sandpiper.”

Knot. The RINGED PLOVER is so called about Belfast.
(Swainson.)

Kwnot-Curtew. A name for the WHIMBREL. (Hett.)

Krocket: The OYSTERCATCHER. (Aberdeen.)

Kryssar. A Cornish name for the KESTREL.

Kyte: The KITE. (Turner, Blome, ana others.)

Kyvettak. A Cornish name for the WOODCOCK.

LaBBE: The ARCTIC SKUA. (Bewick.)

LACHA-BHLAR. A Gaelic name for the COOT.

LACHA CHINN NAINE. A Gaelic name for the MALLARD.

LacH. CHotonsa. A Gaelic name for the EIDER Duck
(—Cclonsay Duck.)

Lapy Birp: The PINTAIL. (Dublin Bay.)

Lapy-FrowL. Said te be a name for the WIGEON.

Lapy Hen: The SKY-LARK. (Shetlands.) Signifies “Our
Lady’s Hen.”

138 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Lapy Lentity : The GARDEN-WARBLER is so called in some
parts of Northumberland. (Bolam.)

Lapy Snree: The COMMON SNIPE. (Cheshire.)

LADY WITH THE TWELVE FLOUNCES. Swainson gives this as a
Shropshire name for the GOLDFINCH.

LANCEOLATED WARBLER [No 134]. A Siberian species
which has occurred recently in Great Britain.

Lanp Bunting: The CORN-BUNTING. (Provincial.)

Lanp Cormorant: The GOOSANDER. (Dublin.)

Lanp Curtew: The STONE-CURLEW.

Lanp Daw: The CARRION-CROW. (Northants.)

Lanp DorrereL: The DOTTEREL (Spurn, Yorkshire.)

LAND-DRAKE: The LAND-RAIL. (Shropshire; Ackworth,
Yorkshire.)

Lanp Hartan: The RED-BREASTED MERGANSER. (Wex-
ford.) Harlan is a form of “ Harle” (q.v.).

Lanp Hen: The LAND-RAIL. (Willughby.)

Lanp Lavrock : The COMMON SANDPIPER and the RINGED
PLOVER. (Scotland.) Lavrock—Lark.

Lanp Mav: The BLACK-HEADED GULL. (Kast Yorkshire.)

LAND-RAIL [No. 454]. Commonly known also as the Corn-
Crake (q.v.). Occurs in Willughby (1678) as Land Rail,
Land-Hen, and Daker Hen. Most subsequent writers from
Pennant to Montagu call it the Crake Gallinule. Montagu
also gives Land-Rail, but as a provincial name. Rail is
from Fr. Rale, Germ. Ralle, from Low Latin Rallus. It is
mentioned by Turner, who calls it Crex after Aristotle, and
gives ‘‘ Daker Hen” as the English name for it. He well
describes its cry when he says that it “in spring as well
as early summer makes no other cry among the corn and
flax than crex, crex.” In Scotland if its call is frequently
heard it is regarded as a sign of rain. A French name is
“ Roy de Cailles ” (—King of the Quails), from an old belief
that the Quails selected a Land-Rail to lead their migrations.
A Scots belief was that the bird did not migrate, but became
torpid in the winter. Newton says, “formerly it seems
to have been a popular belief in England that the Land
Rail in autumn transformed itself into a Water Rail,
resuming its own character in spring.” This belief seems
to still prevail in Ireland. The Land Rail is considered a
lucky bird on the Scottish Borders, where the saying runs :—

The Lark, the Corn Crake, or the Grouse,
Will bring good luck to ilka house.

LADY—LAPWING. 139

Lanp SwaLtLtow: The SAND-MARTIN. (Hett.)
LAND-TRIPPER : The COMMON SANDPIPER (Kirkcudbright. )
Lanp WHaapP: The WHIMBREL. Whaap—Curlew.

Lane CRANE: The CORMORANT. (Redcar, Yorkshire.)

LANNER and LANNERET: The immature PEREGRINE
FALCON, formerly considered a distinct species. Lanner
was the name applied to the female, the male being termed.
Lanneret. From Fr. Lanier, Lat. Laniarius, from laniare,
to dissever. The old Lanner of falconry appears not to
have been the Falco lanarius of Linnzus (—Falco peregrinus),
but a species now called Falco feldeggi (Schlegel), found
throughout the countries bordering on the Mediterranean.
The name occurs as “ Lanar” or “ Lanaret”’ in Merrett
(1667), who says it is found in Sherwood Forest and Dean
Forest, while Willughby (1678) alludes to “the Lanner
whose Tarcel is called the Lanneret.”

LAPLAND BUNTING [No. 55]. The name is found in Gould’s
“ Birds of Europe” (pt. x, 1834). It is the Lapland Lark-
Bunting of Selby.

LAPLAND Lark-Buntine : The LAPLAND BUNTING. (Selby,
Macgillivray.)

LapLaAND Lone-spuR: The LAPLAND BUNTING. So called
from the length of the hind claw.

Lappincu or Happrnco: The LAPWING. (Cheshire.)

LAPWING [No. 367]. From A.Sax. Hledipewince, signifying
‘* one who turns about in running or flight” (Skeat). Writers
of the Middle Ages translated Lat. Upupa (—Hoopoe) as
Lapwing, being deceived by the crest. The name Lapwing
occurs in Turner (1544) and in Merrett, who further calls
it Bastard Plover and Pewit. Willughby also calls it the
Lapwing or Bastard Plover. A Lapwing is said to have
brought assistance by its cries to the wounded founder of
the old Lincolnshire family of Tyrwhitt, who assumed three
Lapwings as his device in memory of the deliverance.

_ That the story rests upon fact may be safely assumed, as
it is the invariable practice of the birds to circle round in
the air uttering their “ pewit ”’ cry when their haunts are
invaded. According to Chatto, however, the Lapwing is
regarded as an unlucky bird in the south of Scotland, the
cause being attributed to the fact that the Covenanters in
the reigns of Charles II and James II were “ frequently
discovered to their pursuers by the flight and screaming of
the Lapwing.”

140 ' DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Lapwine SANDPIPER: The LAPWING. (Pennant.)
LARGE-BILLED GUILLEMOT: BRUNNICH’S GUILLEMOT.
Larcer Seorrep Eacir. See SPOTTED EAGLE.

Largest Wittow Wren: The WOOD-WARBLER.

LARGE WHITE-WINGED GuLL: The GLAUCOUS GULL.
(Yarrell.)

Lark: The SKY-LARK. Occurs in Merrett (1667). In Turner
it is “Lerk.” Lark is from A.Sax. Lawerce, Germ. Lerche,
Dan. Lerke.

Lark Buntinc: The CORN-BUNTING. (Somerset.)

Las atR-cHomLe. A Gaelic name for the GOLDFINCH.
(Macgillivray) lit. ‘flame of the wood.” Fleming applies
it to the GREEN WOODPECKER.

LAUGHING Birp : The GREEN WOODPECKER. (Shropshire.)
from its laughing note.

Lavucnine Goos—E: The WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE. (York-
shire, Cheshire.) It occurs in Edwards.

LAvuGHING GuLL: The BLACK-HEADED GULL. (Montagu.)
Properly, however, the name for a distinct American species.

LAvVEROCK, LAvRocK, LERRucK, or Learock : The SKY-LARK.
An old English name found in Turner (1544.) From the
same root as Lark, i.e. A.\Sax. Lawerce. The species is still
known in Scotland by one or other form of the name, and
Swainson also gives Learock for Lancashire, while Nelson
and Clarke give Laverock as used at Sedbergh, Yorkshire.

Lavy. <A local name for the COMMON GUILLEMOT. It
occurs in Martin’s “‘ Voy. to St. Kilda.” (Also spelt Lamy.)

LEAAN: The GREAT NORTHERN DIVER and the RED-
THROATED DIVER. (Yorkshire.) A Yorkshire dialect
rendering of Loon.

LEACH’S FORK-TAILED PETREL [No. 320]. The name
Leach’s Petrel occurs in Jenyns, and Fork-tailed Petrel in
Fleming and in Yarrell (Ist ed.). Selby calls it the Fork-
tailed Storm Petrel. It was named in honour of Dr. Leach,
who acquired the type-specimen at Bullock’s sale.

Leary Wren. A provincial name for the WREN. (Hett.)

Leara. A Gaelic name in the Western Isles for the BLACK-
THROATED and RED-THROATED DIVERS.

Least BurcHER-BIRD: The BEARDED’ TITMOUSE.
(Edwards.)

Least Snipe: The DUNLIN. Montagu gives it as a provincial
name.

LAPWING—LESSER. 141

Least SporreD WooprreckerR: The LESSER SPOTTED
WOODPECKER.

Lzeast Titmouse : The LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE. (Merrett.)

Least WrLtow-Wren: The CHIFFCHAFF. (Tunstall,
Bewick.)

Lec Brrp. A provincial name for the SEDGE-WARBLER.
(Swainson.)

Lemon Brrp: The LINNET. (West Yorkshire.)

Lennert. A North Country name for the LINNET.

Less—ER ASH-COLOURED Heron: The NIGHT-HERON.
(Willughby.)

Lesser Biack-Back: The LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL.
(Yorkshire.)

LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL [No. 433]. The name refers
to its smaller size than the GREAT BLACK-BACKED
GULL. It first occurs in Montagu (1802) as Less Black-
backed Gull. It is the Silvery Gull of Pennant’s ‘‘ Arctic
Zoology.”

LisseR BraMBLING: The SNOW-BUNTING (?). Found in
Pennant (1766).

Lesser Bustarp: The LITTLE BUSTARD.

LEssER BUTCHER-BIRD: The RED-BACKED SHRIKE. Occurs
in Willughby (1678).

LessER Cop: The LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL. (Pro-
vincial.)

LEssER CRESTED GREBE: The BLACK-NECKED GREBE.
(Pennant.)

LessER CRESTED Lark: The TREE-PIPIT. (Willughby,
Pennant, etc.)

LesseER Dun Diver: The RED-BRESTED MERGANSER.
(Pennant.)

LessER FauveTteE: The GARDEN-WARBLER. — (Bewick,
1797.)

Lesser Gopwit: The BLACK-TAILED GODWIT. (Pennant.)

LESSER GREY SHRIKE [No. 106]. The name is found in
Pennant’s “ Arctic Zoology’ and in Latham’s “ Synopsis.”

LessER GurtteMot: The COMMON GUILLEMOT. It was
considered a separate species by Pennant.

LessER ImperR: The BLACK-THROATED DIVER. (Pro-
vincial.)

LESSER KESTREL [No. 238]. A close ally of the KESTREL
but smaller in size, hence the name.

142 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Lesser Movuntary Fincu or Brampiincg: The SNOW-
BUNTING. (Willughby.)

LesseR Prrrycuaps: The CHIFFCHAFF. (Pennant and
Montagu.)

Less—ER RED-HEADED LinnetT: The LESSER REDPOLL
(Willughby, Pennant); also the TWITE (Rutty).

LESSER REDPOLL [No. 23]. It is found in Montagu (1802).
Occurs in Willughby as Lesser Red-headed Linnet. The
name has reference to its small sizé and red crown, or
oe poll.”

Lesser REEp-Sparrow : The SEDGE-WARBLER (?). Occurs
in Willughby. Montagu ascribes it to the REED-
WARBLER.

LiEssER SADDLE-BACK : The LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL.
(Yorkshire.) From its dark saddle-shaped mantle.

LesseR Sra-Swattow: The LITTLE TERN. Occurs in
Willughby and Ray.

LzessER Snow Goose. See SNOW-GOOSE.

Lesser Sooty Tern. A tropical species of which a single example
is said, on somewhat imperfect evidence, to have been
taken on a lightship at the mouth of the Thames in 1875.

LEssER SporreD Eacir. See SPOTTED EAGLE.

Lesser SpotreD WATER Rat: The SPOTTED CRAKE.
(Bewick.)

LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER [No. 212, British
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker]. The name refers to
the variegated black-and-white upper-plumage and_ to
its being of less size than the GREAT SPOTTED WOOD-
PECKER. It occurs in Albin (1738). MHartert has
separated the resident British race from the Continental
forms, hence the change of name.

LesseR TERN: The LITTLE TERN.

LesseR TootHep Diver. A provincial name for the RED-
BREASTED MERGANSER. (Montagu.) From its ser-
rated bill and lesser size than the GOOSANDER.

Lesser TREE-LARK: The TREE-PIPIT.

LesseER WaTER-SPARROW: The SEDGE-WARBLER.

LESSER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE [No. 276]. A very rare
straggler, closely allied to the WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE,
but of smaller size.

LESSER WHITETHROAT [No. 148]. The name occurs first
in Latham’s ‘“‘ Synopsis ” (Supp., p. 185).

LESSER-LINTWHITE. 143

Lesser WHITE-WINGED GULL: The ICELAND GULL. (Yarrell.)

Less Tirmouse: The BLUE TITMOUSE. (Merrett.) Turner’s
Less Titmouse is apparently the LONG-TAILED TIT-
MOUSE, as he says it has a long tail. Mr. Evans thought
it to be the MARSH- or COAL-TITMOUSE.

LEVANTINE SHEARWATER [No. 329]. A Mediterranean
sub-species of the MANX SHEARWATER, which occurs
casually on our coasts (see Saunders, “‘ Manual,” 2nd ed.,
pp. 741-2). Itis the Ame damnée of the Turks, who believe
that the souls of the wicked pass into these birds and are
doomed to wander for ever over the waters.

LiatH-Troise. A Gaelic name for the FIELDFARE.

LicH-FowL: The NIGHTJAR. (Cheshire and Shropshire.)
See “‘ Gabble-Ratchet.”

Littie-cock or Lintre-cock: The CORMORANT. (Staithes,
Yorkshire.)

LiyBeneocH or Limos BEN GocH. A Welsh name for the
LINNET ; lit. ‘‘ redheaded Linnet.”” In North Wales the
name is applied to the LESSER REDPOLL.

Line-Birp, Line-Tit, or Linerze: The MEADOW-PIPIT.
(Cumberland, West Yorkshire.)

Line Linnet: The TWITE. (Ribblesdale, Yorkshire.)

Links Goos—E: The COMMON SHELD-DUCK. (Orkneys.)
Because it frequents the “links” or sandy plains near
the sea.

LINNET [No. 27]. So called from its partiality for the seed of
flax. Der. of A.Sax. Linete=flax and Linet-wige—flax-
hopper, from the latter of which is derived the northern
provincial name of “ Lintwhite.” The name occurs as
“Linot ” in Turner (1544) and as “ Linet” in Merrett’s
list. Plot (1677) has “ Linnet,” while Willughby calls it
the ‘*‘common Linnet,” as does also Sibbald. It is also
the Greater Red-headed Linnet of Willughby and others,
and the Greater Redpole of Montagu. According to
Swainson, “‘ Linnet ” is a local name for the GOLDFINCH
in Shropshire.

Linnet Fryco: The LINNET. (Provincial.)

Lintiz: The LINNET (Scotland) ; also the TWITE (Orkneys
and Shetlands).
LintwuiteE: The LINNET. (Orkneys.) As an older Scottish
name it occurs as “ Lintquhit,”’ the derivation being also
‘from A.Sax. Linet-wige (see under LINNET). According to
Swainson Lintwhite is a Suffolk name for the SKY-LARK,

144 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Lintywuitr. According to Swainson the WOOD-WARBLER
is so called “from the pure white of the under parts of the
body.” Hett gives the name to the CHIFFCHAFF.

Lipwincre: The LAPWING. (Bedfordshire.) An equivalent
of LAPWING, the derivation being the same, viz. A.Sax.
hleapwince.

LITTLE AUK [No. 448]. The name Little Auk is first found
in Pennant (1766). Willughby calls it the “ Small black-
and-white Diver.”

Littte Briy Biurcap: The BLUE TITMOUSE. (West
Yorkshire.)

LITTLE BITTERN [No. 267]. This tiny species has been known
for about a century and a quarter as a casual summer-
visitor. The name is found in Pennant as Little Bittern
Heron. Latham (‘‘Syn.,” v, p. 66) has Little Bittern. It
is the Little Heron of Jenyns and the Little Brown Bittern
of Edwards (?).

LirrLeE Buack-aND-WnaiTE Diver: The LITTLE AUK.

Lirtte Briack-AND-WHITE WoopPECKER: The LESSER
SPOTTED WOODPECKER.

Lirrte Buackcap: The COAL-TITMOUSE. (Yorkshire.)

Little BuacK-HEADED Tomtit: The MARSH-TITMOUSE.
(Montagu.)

LirtLe Brur Hawk: The MERLIN. (Yorkshire.)

LirtLe BLuuE Rock: The STOCK-DOVE. (Notts.)

LITTLE-BREAD-AND-NO-CHEESE: The YELLOW BUNTING.
(Devonshire.) Imitative of its song, also rendered “ little-
bit-of-bread-and-no-cheese.”’

LittLE BROWN-AND-WHITE Duck: The female HARLEQUIN-
DUCK. (Edwards.)

LITTLE BUNTING [No. 52]. This irregular visitor is so called
from its diminutive size in comparison with other species.

LITTLE BUSTARD [No. 451]. The name refers to its
inferiority in size to the GREAT BUSTARD. It is first
found in Edwards (pl. 251), and is used by succeeding writers
from Pennant to Montagu and onwards. It is the “ Field
Duck” of Albin.

LITTLE CRAKE [No. 457]. The name occurs in Selby
(1833). It is the Little Gallinule and Olivaceous Gallinule
of Montagu and others.

LirtLE Darr: The LITTLE TERN. (Norfolk.)

LirtLe Diver: The LITTLE GREBE. (Cheshire.)

LINTYWHITE—LITTLE, 145

LittLeE Dovexer: The LITTLE GREBE. (East Lothian.)

LITTLE DUSKY SHEARWATER |[No. 324]. This Petrel is
a rare straggler to us from the East Atlantic Islands, only
six having been recorded in our islands.

LITTLE EGRET [No. 263]. The name Little Egret appears
to have been first used by Pennant in the Appendix to his
‘“ British Zoology,” and is from the Fr. azgrette. Selby calls
it Little Egret Heron. The tufts of long filiform feathers
which spring from the middle and lower part of the bird’s
back are called after the bird, and have long been esteemed
among Eastern nations as an ornament for the turban or
head-dress. Such an “egret ”’ was sent by the Sultan to
Nelson after the Battle of the Nile, and was much valued
by the recipient.

LittLe Eren Birp: The WRYNECK. (Hampshire.)

LirtLe FEtTYFARE: The REDWING. (East Lothian.)

LirtLeE French Wooprrecker: The LESSER SPOTTED
WOODPECKER.

LitTLeE GALLINULE: The LITTLE CRAKE. (Montagu.)

LirtLe Gopwit. A name for the young STONE-CURLEW.
(Hett.)

LITTLE GREBE [No. 340]. The name Little Grebe is found
in Pennant (1766). Willughby and Ray call it “ Didappez,”
and alse “‘ Dipper or Dobchick, or small Doucker, Loon, or
Arsfoot.”

LittLe GREY OwL: The LITTLE OWL. (Merrett.)

Lirtie GuiiteMor. A name for the LITTLE AUK. (Hett.)

LITTLE GULL [No. 426]. The name is found in Montagu
(Orn. Dict.” Supp.), it being first described by him from
nn example shot near Chelsea.

Lirtte Hawk: The MERLIN. (Cleveland, Yorkshire.)

LirtLe Heron: The LITTLE BITTERN. (Jenyns.)

Lirtte Horyn-Owt: The SCOPS OWL. (Willughby.)

Lirtte Macrre Diver. A name for the BUFFEL-HEADED
DUCK. (Hett.)

Littte Nack: The LITTLE AUK. (Northumberland.) Nack
is a corruption of Auk.

LittLE Nicht OwL: The LITTLE OWL. (Selby).

LITTLE OWL [No. 222]. The name appears in Willughby
(1678), also Pennant and all later writers.

LittLte Peewir: The TWITE. (North Yorkshire.) From its
call-note.

L

146 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Little Petre: The STORM-PETREL. (Pennant.)

LittLe Pickie: The LITTLE TERN. (Forfarshire.)

LirtteE Rep Hawk: The KESTREL. (Yorkshire.)

Littte RepPoLte Linnet: The LESSER REDPOLL.

Lirtrte Rine Dorrrett: The LITTLE RINGED PLOVER.
(Gould.)

LITTLE RINGED PLOVER [No. 359]. The name is found in
Jenyns (1835) and also Yarrell (1st ed.) and later writers.

LitTLE SANDPIPER: The LITTLE STINT ; also TEMMINCK’S
STINT. (Montagu.)

Little Snrre: The DUNLIN. (Swaledale and Arkengarthdale,
Yorkshire.)

LITTLE STINT [No. 375]. This name appears in Bewick
(1797). It is the Little Sandpiper of Pennant, Montagu,
Latham, etc., and the “ Minute Tringa ” of Selby.

LITTLE TERN [No. 421]. “ Little Tern” seems to be first
found in Gould’s “‘ Birds of Europe ” (pt. 8, 1834). Pennant
(1766) and succeeding authors to Yarrell (1843) generally
call this species “Lesser Tern.” It is the Lesser Sea-
Swallow of Willughby.

LittLE Wuaur: The WHIMBREL. (Kast Lothian) lit.
“Little Curlew.”

Lirtte Waitt Heron: The LITTLE EGRET (Willughby) ;
also the young BUFF-BACKED HERON (Montagu).

LittrL—E Woopcock : The GREAT SNIPE. (Treland.)

Littte WoopreckeR: The LESSER SPOTTED WOOD-
PECKER (Yorkshire) ; the TREECREEPER (Marton-
in-Cleveland, Yorkshire).

LitrteE Wooppiz: The LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER.
(Hampshire.) The GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER
is called ‘“*‘ Woodpie ” in the same county.

LittLeE Wren: The GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN. (Loftus-
in-Cleveland, Yorkshire.)

Liver or Lever. The species intended by this name seems a
matter cf uncertainty. Montagu (‘‘ Orn. Dict.,” Supp., 1813)
is the authority for stating that it was an Ibis, called “ Liver,”
and that the conjunction of the name with the “pool ”
on which it was obtained, gives rise to the name of the
city of Liverpool. Newton was of opinion that Lever was
the correct spelling and that the SPOONBILL was intended,
a bird which of course frequented such places and moreover
bred in England in ancient times. Newton cites Randle

LITTLE—LONG. 147

Holmes’s ‘‘ Academy of Armory ” (1688) as deriving the word
“Lever” from Lepelaer, Leplar, and Lefler (or Léfflar) of
Low and High Dutch, which are all names of the Spoonbill.
The first-mentioned name occurs in Albin, 1738, as Leplaer,
Low Dutch for the Spoonbill. According to Baines’s ‘‘ Hist.
of Lancaster ”’ the oldest known form of the name Liverpool
(temp. Hen. II) is “ Lirpul” or “ Litherpul.”

Lurran. A Welsh name for the BLUE TITMOUSE;; lit.
66 Nun.”

LLEIAN GYNFFON HIR: The LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE.
(North Wales) lit. “ long-tailed nun.”

LuE1an WEN: The SMEW. (North Wales) lit. “‘ white nun.”

Limnos: The LINNET. (North Wales) lit. ‘‘ Linnet.”

Lirmos BENGOCH LEIF. A Welsh name for the LESSER RED-
POLL; lit. “lesser red-headed Linnet.”

Luros FELEN. A Welsh name for the YELLOW BUNTING ;
lit. “* yellow linnet.”’

Liuryos y Mynypp. A Welsh name for the TWITE; lit.
“mountain linnet.”

LiostruppYN: The REDSTART. (North Wales) lit. ‘ red-
tail.”

Luursen or Luurs: The RAZORBILL. (North Wales) lit.
** razorbill.”’

LuwypFron: The WHITETHROAT. (North Wales) lit.
“pale breast.”

LuwyDFRON FACH: The LESSER WHITETHROAT. (North
Wales) lit. “little pale breast.”

Luwyp Y GwrycH, Liuwyp y BERTH, Liuwyp BaAcH. Welsh
names for the HEDGE-SPARROW : the first two signify
“grey (bird) of the hedge,” and the third “little grey
(bird).”

Liwyp yR HESG, Luwyp y Gors: The SEDGE-WARBLER.
(North Wales). First is “grey (bird) of the hedge,” and
second “‘ grey (bird) of the marsh.”

Liuwyp y Tywop. A Welsh name for the SANDERLING ; lit.
“ grey (bird) of the sand.”

Lorrine: The adult CORMORANT. (Shetlands.)

Lon puBH: The Gaelic name for the BLACKBIRD.

LonesrtL: The WOODCOCK. (Provincial.) From the length
of the bill.

LonG-BILLED CHoucH: The CHOUGH.

LoneG-BILLED GoosE: The PINK-FOOTED GOOSE. (York-
shire.)

L2

148 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

LONG-EARED OWL [No. 224]. The name first occurs in
Pennant (1766). It is the “ Hornoul” of Turner and the
“ Horn-Owl” of Willughby and Ray, while Fleming as
late as 1842 calls it “Long Horn Owl.”

Lone-HornepD Uttat: The LONG-EARED OWL. (York-
shire.) ‘ Ullat ’—Howlet.

Lone Horn Ow: The LONG-EARED OWL. (Fleming.)

Lonere: The COMMON GUILLEMOT. (Shetlands.)

Loneiz Crane: The HERON. (Pembroke.)

Lonc-LEGGED PLovEeR: The former name for the BLACK-
WINGED STILT (q.v.).

Lone-Lecs. A provincial name for the BLACK-WINGED
STILT. (Montagu.) Bewick also gives Longshanks.
Lonc-NEB (= Lone-BrLL) : The COMMON SNIPE. (Yorkshire.)
Lone-nEcK: The LITTLE BITTERN (Montagu); _ the
PINTAIL (Holy Island); the HERON (Sedbergh,

Yorkshire.)

LonG-NECKED Heron: The HERON. (Ireland.)

Lonenrix (LoNG-NECK ?): The HERON. (Cheshire.)

LonesHanks. A name for the BLACK-WINGED STILT.
(Hett.)

Lone - TAILED Capon: The LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE.
(Hampshire, Norfolk.)

LONG-TAILED DUCK [No. 304]. The name first occurs in
Edwards, and is used by almost all succeeding authors.
Selby, however, calls it Long-tailed Hareld. It is the
“ Sharp-tailed Duck ” and alse “‘ Swallow-tailed Sheldrake ”
of Willughby and Ray.

LoneG-TAILED HarELtp. See LONG-TAILED DUCK.

LoNG-TAILED LABBE: The ARCTIC SKUA. (Bewick.) |

LonG-TAILED Mac, LonetTartep Murriin, LONG-TAILED PIE,
LoNG-TAILED CREEPER, LONG-TAILED CHITTERING, LONG
Pop, Lone Tom. Provincial names for the LONG-TAILED
TITMOUSE.

Lone-TaILeD Mac or LonG-TAILED SHELDRAKE: The LONG-
TAILED DUCK.

LONG-TAILED SKUA [No. 442]. Often called Buffon’s Skua.

LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE [No. 101. British Long-tailed
Titmouse]. The name first occurs in Merrett’s list
(1667); also in Willughby. The resident British form
was first distinguished as long ago as 1836 by Blyth.

Lone tToncuE: The WRYNECK. (Provincial.) From its
long projectile tongue.

LONG—MAALIN. 149

Lonewrne or Lonewines: The SWIFT. (Cheshire, Yorkshire.)

Lon visce. A Gaelic name for the DIPPER: lit. “water
blackbird.”

Loom. An equivalent of Loon.

Loon: The Divers and Grebes (various species). From Icel.
Lémr. The name is applied in Shetland and South Ireland
to the RED-THROATED DIVER. Willughby and Ray
call the LITTLE GREBE the “Small Loon,” their
‘“ Greatest Speckled Loon ” being the GREAT NORTHERN
DIVER. Loom and Lumme are equivalents ; the former
is applied to BRUNNICH’S GUILLEMOT. Probably
signifying one who is clumsy, and perhaps connected with
lame. (Skeat.)

LoucH Diver: The SMEW. (Willughby.) As a provincial
name it seems to belong to the immature male.

Lucup Farce. A Gaelic name for the STORM-PETREL
(Western Isles) lit. ‘‘ sea mouse.”

LuLEAN Fincu. A name for the BRAMBLING. (Hett.)

LummMEe: The BLACK-THROATED DIVER. Occurs in
Willughby (see Loon.)

Lunpa: The PUFFIN. From Scand. Lunde. Newton con-
sidered that Lundy Island, a resort of Puffins, derived its
name from this species.

LYKE FOULE: The EAGLE-OWL. (Turner.) Printed “alyke
foule ” (?) “a lyke foule.”” Pliny says it is a fatal bird, of
evil omen beyond other sorts, especially at public auguries.

Lymetwicc: The LAPWING (Exmoor.) An equivalent of
“ Lapwing.” From A.Sax. hledpe-wince.

Lyon: The GREAT NORTHERN DIVER. (Holy Island.)
Also applied to other species.

Lyriz: The MANX SHEARWATER. (Shetlands and Orkneys.)
Lyrie is the usual name on the west coast of Shetland.
Mr. Robert Godfrey tells me that in Fethaland “to gan
as licht’s a lyrie”’ (i.e. to be as easy in one’s motion as a
Shearwater) is a proverbial saying. Also spelt Lyre.

LysEouLE: The EAGLE-OWL. (Aldrovandus.) See also
‘“‘ Lyke foule.”

Maa or Mar: The COMMON GULL. (Kirkcudbright.) From
A.Sax. Mew, Icel. Mar, a gull; originally from the bird’s
cry.

Maatry. A corruption of MERLIN. (Shetlands.) According
to Saxby the name is also applied in the Shetlands to the
KESTREL and the SPARROW-HAWK.

150 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

MAcKEREL-BIRD : The WRYNECK is so called in Guernsey
(Cecil Smith), because it arrives at the time when mackerel
is in season.

MacKEREL-Cock : The MANX SHEARWATER. (Rutty.) It
is also a local name at Lleyn Island, North Wales (Forrest)
and at Lambay Island, on the east coast of Ireland. It
is so-called from its feeding on mackerel-fry.

MAcKEREL Gant: The GANNET. (Yorkshire.)

MackEREL-GutL: The RAZORBILL (Provincial.) The
KITTIWAKE GULL (Humber _ District.)

MACQUEEN’S BUSTARD [No. 452]. A form of the Houbara
Bustard, the name of which arises from its having been
named Otis macqueeni, in honour of Macqueen, by Gray
and Hardwicke (‘Illustrations Indian Zoology.’’) It was
included as British by Yarrell (1st ed.).

Mapprick GuLL: The BLACK-HEADED GULL. (Cornwall.)

MADEIRAN FORK-TAILED PETREL [No. 321]. A very
rare straggler. It was first recorded as British by Saunders
(‘‘Manual,” 2nd ed., p. 731).

Mapes, Mac, Macerr, Marcet, or Miaey. Provincial names
for the MAGPIE. ;

Map@E-HowLET: The TAWNY OWL (Willughby): also the
BARN-OWL (Norfolk).

Maccre: The COMMON GUILLEMOT. (Forfar.) Swainson
says it is from its black-and-white plumage resembling
that of a MAGPIE.

Maccot. A Lincolnshire name for the MAGPIE, occuring
also in Worcestershire as Magget. (See ‘“‘Magot Pie”
and also “ Pie.’’)

Mae Loon : The RED-THROATED DIVER. (Norfolk.) Sig-
nifies ““ Magpie Loon.”

Macot Pre: The Mid. Eng. name for the MAGPIE, the
latter name being a contraction. The name appears to
have no reference to the bird’s habit of picking maggots
from the backs of sheep, being derived from the French
Margot, a diminutive of Marquerite, but also signifying a
Magpie, perhaps from its noisy chattering, in which it
is popularly supposed to resemble a talkative woman.
The name occurs in this form in ‘“ Macheth” (act 1m,
sc. 4) :—

Augurs and understood relations have,

By magot pies, and choughs, and rooks, brought forth,
The secret’st man of blood.

MACKEREL—MAGPIE. 151

MAGPIE [No. 6]. From Mag, a diminutive, of Margaret,
and Fr. Pie, a Magpie. Found in Barlow’s plates (1655)
as “Magpye.” Occurs in Merrett and also Willughby
as Magpie; Albin spells it “‘ Magpy,” and Rutty “ Magpye.”
The folk-lore of our islands is tolerably rich in allusions
to the Magpie, as are also the still, or recently, existing
evidences of totemism or animal-worship. Keary (‘‘ Outlines
of Primitive Belief’’) says that in Ireland a Magpie tapping
at the window is taken as a death-warning; also that
it is unlucky to kill one of these birds; the latter belief
is also met with in north-east Scotland (Gregor). Gray
mentions a Dunbar bailie who was in the habit of turning
back home if he encountered a pair of Magpies on setting
out. Harland and Wilkinson (“Lancashire Folk Lore ”’)
record the belief that it is unlucky to meet a Magpie, and
when it is seen the hat is raised in salutation and the cross
signed on the breast or made by crossing the thumbs and then
spitting over them. Brand (“ Popular Antiquities ’’) makes
it accounted unlucky in Lancashire to see two Magpies
together. In Devonshire, according to Dyer, the peasant,
on seeing a single Magpie, spits over his right shoulder three
times to avert ill-luck, repeating the following words :—

Clean birds by sevens,
Unclean by twos ;

The dove in the heavens
1s the one I choose,

In parts of the North of England it is said to be unlucky to
see it cross the path in front of one from left to right, but
lucky if from right to left. In the north east of Scotland
the sight of one is considered lucky in some villages and
unlucky in others (Gregor).

A belief in the power of the Magpie to transform itself
into human form is recorded as among the superstitions of
Clunie, Perthshire, until the end of the eighteenth century
(Gomme). The first Magpies that migrated to Ireland are
said to have landed in south-east Wexford, where the first
English settlement also took place, and whence the Magpies
have since spread over the island. Smith (“History of
Cork ’’) says it was not known in Ireland seventy years
before the time at which he wrote, about 1746. Anold Irish
saying in this connection is that —‘‘Ireland will never be
rid of the English while the Magpie remains.” Barrett
Hamilton (‘‘ Zool.,” 1891, p. 247) thinks Magpies were first
seen in Ireland about 1676 when “a parcel” landed in
Wexford. Morysonin 1617 states that “Ireland hath neither

152 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

singing nightingall, nor chattering pye, nor undermining
moule.”

I have heard a quaint old saying that :

One’s mirth, two’s grief,

Three’s a wedding, four’s death,

Five’s heaven, six is hell,

Sen’s the devil’s ain sel’.
Dyer gives another version of this rhyme as follows :

One is sorrow, two mirth,

Three a wedding, four a birth,

Five heaven, six hell,

Seven the de’il’s ain sell.
According to Dyer, in Morayshire it is believed that Magpies
flying near the windows of a house portend a speedy death
to some inmate, a belief which is held in other parts in
connexion with various species of birds. Dyer says that
“an old tradition’ explains the origin of the ill-luck
attributed to meeting a Magpie, by the supposition that it
was the only bird that refused to enter the Ark with Noah,
preferring to perch on the roof and jabber over the drowning
world ; but of course this is an idle tale and the real reason
must be that it is a survival of totemism. Halliwell
(* Popular Rhymes ”’) relates a popular legend accounting
for the half nest of the Magpie, to the effect that this bird,
once upon a time, was the only bird unable to build a nest,
and that the other birds undertook to instruct her. In
response, however, to every piece of advice the Magpie
kept repeating “Ah! I knew that afore,” until their
patience being exhausted, they left her to finish it herself,
with the result that to this day the Magpie’s nest remains
incomplete.

A provincial belief, according to Inwards, is that when
Magpies fly abroad singly, the weather either is or will
soon be stormy, but when both birds are seen together the
weather will be mild.

Macrre: The LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE is sometimes so
called, on account of its long tail.

Maepie Diver: The SMEW. On account of its pied plumage.
MarpEn Duck: The SHOVELER. (Wexford.)

Matpuck: The FULMAR. (Shetlands.) See Mallemuck.
Mate: The KNOT. (Essex.)

MALLARD and WILD DUCK [No. 287, MALLARD]. The
names “Mallard” and ‘‘ Wild Duck” both occur in Barlow’s
plates (1655), Mallard being the male name (Fr. malart) ;
the female should be termed Wild Duck. The name occurs

MAGPIE—MARSH. 153

in Merrett’s list as “‘ Wild Duck” and in Willughby and
Ray as the “common wild Duck and Mallard.” Most
British authors from Pennant onward call it the Wild
Duck.

MatiEmMuck. An old Dutch-mariner’s name for the FULMAR.
Now corrupted into ‘‘ Molly-mawk,” and applied to various
other species such as the BLACK-BROWED ALBATROSS.
‘‘ Mallemucke”’ occurs for the Fulmar in Martin’s “ Voyage
to Spitzbergen,” and Bewick (1804) gives “ Mallemoke.”
Mallemock, Mallimoke, Malmock, or Malduck are still
Shetland names for the Fulmar, and Mollemoke or Molle-
mawk Yorkshire names both for that species and the
GLAUCOUS GULL.

Man-or-war Birp: The ARCTIC SKUA. (Provincial.)

MANX SHEARWATER [No. 328]. The name first occurs in
Selby. Willughby calls it the “‘ Puffin of the Isle of Man,”
and Edwards the ‘“ Manks Puffin.” Pennant terms it the
Manx Petrel and Montagu simply “ Shearwater.”
Willughby quotes Sir Thomas Browne as saying that it
doth as it were radere aquam, shear the water, from whence
perhaps it had its name.”

Marste TuHrusH. A name for the MISTLE-THRUSH
(Northants.); from the marble-like spots on its breast.

Marpuran. A Cornish name for the RAVEN.

Marcu Owt: The SHORT-EARED OWL. (Provincial.)

Maricotp Birp. This name is found in Rutty’s ‘‘ Nat. Hist.
of Co. Dublin,” 1772, and seems to be the GOLDEN-
CRESTED WREN, which is known elsewhere as Mary-
gold Finch, according to Hett.

MaricoLtD Finch: The GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN. (Pro-
vincial.)

MaRIoNETTE. A name for the BUFFEL-HEADED DUCK.
(Hett.)

Marker Jew Crow. A Cornish name for the CHOUGH, and
also the HOODED CROW, from their frequenting the
neighbourhood of Marazion. (Swainson.)

Marrott: The COMMON GUILLEMOT (South Scotland) ;
also applied to the RAZORBILL in East Lothian and
Aberdeen. It also occurs as Marrock and is derived from
Icel. Mar, from the cry of the bird. According to Swainson
Marrot is also a name for the PUFFIN.

MarsH Goose: The GREY LAG-GOOSE. (Provincial.)

154 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

MARSH-HARRIER [No. 245]. This species, so called from
its predilection for marshes and bogs, is the Moor-Buzzard
of all our earlier writers, from Willughby and Ray up to
Fleming (1842). Edwards, however, has Marsh Hawk.
Marsh Harrier seems to occur first in Selby (1825.)

Marsh Hawk: The MARSH-HARRIER. (Edwards.)

Marsh Hen: The MOORHEN. (Provincial.)

MarsH Owit: The SHORT-EARED OWL. (Provincial.)

Marsh Reepring: The REED-WARBLER. (Provincial.)

MARSH-SANDPIPER [No. 397]. An Asiatic species which
has been taken four timesin England. Thenameis probably
a translation of Bechstein’s name for the species (7'otanus
stagnatilis.)

MARSH -TITMOUSE [No. 97, British Marsh-Titmouse].
First occurs in Willughby (1678). This form is now
considered to be restricted to England and Wales, its
place being taken in Scotland by the WILLOW-TITMOUSE
(q.v.), which however also occurs along with it in many
localities in England.

MARSH-WARBLER [No. 137]. A scarce and local summer-
visitor, so called from the situations it is supposed to
frequent, but the name is more or less of a misnomer.

Martuin: ppv. A Welsh name for the SWIFT; literally
‘“ Black Martin.”

MARTHIN PENBWL. A Welsh name for the MARTIN.

MARTIN [No. 197]. From Fr. Martin, a proper name.
Usually called House-Martin in modern works. The
first name, ‘Martin,’ occurs in Merrett (1667) and
Willughby (1678). Turner (1544) calls this species “ rok
martinette or chirche martnette.”

MartTInet, MArtTiInETTE, MARTNET, MAaRTLET: The MARTIN.
Martinet is Fr. for the SWIFT. ‘“ Martlet ” occurs in
Shakespeare’s ‘“‘Merchant of Venice” (act tm, sc. 9) :—

. .. Like the martlet
Builds in the weather on the outward wall.

Martin-o1t: The STORM-PETREL is so called in Galway
according to Swainson. It seems as though “ oil-martin ”
is intended.

Martin Snip—E: The GREEN SANDPIPER. (Norfolk.)
Stevenson says it is from the white upper tail-coverts and
rump forming such a contrast to its dark body.

Martin Swattow: The MARTIN. (East Lothian.)

MaskED GuLL: The BLACK-HEADED GULL. (Fleming.)

MARSH—MEADOW. 155

MASKED SHRIKE [No. 111]. ‘This south-west Asiatic species
was first recorded for the British Isles in 1905, by Mr. Nicoll
(Go Bull. B.O.0..7 sya, p, 22).

Marracess or MarracasseE: The GREAT GREY SHRIKE.
The name occurs in Willughby (1678), who remarks that
it is a name borrowed from the Savoyards. It was for-
merly used by falconers, who employed this species
sometimes.

Mavis: The SONG-THRUSH. From Fr. Mauvis. Probably
not now much used, although said to be so in Yorkshire ;
Newton thinks it was perhaps in England originally the
table name of the bird. It occurs in Turner (1544) and
in Spenser, but Shakespeare, who, as Mr. Harting has
observed, only mentions this species three times, prefers
our English word Throstle. Willughby has “ Mavis,
Throstle, or Song-thrush.” In south-west Scotland it be-
comes “ Mavie,” in which form it is still in use.

Maw or Mew. An old English name for a Gull; from A.Sax.
mew=gull. Maw occurs in Turner for the BLACK-
HEADED GULL, while it is a local name in Orkney and
Shetland for the COMMON GULL.

Mawp: The BULLFINCH. (Lancashire.) Swainson thinks it
is derived from “ Alp.”

May-cuick. According to Sir Thomas Browne this was a Norfolk
name for a bird “a little bigger than a Stint, of fatness
beyond any.”

May-cock: The GREY PLOVER. (Provincial.)

May-FrowL, May-pirp, or May Curtew: The WHIMBREL.
(Ireland chiefly.) So called from the month in which
it arrives. May-bird is also a Norfolk name.

Maze Fincn (Maize Finch?): The CHAFFINCH. (Cornwall.)

MEADOW-BUNTING [No. 49]. A south European species
added to the British List in recent years.

Meapow Crake: The LAND-RAIL. (Selby.)

Merapow Drake: The LAND-RAIL. (Yorkshire and Notts).

Mrapow Lark: The TREE-PIPIT (Montagu); also the
MEADOW-PIPIT (Notts. and Hants.)

MEADOW-PIPIT [No. 68]. The name occurs in Selby (1825).
In previous authors it was confused with other species, and
occurs under a variety of names. It is the Titlark of
Pennant and other authors up to Montagu. The latter
author’s “ Field Lark or Meadow Lark” is the TREE-
Frere.

156 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Merapow Tittinc¢: The MEADOW-PIPIT. (Provincial.)
Meaty Biep: The young LONG-TAILED DUCK. (Norfolk.)

Meaty Minuer’s THums or Minier’s THums: The LONG-
TAILED TITMOUSE. (Yorkshire.) From its small size.

Meaty-mMoutTH. A Craven name for the WILLOW-WARBLER ;
also the LESSER WHITETHROAT (North Yorkshire).

MEALY REDPOLL [No. 21]. The name is found in Gould’s
‘“ Birds of Europe ” (pt. x1). It also occurs as Mealy Redpole,
an incorrect spelling, as the name arises from its red head
(or poll).

MEDITERRANEAN BLACK-HEADED GULL [No. 428].
A Mediterranean species of much the same size as the
BLACK-HEADED GULIJ, but with a really black head.

MEDITERRANEAN GREAT SHEARWATER [No. 326].
A species of Petrel confined to the Mediterranean, but
of which a single example was picked up at Pevensey
Beach, Sussex, in 1906.

Mrcey: The WHITETHROAT. (North Country.) An
abbreviation of Margaret (?). Also occurs as Muggy.

Metuvuez. A Cornish name for the SKY-LARK. Mr. Harting
thinks it the same as Pelhudz—“ high-flight.”

MELODIOUS WARBLER [No. 142]. First recorded as
British by Saunders (‘‘Man. Br. Birds,’ 1899, p. 77).

MELopi0us WiILLOw-WARBLER: The ICTERINE WARBLER.
(Hewitson.) Gould calls it Melodious Willow Wren.

MerLteE: The BLACKBIRD. Anglicization of Old. F. merle
“a mearle, owsell, blackbird” (Cotgrave), from Lat.
merula. Probably obsolete except in poetry, although
Swainson gives it as a Scots and Irish provincial name.
Canon Atkinson gives it as a Shakespearean name, but
probably erroneously, as I find only “ ouzel-cock”’ (Mid-
summer Night’s Dream ’’) and “ black ouzel” (Henry IV).

MERLIN [No. 236]. In Old. Eng. Marlin and Marlion, frem
Oid Fr. Esmerillon or Smirlon. The name occurs in Turner
(1544) and in Willughby. Sibbald gives Merlin as the
name of the female and Jack as the name of the male,
and among falconers formerly the latter was generally
called Jack-Merlin, Merlin being properly the term for the
female bird (see ‘‘ Jack.’’)

Mrrwys. A poetical Welsh name for the BLACKBIRD.

Mew. An old English name for any species of Gul! (see
“Maw’”’). Also occurs as “ Mell.”

MEADOW—MISTLE. 157

MicHAELMAS BLAcKBiIRD : The RING-OUZEL. (Dorset.) From
the time of its autumnal appearance in flocks at Portland.

Mippen Crow: The CARRION-CROW (Bewick): midden
=refuse. ‘“‘Midden Daup ” is a Craven form of the name.

Mippie Srotrep Wooprecker: The young of the GREAT
SPOTTED WOODPECKER, described by Linnzus as
a separate species, and called Middle Spotted Woodpecker
by Pennant and other writers up to Montagu.

Miaratory Pickon: The Passenger-Pigeon. (Eyton.)

Mitrran: The CARRION-CROW. (North Wales) lit.
“carrion crow.”

MittER. An old name for the HEN-HARRIER. The name
was applied only to the grey male birds. It appears also
to be a local name for the. WHITETHROAT, and Swainson
says it 1s a Shropshire name for the young SPOTTED
FLYCATCHER.

Miier’s Tuume or Tom THumsp: The GOLDEN-CRESTED
WREN and the WILLOW-WARBLER (Roxburgh) ;
the CHIFFCHAFF, WILLOW-WARBLER and WOOD-
WARBLER (Yorkshire). From their small size.

Minvte Trinea: The LITTLE STINT. (Selby.)

Mire-Crow: The BLACK-HEADED GULL. (Willughby.)

Mrre-prum : The BITTERN. (Montagu and others.) Probably
now obsolete.

Mire DrumsieE: The GREAT WHITE HERON. The name
occurs in Merrett (1667) who applies it to Ardea alba. The
name “ Mire Drum ”’ has also been used for the COMMON
BITTERN, while Turner’s Mire Drumble appears to be
the LITTLE EGRET.

Mrre Duck: The MALLARD. (Forfar.)

Mire Snipe: The COMMON SNIPE. (Aberdeen.)

Mrret: The COMMON TERN. (Cornwall.)

MIsSEL-BIRD or MisseEL TurusH: The MISTLE-THRUSH.

MIssELTOE-THRUSH: The MISTLE-THRUSH. (Charleton.)

MISTLE-THRUSH [No. 156]. There seems no doubt that
the name of this bird is a contraction of Mistletoe Thrush,
and should be spelled “ Mistle” in place of “ Missel.” It
is mentioned by Turner, who says it is particularly known
as “Thrushe,” as distinguished from the Song-thrush,
which he calls “ Throssel, or Mavis.” The name “ Mistletoe
Thrush ” occurs first in Merrett (1667); Charleton (1668)
has ‘“ Misseltoe-thrush or Shreitch,”’ while Willughby
calls it the ‘‘ Missel-bird or Shrite.” That ‘‘ Missel ”

158 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

however is used by the latter as an equivalent of “ Mistle ”
(or Mistletoe), is evident from the remark (p. 187) that
it “‘ feeds in winter upon Holly berries, but feeds the young
upon ‘ Misselto’ berries.” Aristotle mentions this species
also under the name of viscivorous, “‘ since it feeds on
naught but mistletoe and gum.” Albin (1738) spells it
‘“ Mizzel-bird,” perhaps erroneously. Pennant (1766) says
that “the ancients believed that the misseltoe could not be
propagated but by the berries that bad passed through the
body of this bird.” Newton (Yarrell, 4th ed., 1, p. 620)
says the bird “derives its name from feeding on Mistletoe
berries, a fact known to Aristotle,’ and says the name
should be Mistletoe Thrush, not Missel Thrush. The
spelling Missel Thrush seems to be due to a want of know-
ledge of the mis-spelling of the plant’s name. Skeat also
says the name is from its feeding on the berries of the
mistletoe, which he derives from A.Sax. miste/, a dim. of mist,
and tan, a twig, but Lees (‘ Botanical Looker-out,’? 1842)
suggests Old. Eng. mistion, defined by Johnson as “‘the state
of being mingled,” and Old. Eng. tod or ioe, a bush, i.e. “‘ min-
gled bush,” an allusion to its parasitic nature. As is well.
known, the mistletoe was held sacred by the Druids. Its
growth was ascribed to seeds transplanted from one tree to
another by this bird. Another derivation is that given by
Prior (‘‘ Popular Names of Brit. Plants ”’), who says thatit is
from “ A.Sax. mistiltan, from mistl, different, and tan, twig,
being so unlike the tree it grows upon.” The Mistle-Thrush
is supposed in some localities to sing particularly loud and
long before rain (see Storm-cock).

Mirry. A Shetland name for the STORM-PETREL. Mr.
Robert Godfrey tells me he has heard it used in Fethaland
and thinks it may be a contraction of “ Alamouti’”’ (q.v.).
Swainson has “ Mitty.”

MITHER 0? THE MAWKINS: The LITTLE GREBE (Stirling),
i.e. “‘ Mother o’ the hares,” signifying a witch or uncanny
person, from its diving capabilities (Swainson).

Mizzty Dick: The MISTLE-THRUSH. (Northumberland.)

Moat Hen: The MOORHEN (q.v.).

Mocurum Evprers: The CORMORANT. (Wigtown.) From
a loch of that name.

Mock Nicutincate: The BLACKCAP (Norfolk); the
SEDGE-WARBLER (North Yorkshire).

Mouenek. A Cornish name for the GOLDFINCH.

Moitit Hern: The HERON. (Midlands.)

MITEY—MOOR. 159

Mo.tiy Mawk. See Mallemuck.

Motiy WasuH-pisH: The PIED WAGTAIL. (Hampshire,
Somerset.)

MotrookeN: The GREAT CRESTED GREBE. (Lough
Neagh.)

Monk: The BULLFINCH (male). An allusion to its black
cap or hood.

MONTAGU’S HARRIER [No. 246]. The name seems to occur
first in Yarrell (1843) perhaps as a translation of Temminck’s
Busard montagu (‘‘ Man.,’’ 1, p. 76). It is so called in honour
of Col. Montagu, as he was for long supposed to be the
first describer of the species under the name of Ash-coloured
Falcon (“‘ Orn. Dict.,” 1, 1802). He was, however, antici-
pated by Albin, who in 1738 published a plate of the species
which was later used by Linnzus (“ Syst. Nat.,” 1, p. 89,
1758) in describing the bird under the name of Falco
pygargus, thus antedating Montagu.

Montuty Birp: The FIELDFARE. (Forfar.) Swainson
thought it might stand for mountain bird.

MoonrE: The GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN is said to be so
called at Holy Island, while in Roxburghshire it is called
“moon” or “muin.” It is said that these names are
derived from the frequent appearance of the bird during
a full ““ Hunter’s Moon” (Bolam). Mr. Witherby tells me
“Shiely”? is a more frequent Holy-Island name for
this bird.

Moor Brrap: The RED GROUSE is sometimes so called in
Yorkshire.

Moor BiackBirp: The RING-OUZEL. (Cheshire and North
Yorkshire.)

Moor BuzzarpD or More Buzzard: The MARSH-HARRIER.
(Probably obsolete.) Formerly a common indigenous
species before the draining of the fens and marshes, from its
partiality to which the bird takes its name, the “ moor ”’
being equivalent to “mire” or marsh. Willughby (1678)
calls it the “‘ more-Buzzard,” and later writers up to Fleming
(1842) call it ‘‘ Moor-Buzzard.”’

Moor Cock or Moor Frowit: The RED GROUSE. (Sibbald.)
Moor-hen is also a name for the female.

Moor Coot: The MOORHEN. (Provincial.)

Moor Crow: The HOODED CROW. (Nidd Valley, York-
shire.)

Moor DortereL: The DOTTEREL. (Whitby, Yorkshire.)

160 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Moor GAME: The RED GROUSE. (Yorkshire ; and Longden-
dale, Cheshire.)

Moor GuieEAD. A Border name for the HEN-HARRIER.

Moor Hawk: The MARSH-HARRIER (formerly).

MOORHEN [No. 460]. It is also commonly known as the
Water Hen. Moor is from A.Sax. mér, and was anciently
equivalent to morass or bog, the name having therefore
much the same meaning as Water Hen. The name Moor
Hen occurs in Merrett (1667). Willughby spells it “‘ More-
hen.” Turner (1544) has ‘‘ water hen, or Mot hen,” and
alludes to the bird as generally haunting ‘“ Moats which
surround the houses of the great ” and fish-ponds.

Moor Linnet or Moor Peep: The TWITE. (Cheshire.)

Moor Peer : The MEADOW-PIPIT. (Cheshire.)

Moor Pipir: The MEADOW-PIPIT. (Northumberland.)

Moor Poot or Moor Poor: The young RED GROUSE. (York-
shire.)

Moor TurusH: The RING-OUZEL. (Sedbergh, Yorkshire.)

Moor-tTiTLInG : The STONECHAT. (Willughby.) Also occurs
in Merrett (1667) but mis-printed ‘‘ Moor-titing.” Moor
Tit or Titling is still a Cleveland (Yorkshire) name for the
species. The name is, perhaps, more often applied to the
MEADOW-PIPIT in North England and Scotland.

Morant: The MOORHEN. (Willughby.) Swainson thinks
it signifies Moor-ent ?

MoreE-cock: The RED GROUSE. Occurs in Willughby.
(Same as Moor-cock.)

Morr-HEN: The MOORHEN. (Willughby.) Same as Moore
hen (q.v.).

MorHEN: The female BLACK GROUSE (?). (Turner.) Mr.
Evans supposed it to be the PTARMIGAN, but Turner
says it is the bird he took to be the “ Attagen”’ (q.v.).

Moritton. <A fowler’s name for the GOLDENEYE, but
applied only to immature or female birds, which were
formerly supposed to be of a different species. From
Fr. morillon.

Morra: The RAZORBILL. (North Wales.) Fromits guttural
cry.

MorreEL Hen: The GREAT SKUA. (See Murrel Hen.)

MortetTEeR : The STONECHAT. Occurs in Turner.

MorWENNOL DDU: The BLACK TERN. (North Wales) lit.
“black sea-swallow.”

et OST ee

MOOR—MOUNTAIN. 161

Morwennot FAcH: The LITTLE TERN. (North Wales)
lit. “little sea-swallow.”

MoRWENNOL Y GOGLEDD: The ARCTIC SKUA. (North Wales)
lit. “‘ Arctic sea-swallow.”

Moscovian Biack GAME Cock and Hen: The CAPER-
CAILLIE. (Albin, u, pl. 29, 30.)

Moss-CHEEPER or Moss-cHEEPUCK: The MEADOW-PIPIT.
(North England and North Ireland.)

Moss Duck: The MALLARD. (Renfrew and Aberdeen.)

Moss Hen. A local Yorkshire name for the female RED
GROUSE.

Moss OwL: The SHORT-EARED OWL. (Yorkshire, Forfar.)
Swainson thought it signified Mouse Owl, and it happens
that Mouse-hawk is a name for the-species; Nelson and
Clarke, however, give it as a name for the species on the
north-west fells of Yorkshire, and it might well signify its
frequenting the mosses.

Mor-HeEN: The MOORHEN. Occurs in Turner and signifies
‘““Moat-hen ” (see MOORHEN).

MorHer Carey’s CHicKEN: The STORM-PETREL; also any
other small species of Petrel. Yarrell thought the name
was given by Capt. Carteret’s sailors, from some unknown
hag of that name.

Moru-Hawk or MotH-HunTER: The NIGHTJAR. (Provincial.)

Mots Ow: The NIGHTJAR. (Cheshire.)

Movuntary Biacksirp: The RING-OUZEL. (Ireland and
Scotland, Yorkshire.)

Mountain Bontrnc: The SNOW-BUNTING. (Cheshire.)
Also occurs as a distinct species in the older writers, from
Pennant to Montagu.

MovuntTatn Cottey: The RING-OUZEL. (Somerset.) “Colley”
is from the white gorget or collar (Fr. collet).

Mountain Frncu: The SNOW-BUNTING is so called by the
bird-stuffers of Brechin and Kirriemuir (Gray). It is also
a Border and Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire name for the
BRAMBLING.

Mountain Harrier. A name for the HEN-HARRIER.

Movuntars Linnet: The TWITE. (Yorkshire.) Occurs in
Willughby, also Pennant, etc.

Movuntarn Macrre. A name for the GREAT GREY SHRIKE.
(Montagu.)

Mountain OvzEL: The RING-OUZEL. (North Country.)

M

162 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Mountain Partridge. A variety of the COMMON PARTRIDGE.

Mountain Sparrow. An old name for the TREE-SPARROW.
It occurs in Albin, Pennant and Montagu, and is also a local
Cheshire name for the species at the present day.

Mountain THRusH: The RING-OUZEL. (Kirkcudbright.)

MovusE Fatcon. .A name for the KESTREL. (Hett.)

Movust-Hawk. A provincial name for the SHORT-EARED
OWL (Montagu); also the KESTREL (Loftus-in-
Cleveland, and Beverley, Yorkshire).

Mup-pABBER or Mup-stoppeR: The NUTHATCH. (South
England.) So called from its habit of plastering round its
nesting-hole with mud.

Mup Lark. A name for the ROCK-PIPIT. (Hett.)

Mup Prover. A name for the GREY PLOVER from its
frequenting flats on the sea-shore.

Murrig Wren: The WILLOW-WARBLER. (Renfrew.)

Mourritr: The WHITETHROAT. (Scotland.) Because the
feathers of the head and neck stand out so as to suggest
a muffler.

Mucey: The WHITETHROAT. (North Yorkshire.) Newton
thinks it is possibly cognate with the latter part of Germ.
Grasmicke (Grass-Midge), but perhaps it is only a corruption
of Meggie, as Nelson and Clarke say. both names are in use
in the North Riding of Yorkshire.

Murr Duck (Moor Duck): The MALLARD. (Stirling.)

Muir £UN (pron. murr-yan): The COMMON GUILLEMOT.
(Horn Head, Donegal.)

Morr Fowt or Murr Hen: The RED GROUSE. (Scotland.)

Mute: The SCAUP DUCK. (Wexford.)

Muurran, Morrran. Welsh names for the CORMORANT. The
first signifies “‘ shy crow,” the second “sea-crow.”’

MuLFRAN GopoG, Morrran GoroG: The SHAG. (North Wales)

lit. ‘‘ crested cormorant.”

MuLFRAN WEN: The GANNET. (North Wales) lit. “‘ white

cormorant.”

MULFRAN WERDD, MorFrRaAN WERDD: The SHAG. (North

Wales) lit. “‘ green cormorant.”

Muturt. Willughby gives this as a Scarborough name for the
PUFFIN.

Moutiet Hawk. An old name for the OSPREY.

Mum-rvuFFiIn: The LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE. (Worcester-
shire, Shropshire.)

MOUNTAIN—MUTE. 163

MvRr-BHUACHAILLE. A Gaelic name for the GREAT NORTHERN
DIVER. (Mainland) lit. “the herdsman of the sea.”
MuRDERING Pre: The GREAT GREY SHRIKE. From its
habit of impaling mice, small birds, beetles, etc., on thorns,

and from its pied plumage.

Murre: The RAZORBILL. Willughby gives it as a Cornish
name for this bird. It is now more generally applied to
the COMMON GUILLEMOT in the south-west of England
and south Ireland, as well as on the Yorkshire coast.

Murret Hen or Morret Hen: The GREAT SKUA. (York-
shire.) The first is used at Redcar and the second from
Flamborough to Scarborough (Nelson and Clarke).

Musket-Hawk or Musquet-Hawk. An old name for the male
SPARROW-HAWK. From Old Fr. mousquet or mouchet,
from mouche, a fly, an allusion to its small size. The name
of the musket appears to have been borrowed from the
bird, and alludes to its smaller and more handy size than the
cumbrous early matchlock.

MussEL CracKER: The OYSTERCATCHER. (Teesmouth.)

MussEL Crow. A name for the CARRION-CROW. (Hett.)

Musset Duck: The SCAUP DUCK. (Norfolk and Teesmouth.)
The COMMON SCOTER. (Humber.)

MussEL PeckerR: The OYSTERCATCHER. (Belfast, Forfar.)

MUTE SWAN [No. 273]. Swan is from A.Sax. Swan or Swon.
The name was formerly often spelt Swanne. It occurs thus
in the ‘Northumberland Household Book” and Wither-
ington’s ‘“‘ Order, Lawes and Ancient Customs of Swannes ”
(1632), etc. Turner (1544) has “‘ Swan,” as also has Merrett,
Willughby and later writers. The sexes are known re-
spectively as Cob (q.v.) and Pen; the young being called
Cygnets. This latter name, however, although now only
applied to the young, is the old Norman name for the Swan,
as it is also in its original Latin form, i.e. Cygnus. ‘“‘ Mute
Swan” is a modern name, found in Bewick, Jenyns and
Yarrell (1st ed.), but older authors callit the ‘‘ Tame Swan.”

That the Swan was a royal bird until at least 1632 is
certain. Nelson (‘Laws Concerning Game,’ 1753) writes
“Swan is a Royal bird, and by Stat. 22, Edw. IV, c. 6,
None (but the King’s Son) shall have any Mark or Game of
Swans of his own, or to his use, except he have Lands and
Tenements of Freehold worth five marks per Annum,
besides Reprises; in pain to have them seised by any
having lands of that value, to be divided betwixt the King
and the Seizor.” The eggs also were protected by a separate

M 2

164

DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

enactment from those of wild fowl (viz. m Hen. VII, c. 17)
which states that “‘ None shall take out of the nest any
Eggs of Falcon, Goshawk, Lanner or Swan, in pain of a
Year and a day’s imprisonment, and to incur a fine at the
King’s pleasure, to be divided between the King and the
Owner of the Ground.” This latter enactment was super-
seded by an act (1 Jac. I, c. 27) which reduced the punish-
ment to three months, or a payment of 20s. for each egg
to the churchwardens for the use of the poor, while under
our later Game Laws the offence was punishable only by a
fine not exceeding 5s. for each egg.

The ancient custom of ‘‘Swan-upping,”’ or taking up
Swans for the purpose of marking them, appears to date
from 1483 at least, when the privilege of keeping Swans
was granted from the Crown, Swan marks (cygni note)
being created to denote ownership. These marks were
notches or nicks on the bill, three for a royal bird, two for
a nobleman’s bird, etc., and a curious relic of the custom
is to be found to-day in the number of country inns bearing
the name or sign of the “‘ Swan with two necks ”’ (i.e. nicks),
etc. These marks of owners were entered in the book or
10ll of the Master of the Game of Swans and referred to in
case of dispute, and from time to time were held ‘“‘ Swan-
herds’ Courts ”’ at which orders were made for the preserva-
tion and ordering of Swans. At the present day the custom
of marking still survives on the Thames between London
Bridge and Henley: the privileged owners being the King,
the Vintners’ Company and the Dyers’ Company, and the
practice of marking the birds as soon as the young are
sufficiently grown is annually observed, generally about the
end of July, by the swanherds of the respective owners, the
time occupied being about four days. At the present day
the largest “‘game”’ of Swans in England is the great
swannery of the Fleet on the Dorsetshire coast, the property
of Lord Ilchester. For an account of an ancient “ Swan-
pit’ (for fattening these birds for the table) surviving at
Norwich see Stevenson and Southwell’s “ Birds of Norfolk.”
For an account of the folk-lore and superstitions relating to
the Swan see under WHOOPER SWAN.

Formerly, the most extravagant age was attributed to
the Swan. Even our sober ornithologists Willughby and
Ray remarked that “It is a very long-lived fowl, so that
it is thought to attain the age of three hundred years.” In
Wynkyn de Worde’s ‘““Demands Joyous,” an English version
of an old French riddle-book, as cited by Mr. Harting

MUTE—NETTLE. 165

(‘‘ Birds of Shakespeare’), we find the life of a man com-
puted at 81 years, while “ the life of a goose is three times
that of a man ; and the life of a swan is three times that of
a goose; and the life of a swallow is three times that of a
swan; and the life of an eagle is three times that of a
swallow ; and the life of a serpent is three times that of an
eagle; and the life of a raven is three times that of a
serpent ; and the life of a hart is three times that of a raven ;
and an oak groweth 500 years, and fadeth 500 years.” This
last computation is not so far from the truth, but the
others are obviously absurd.

Mouzzet TurusH. A corruption of MISTLE-THRUSH.

Mwore: The BULLFINCH. (Dorset.)

MwyatcHen. A Welsh name for the BLACKBIRD, properly
applicable to the female, the male being called “ Aderyn
ddu.”

MWwYALCHEN DDwR. A Welsh name for the DIPPER; lit.
“‘ water blackbird.”

MwyYALcHEN y araia. A Welsh name for the RING-OUZEL;
lit. “‘ rock blackbird,”

Myntar Crar: The JACK-SNIPE. (North Wales) lit. “lesser
peat hen.”

NanniE Wactait: The PIED WAGTAIL. (Notts.)

Nanny Reprait: The REDSTART. (Cleveland, Yorkshire.)

Nanpre. A Lincolnshire and Yorkshire name for the MAGPIE ;
in Craven it becomes “‘nan-piannot.”” Swainson also gives
“Pie nanny ” as a Lonsdale name.

Navk or Nack: The GREAT NORTHERN DIVER. (Holy
Island.) A corruption of Auk; also applied to other
Divers. Swainson also gives Naak as a Scottish name for
the species.

NEEDLE-TAILED SWIFT [No. 201]. This Asiatic species
derives its name from the projecting spines at the end of
the tail-feathers.

NETTLEe-BIRD: The WHITETHROAT. (Leicestershire.)

NETTLE-CREEPER or NETTLE-MONGER. Provincial names for the
WHITETHROAT, and also the BLACKCAP; and said
to be applied to the GARDEN-WARBLER in Craven.
The REED-BUNTING also occurs as Nettle-monger in
Morton’s “‘ Northamptonshire.” The name is most appro-
priate for the first-named bird, which chiefly frequents
nettle-beds.

166 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Nras or Nyas. A falconer’s term for nestling-Hawks. Derived
from Fr. niais, from Low Lat. Nidax. In English it is
generally found corrupted into ‘‘ Eyas”’ or “ Eyess.”

NICKA-PECKER, NICKER-PECKER, or NICKLE: The GREEN
WOODPECKER. (Notts.)

Nicor or Jack Nico: The GOLDFINCH. (North Wales.)

NicHTsrRD: The MOORHEN. (Sussex.) From its dark
plumage. The name is also given to the MANX SHEAR-
WATER about Skellig Island, because it is only seen at
night about the rock.

Nieut-Cuurr: The NIGHTJAR. (Provincial.) From its noc-
turnal habits and the churring noise it utters.

Nicut-Crow: The NIGHTJAR. (Yorkshire, Northants., Corn-
wall.)

Nieut Hawk: The NIGHTJAR. (Fleming, Selby.) It is a
common English provincial name for the species.

NIGHT-HERON [No. 266]. The name seems to occur first in
Pennant’s “‘ Arctic Zoology ”’ (vol. 11, No. 356), the young
being described in the same work as ‘“ Gardenian Heron.”
This appears to be the bird anciently known as the Night
Raven, under which name it is figured in Albin (1738).
Willughby, who terms the species the Lesser Ash-Coloured
Heron, says it is called by the Germans Night Raven,
“‘ because in the night-time it cries with an uncouth voice.”
The scientific name Nycticorax also signifies Night Raven.
Under the heading of the “ Bittour or Bittern,” however,
Willughby writes: ‘This without doubt is that bird our
common people call the Night Raven, and have such a dread
of, imagining its cry portends no less than their death, or
the death of some of their near relations: for it flies in the
night, answers their description of being like a flagging
collar, and hath such a kind of whooping cry as they talk
of.” Goldsmith (“‘ Animated Nature”) confirms this by
relating of the Bittern that he remembered “ with what
terror the bird’s note affected the whole village.” Spenser
also alludes to “the hoarse night raven, trompe of doleful
dreere.”” The reference may, of course, be to the night-
like plumage of the RAVEN.

NIGHTINGALE [No. 180]. The name of this prime favourite
among song-birds signifies literally “singer of the night,”
it being the A. Sax. nihtegale (fr. niht—night and gale=a
singer). Prof. Skeat says the middle n is excrescent. The
name is found in Chaucer’s ‘‘ Canterbury Tales”: Turner
(1544) writes it “‘ Nyghtyngall,” while Merrett (1667) and

EEO oe

NIAS—NILE. 167

Willughby (1678) have Nightingale. Shakespeare and
many of the other early poets allude to this species as
Philomel (which see for an explanation of the classical
allusion). It was locally believed, according to Dyer,
that there were no Nightingales at Havering-atte-Bower,
Essex, because of a legend that Edward the Confessor,
being interrupted by them in his meditations, prayed that
their song might never be heard again. It has also been
said that Nightingales have never been heard in Yorkshire,
but as a matter of fact the species does occur in that county,
although rarely, it being the northernmost limit of its
range. Similarly in Devonshire the species is met with in
the south-eastern portion of the county, but I think has
never been known to occur in the west. Andrew Boord
(‘‘ Book of Knowledge ’’) relates a curious belief that in the
Forest of Saint Leonards in Sussex “there doth never singe
nightingale, althoughe the Foreste round about in tyme of
the yeare is replenyshed with nightingales; they wyl singe
round about the Foreste and never within the precincte
of the Foreste.”” This bird was formerly popularly sup-
posed to arrive with the CUCKOO (with which it is much
connected in folk-lore) on the 14th of April.

NIGHTJAR [No. 202]. This name appears to have been fixed
for the species through its adoption by Yarrell (1843),
although it was previously used by Bewick (1797). The
bird occurs in Merrett, Willughby and subsequent authors
to Montagu under the name of Goatsucker (q.v.). Montagu
gives Nightjar as a provincial name. For the popular
beliefs regarding this species, see under ‘‘ Goatsucker ” and
also “‘ Puckeridge.” In Nidderdale the country people say
these birds embody the souls of unbaptised infants doomed
to wander for ever in the air (according to Macquoid), and
call them ‘‘ Gabble-ratchets ”’ (q.v.).

Nieut Owit: The LITTLE OWL. (Merrett.)

Nicut Raven: The NIGHT-HERON (q.v.). Also ascribed to
the BITTERN.

Nicut Smvcer: The SEDGE-WARBLER. (Ireland; Sed-
bergh, Yorkshire.) From its singing at night.
Nicut Sparrow: The SEDGE-WARBLER. (Cheshire.)

Nicnut Swattow: The NIGHTJAR. From its nocturnal
habits, and because it hawks flies like a Swallow.

Nicut WarsLer: The REED-WARBLER. (Bewick.)
Nizze-prrp: The WRYNECK. (Berks., Bucks.)

168 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

NiMBLE-TAILOR: The LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE. (Shrop-
shire.)

NINE-KILLER: The RED-BACKED SHRIKE. According to
Willughby, where this name occurs, it is a translation of
the German Neghen-doer (Mod. Germ. Neuntédter), a term
applied because it, was supposed to kill nine birds or other
creatures every day. The name is, however, older than
Willughby, for it is found in Turner (1544) as “ Nyn-
murder,” and the latter gives the German equivalent as
**Nuin miirder ” (= neunmérder).

NocturnAL GOATSUCKER: The NIGHTJAR. (Pennant.)

Noppy: The COMMON GUILLEMOT. (Whitby, Yorkshire.)

Noddy Tern. Thename is found in Gould (“‘ Bds. Eur.,” pt. 21)
and the species was included by Yarrell (1st ed.), it being
said, on insufficient evidence, to have occurred in our
islands. Noddy is originally a name applied by sailors to
the bird on account of its stupid habits; being probably
derived from Fr. nodden, a sleepy nodding of the head :
hence signifying sleepy-headed or foolish, the word “ noodle ”’
being akin.

Nore: The BULLFINCH. (Staffordshire, Shropshire.) Occurs
in Drayton’s Polyolbion x11, also in Willughby. Newton
thinks it to be a corruption of some form of Alp (q.v.): the
original word perhaps being “an ope.” In Dorset it
becomes “‘ Mwope.”

NorFoik PLovEeR: The STONE-CURLEW. Montagu gives it
as a provincial name. It appears to have been first used
by Pennant (1766) for the species.

Norrie. A Shetland name for the PUFFIN. (Saxby.)

Norman Gizer: The MISTLE-THRUSH. (Osxfordshire.)
The meaning is uncertain, although Gizer is probably from
Gise (Old.Fr. gister) signifying a pasturer, from its habit of
frequenting fields. Swainson gives Norman Thrush as a
Craven name for this species.

NORTH AMERICAN PEREGRINE [No. 234]. This species
is almost invariably known in America as the Duck Hawk.

NortH Cock: The SNOW-BUNTING. (Aberdeen.)

NortHEeRN BurxiFincy: The large North European form of the
BULLFINCH.

NorTHerN Diver: The GREAT NORTHERN DIVER.
(Pennant.)

NortHERN Dovcker: The BLACK-THROATED DIVER.
Montagu gives it as a provincial name.

NorTHERN Futmar: The FULMAR PETREL. (Jenyns.)

NIMBLE—NUTCRACKER. 169

NORTHERN GREAT Sporr—ED WOODPECKER. See GREAT
SPOTTED WOODPECKER.

NortTHEerRN HaretD : The LONG-TAILED DUCK. (Aberdeen.)
Hareld is from haveld, the Icelandic name of the bird.

NORTHERN LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE [No. 100]. The
Continental form of the LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE. It
was formerly called the White-headed Long-tailed Titmouse.

NortHern Meaty Reprott: COUES’S REDPOLL.

NORTHERN PENGUIN: The GREAT AUK. (Edwards.)

NorTHERN WitLow-Titmouse. See WILLOW-TITMOUSE.

NortTHERN WiLLow-WaARBLER. See WILLOW-WARBLER.

Norway Barnacte: The BARNACLE-GOOSE. (Ireland.)

Norway Crow: The HOODED CROW. (Northumberland,
Yorkshire, Norfolk.) From its being supposed they visit
us in winter from Norway. Northern Crow is also a
Craven name for the species.

Norway Duck: The SCAUP DUCK. (Belfast.) Norwegian
Teal is also a Banff name for the same species.

Norway NicHTINGALE. A name for the REDWING. (Hett.)

NORWEGIAN BLUETHROAT [No. 182]. Generally known as
Red-spotted Bluethroat. It is the Blue-throated Redstart
of Edwards (pl. 28), the Blue-throated Robin of Bewick, and
the Blue-throated Warbler of Yarrell and Jenyns.

Nun or Wuitt Nun: The male SMEW. (Northumberland.)
From its black-and-white plumage: Willughby calls it
the ‘‘ White Nun.’ Also the BLUE TITMOUSE, from its
banded head (occurs in Turner and Willughby).

NUTBREAKER: The NUTCRACKER. Appears to be the first
English name given to this bird and is found in the index to
Willughby (1678), no English name being given in the text.

NutT-BRown Birp. A name for the PARTRIDGE. (Hett.)

NUTCRACKER [No. 7, Thick-Billed Nutcracker; No. 8,
Slender-Billed Nutcracker]. The name Nutcracker seems
to be first found in Edwards’s Gleanings (plate 240, 1758).
The earliest mention of this species appears to be in
Turner (1544) who says “besides the said three kinds
of Graculi described by Aristotle, I know a fourth, which I
have seen upon the Rhetic Alps ... Now to this the
Rheetians have given the name of Nucifraga, from the nuts
which it breaks with its bill and eats.” The form breeding
in Europe is now separated from the form breeding in
Siberia and visiting Europe in winter : hence the two names.
In Shropshire the name is applied to the NUTHATCH.

170 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

NUTHATCH [No. 86, British Nuthatch]. Occurs in Wil-
lughby (1678). Turner (1544) has “‘ Nut jobber ” and “ Nut-
seeker.”’ Another Old English form is ‘‘ Nuthack,” the name
being derived from its habit of hacking or hammering at
nuts which it first fixes in the crevice of the bark of a tree.
Hartert has separated the British resident form from the
Continental form, hence the change of name.

NUTJOBBER or JOBBIN, NUT TAPPER, or NUT TOPPER: The
NUTHATCH. (England.) Equivalent of Nuthatch.
Nyroca Duck: The FERRUGINOUS DUCK. (Selby.) Also

called Nyroca Pochard.

Oak Jackpaw. Aname forthe JAY. (Hett.)

Oat-EAR: The YELLOW WAGTAIL. (Hett.) See Oatseed
bird.

Oat-FowL: The SNOW-BUNTING. (Orkneys.) From its
feeding on oats (Swainson).

OATSEED-BIRD: The YELLOW WAGTAIL; or the GREY
WAGTAIL in Yorkshire, according to Swainson, whe says
it is because it makes its appearance about March, and is
then more abundant in those elevated parts which are better
adapted for the growth of oats than wheat.

OH DEE-AR. Saxby gives this as a Shetland name for the
GOLDEN PLOVER.

Oxe: The RAZORBILL. A corruption of Auk (Icel. alka).

OLtp HarpwekaTHER. A name for the male GOLDENEYE.
Also the Tufted Duck.

OxLp Maip: The LAPWING. (Worcestershire.) For a possible
explanation of this name, by a Danish belief that the Lap-
wings are metamorphosed old maids, see ‘“‘ Notes and
Queries,” ser. 11, vol. x, p. 49.

OLtp Man: The SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. (Cheshire.)

OF, Ovp, or OtrH: The BULLFINCH. (Suffolk and Norfolk.)
A form of “‘ Alp.”

OLIVACEOUS GALLINULE: The LITTLE CRAKE. (Montagu.)

OtrvE: The OYSTERCATCHER. (Essex.) Mr. Miller
Christy thinks it is a corruption of Olaf (or Olave), the name
of the Danish King. It is found in Albin as a name for
this species.

OoLERT or OwLERD: The BARN-OWL. (Shropshire.) Cor-
ruption of Howlet.

OossEL: The BLACKBIRD. (North Yorkshire.) A corrup-
tion of Ouzel.

NUTHATCH—OTTERLING. 171

ORANGE-LEGGED Hopspy: The RED-FOOTED FALCON.
(Selby.)

ORPHEAN WARBLER [No. 144]. The name arises from
Temminck’s name for the species (Sylvia orphea) referring
to its song. It is found in Gould and also Yarrell
(“ Supp.,” m, 1856) as “ Orpheus Warbler.”

ORTOLAN BUNTING [No. 48]. From Fr. Ortolan; in Old
Fr. Hortolan. It occurs first in Albin (1738) as Hortulon
or Hortulane, and as Ortolan Bunting in Pennant
(“Arctic Zoology”) and Latham. It is also the Green-
headed Bunting of Latham, Brown, Lewin, and Montagu.

OSPREY [No. 253]. The word “ Osprey ” occurs in Turner
(1544), who derives it from Aristotle and gives an accurate
account of its habits; and it also occurs in Aldrovandus
(p. 191) as the English name of the bird. Willughby and
other old authors confuse it with the “Sea-Eagle” or
immature WHITE-TAILED EAGLE, Willughby’s “ Os-
prey” being the latter species, while his “ Baldbusardus
anglorum” is the Osprey. From Lat. ossifragus, the
Sea-Eagle or Osprey—lit. bone-breaker—from the bird’s
reputed strength and habits. In Holland’s translation
of Pliny it occurs both as ospreie and orfraie, the latter
being synonymous with Old Fr. orfraye, as in Cotgrave.
In Shakespeare, where the bird is named twice, it occurs as
aspray in the old texts, but is rendered osprey in modern
editions. In “ Coriolanus”’ (act Iv, sc. 7) we get an admir-
able simile of the Osprey’s pre-eminence as a fisher :—

. . . He'll be to Rome
As is the Osprey to the fish, who takes it
By sovereignty of nature.
Indeed, the bird’s powers in this direction were so extra-
ordinary as to lead to the belief that it possessed the
fabulous power of fascinating the fish. Peele in 1594
(‘‘ Battle of Alcazar,” act 1, sc. 1) alludes to this :—
I will provide thee of a princely Osprey,
That, as he flieth over fish in pools,
The fish shall turn their glistering bellies up,
And thou shalt take thy liberal choice of all.
Turner also says that “‘ When the Osprey hovers in the air
whatever fishes be below turn up and show their whitish
bellies.”” As regards the then abundance of the species he
says that “‘ the Osprey is a bird much better known to-day
to Englishmen than many who keep fish in stews would
wish : for within a short time it bears off every fish.”

Orrertinc. A name for the COMMON SANDPIPER. (Hett.)

172 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Our Lapy’s Hen. An old Scots name for the WREN.
(Swainson.)

OvzEL, OvuizLE, UzzLE, OUSEL, or OUSEL Cock : The BLACK-
BIRD properly (Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cheshire, etc.) ;
but sometimes also applied without prefix to the RING-
QUZEL, where that northern species predominates, the
Blackbird on the other hand being sometimes designated
Black Ousel. Occurs locally as Qossel or Ussel (North
Yorkshire), and also Amzel, the latter actually seeming to
be the correct form, as the derivation is from A.Sax. dsle
(=amsele) the long 0 as Skeat points out standing for am
or an, and being synonymic wi th Old High Ger. amsalc
and Mod. Ger. amsel, a Blackbird. The word occurs
in our Mid. Eng. as osel and osul. Shakespeare (“‘ Mid-
summer Night’s. Dream ’’) refers to the ‘‘ ousel cock, so
black of hue, with orange-tawny bill.”

OveEN-Birp, OVEN Tit, or GRoUND-OVEN. Norfolk names tor tne
WILLOW-WARBLER. From the shape of its nest. In
the same county the LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE is called
Bush-oven, from the position of its nest, while it is known
as Oven’s-nest in Northamptonshire and Oven-bird or
Oven-builder in Scotland (Stirling).

OveR-SEA Brrp or OveR-SEA Linnet: The SNOW-BUNTING.
( Yorkshire.)

Ox-Birp or Ox-EvE: The DUNLIN, and also the SANDER-
LING (Kent and Essex). Perhaps from the full round
eye, like an ox’s.

OxEN-AND-KinE: The RUFF (obsolete). Appears to have
been a name for this species about the end of the sixteenth
century. Swainson cites references to it in the introduction
to “‘ Expenses of the Judges of Assize, going the Western
and Oxfcrd circuits, between 1596 and 1601,” reprinted in
Vol. xtv, of “Camden Miscellany,” 1857, also Carew’s
“Survey of Cornwall,” 1602, p. 108. Mr. Harting in
Intro. Rodd’s “ Birds of Cornwall,” p. xvii, cites it (no
doubt from Carew) as an old Cornish name “for some
unknown small species of wildfowl.”’

Ox-Eyr. A common provincial name for the GREAT TIT-
MOUSE. Occursin Willughby. Perhaps so called from the
large white patch on the side of the head, resembling that
sometimes seen on the face of an ox. It is also a Border
name for the BLUE TITMOUSE, according to Bolam.

Ox-EYE CREEPER: The TREECREEPER. Occurs in Merrett
(1667) and also Charleton (1668).

OUR—PARTRICE. Pie

OYSTERCATCHER [No. 351]. Occurs in Kay (1570) and in
Willughby (1678) under the name of Sea-Pie, and Pennant
(1766) uses the same name, but later writers call it the
Pied Oyster-catcher. Oyster-Catcher is first used by
Catesby (‘* Nat. Hist. Carolina ”’) in 1731 for the American
species, which he (probably erroneously) believed to feed on
oysters, and was adopted in this country by Pennant.

OysTER PLoverR. A name for the OYSTERCATCHER.
(Swainson. )

PADGE, PUDGE, or PuDGE OWL: The BARN-OWL. (Leicester-
shire.)

Pat: The PUFFIN. (North Wales) lit. “ Polly” (for Sea-
parrot).

PALE-BREASTED BRENT GoosE. See BRENT GOOSE.

PALLAS’S GRASSHOPPER-WARBLER [No. 132]. A
Siberian species named in honour of Pallas.

PALLAS’S SAND-GROUSE [No. 350]. Called after the explorer
and naturalist Pallas. Sand Grouse is first found in Latham
(1783) being a rendering of Pallas’s name Tetrao arenarius.
An irregular migrant from South-east Europe and Central
Asia, the first great immigration of which to the British
Islands took place in 1863, since when it has frequently
visited us.

PALLAS’S WARBLER [No. 128]. A Siberian species of
Willow-Warbler, named in honour of Pallas, who first
described it in 1827.

Patores. A Cornish name for the CHOUGH.

PANnDLE WHEW: The WIGEON. (Norfolk.) Whew is from
its whistling note and pandle seems to mean a shrim
(Swainson). It occurs in Bewick as ‘‘ Pandled Whew.”

Parasitic GULL: The LONG-TAILED SKUA. (Gould.)

Parkers. A Fen name for the smaller kinds of wild-ducks.

Parrot or SEA ParRot: The PUFFIN. (Yorkshire.) From
its bill being supposed to resemble a parrot’s.

PARROT-CROSSBILL [No. 35]. So called from the bill being
stouter and more parrot-like than that of the common form.
It is first noticed by Pennant (‘‘ Br. Zool.,” ed. 1776) and
the name is found in Selby (1825).

Parson GULL or Parson Mew : The GREAT BLACK-BACKED
GULL. (Cheshire, Sussex, Galway.) From the contrast
of its black coat and white under-plumage.

PaRTRICK, PARTRIG : The COMMON PARTRIDGE. (Yorkshire.)
An equivalent.

174 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

PARTRIDGE : The general name for the COMMON PARTRIDGE.
Old Eng. Pertriche; Scot., Patrick, Paitrick, or Pertrick.

Passenger-Pigeon. An American species, now thought to be
extinct, of which five British examples are on record, but
which are presumed to have escaped from captivity. The
name seems to have been invented by Wilson, the colloquial
name in North America having apparently been “ Wild
Pigeon.” On the British side it occurs in Jenyns (1835)
and as Passenger Turtle in Selby (1833).

PASSERINE OwL: The LITTLE OWL.

PASSERINE WARBLER: The GARDEN-WARBLER. Found
in Bewick (1797).

Patrick or PerTICK : The COMMON PARTRIDGE. (Scotland.)
See Partridge.

Pra-Birp : The WRYNECK. (Provincial.) Swainson says it is
from its sharp utterance of the sound “ pea-pea.”

PEAR-TREE GoLpFINcH. A bird-fancier’s name for a supposed
large variety of the GOLDFINCH, reared in pear-trees.

Pease Crow: The COMMON TERN. §(Provincial.)

PEASE WEEP, or PEESEWEEP: The LAPWING. (Scotland and
Northumberland.) From its cry. According to Swainson
the name has also been applied to the GREENFINCH,
because one of its notes resembles that of the Lapwing.

PECTORAL SANDPIPER [No. 378, American Pectoral
Sandpiper; No. 379, Siberian Pectoral Sandpiper]. This
species is now. divided into two forms, of which the Arctic-
American race has occurred many times in our islands, but
the Asiatic is only known to have occurred once with
certainty. The name Pectoral Sandpiper is found in
Jenyns, Yarrell (1st ed.) and later authors.

Perr o’ Day: A name for the LITTLE GREBE. (Kast
Cottingwith, Yorkshire.)

Peer: The SANDERLING. (Boulmer, Northumberland.)
From its note. Also the MEADOW-PIPIT (Forfar).

Prepy Lennart. A Holy Island name for the TWITE.
(Bolam.)

Prerrize WuHave: The WHIMBREL. (Shetlands.)

Prrsnies: The LAPWING. (Cheshire.)

PEETLARK: The MEADOW-PIPIT. (Cheshire.)

Prewit: The LAPWING. (See Pewit.)

Prewit GuLtt: The BLACK-HEADED GULL. (See Pewit

Gull.)

PARTRIDGE—PELICAN. 175

Praey or Peagy WuiretTHRoat: The WILLOW-WARBLER.
(Cheshire, West Yorkshire, Shropshire.) Peggy is also
applied to the WHITETHROAT (Notts. and Yorkshire)
and the GARDEN-WARBLER, BLACKCAP, WREN and
CHIFFCHAFF (Yorkshire).

Pevican. Fr. Pélican from Lat. Pelecanus. This name, now
restricted to the genus Pelecanus, appears in ancient times
to have been applied to severa! other birds noteworthy
on account of their bills, the true Pelican being in fact
called Onocrotalus by most ancient writers from Pliny to
Turner, while Willughby has “ Pelecan, Onocrotalus sive
Pelecanus, Aldrov.”’ Thus we find Turner giving Pelecanus
as a synonym of the “Shovelard ” or SPOONBILL, and
he cites Hieronymus’s “‘ Pelecani”’ as being apparently the
same. The Pelican of Aristophanes, however, is the Wood-
pecker, or joiner-bird, which with its bill hewed out the
gates of ‘‘Cloud-Cuckoo-town.” The derivation, in fact,
is from Ileyexaw, signifying “to hew with an axe,” and
the Woodpecker was so called from its pecking, the Pelican
from its large bill, and the Spoonbill from the remarkable
shape of its bill. That some other birds were also so called
is certain, and to which species to refer the legend of the
Pelican feeding its young with its own blood is very un-
certain. Houghton (‘‘ Natural History of the Ancients,”
p. 191) thinks that the legend refers to a vulture or eagle,
and cites the story of Horapollo that the vulture, if it
cannot get food for its offspring, opens its thigh and allows
them to partake of the blood. He thinks the story was
adapted and magnified from the Egyptian fable by the
ecclesiastical fathers in their annotations on the Scriptures.
Augustine, for instance, says that the male pelicans “ are
said to kill their young offspring by blows of their beaks,
and then to bewail their deaths for the space of three days.
At length, however, it is said that the mother bird inflicts
a severe wound on herself, pouring the flowing blood over
the dead young ones, which instantly brings them to life.”
Many other writers relate the same story, with variations,
and in some accounts the fable is that the female bird feeds
her living young in this manner, in which may be traced a
return to the Egyptian original. Hieronymus, whose
Pelican is, as before mentioned, referred by Turner to the
Spoonbill, says that “‘ Pelecani, when they find their young
killed by a serpent, mourn, and beat themselves upon their
sides, and with the blood discharged, they thus bring back
to life the bodies of the dead,”’ which of course is another

176 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

variation of the story. Whitney, in his ‘‘ Choice of Em-
blems,” gives a woodcut illustration of a bird like an eagle
piercing her breast with her hooked bill, surrounded by the
young in the nest whose mouths are open to receive the
blood; the lines below being :—
The pellican, for to revive her younge,
Doth pierce her breast, and geve them of her blood.

This fable in fact served as a symbol of Christ’s love to
men, and with the substitution of a real Pelican for the
bird, it exists to the present day in ecclesiastical art. What
species of bird the eagle or vulture of Whitney and other
old writers may be is uncertain, but there is little doubt
indeed that the substitution of the Pelican for the other
bird in the fable is due to the erroneous idea that the name
indicated the Pelican and not some other species. In
fact attempts have been made to account for the legend
by explaining that the Pelican feeds its young with the
fish from its pouch, and that during the process the red
nail or tip of the lower mandible, pressing against the
breast, might lead an observer to suppose that the bird was
piercing its own breast. Bartlett (‘Land and Water,” April
3rd, 1869) made an ingenious attempt to lay the origin of
the fable upon the Flamingo, which he says disgorges a
blood-like fluid. The Pelican is not a British bird, although
several doubtful records of the Great White Pelican
(P. onocrotalus) in our islands are extant.

PELLILE: The REDSHANK. (Aberdeen.) From its cry.

Pren: The female of the MUTE SWAN. (See Cob.)

Penppu. A Welsh name for the BLACKCAP; lit. “ black
head.”

PenpEw: The HAWFINCH. (North Wales) lit. “thick
head.”

Prencocu : The LESSER REDPOLL. (North Wales) lit. “red
poll.” Bengoch is an equivalent form.

Pencuin: The GREAT AUK. Found in Ray’s “Synopsis,”
also in Willughby, Edwards, and other early writers; lit.
‘“‘Pin-wing.”’ According to Nelson and Clarke ‘‘ Penwings”’
is an old Redcar (Yorkshire) name for the species.

PENLOYN: The GREAT TITMOUSE and the COAL-
TITMOUSE. (North Wales) lit. “ black head.”

Prntoyn-y-cors. A Welshname for the MARSH-TITMOUSE ;
lit. “‘ marsh coal head.”

Penny-Birnp. An lrishname for the LITTLE GREBE. (Lough
Morne ana Carrickfergus.)

PELLILE—PHEASANT, Ayia

Pen y tupwyn. A Welsh name for the MISTLE-THRUSH ;
lit. “‘ chief of the grove.”

Prroner. A young ROOK, after it has left the nest.

PEREGRINE FALCON [No. 233]. Peregrine, from Lat.
peregrinus= wandering, is sometimes used as the name
of the species, but it is an adjective, not a substantive.
The name Peregrine Falcon appears in Willughby (1678)
being anglicized from the Falco peregrinus of Aldrovandus,
who gives a good figure of it. Ray remarks that it “ took
its name either from passing out of one country into another,
or because it is not known where it builds.” In falconry
the female used to be called Falcon-gentle and the male
Tiercel-, Tassel- or Tercel-gentle (see “‘ Tiercel’’).

Perry Hawk: The PEREGRINE FALCON. (Ryedale, York-
shire.)

Per Maw. A name for the COMMON GULL and the KITTI-
WAKE at Redcar, Yorkshire.

PETRELL. Pennant gives this as a Flamborough name for the
KITTIWAKE GULL.

PrEeTRISEN. A Welsh name for the PARTRIDGE.

PETRISEN GOESGOCH: The RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE.
(North Wales) lit. “‘red-legged partridge.”

Petrycuars. (See Greater and Lesser Pettychaps.)

PEWEEP or PrewirPE: The LAPWING. (Norfolk.)

Pewir or Purr: The LAPWING. A common provincial name,
imitative of its cry.

PewirT or Pewit Gutt: The BLACK-HEADED GULL. From
its cry. The first occurs in Willughby and the second in
Pennant. It occurs as “ Puit” in Fuller’s ‘“ Worthies ”
(p. 318). Peewit Gull is a present name for the species
in North Wales.

PHALAROE: The GREY PHALAROPE. (Yorkshire coast.)
A corruption of Phalarope.

PHEASANT [No. 466]. Mid. Eng. Fesaunt*and Fesaun, Fr.
Faisan, from Lat. Phasianus. Originally introduced into
Europe from the banks of the River Phasis, now Rioni, in
Colchis. The name occurs in Turner (1544) as Phesan, and
in Barlow’s plates (1655) as “ Feasant.”” Pheasant occurs
in Merrett (1667), and also Willughby. Plot (1677) spells it
“Phesant.” As regards its introduction into England
nothing definite is known, except that the bird appears
to have been known here before the Conquest, and Newton
thinks that it must almost certainly have been brought

N

178 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

hither by the Romans. It seems to have been early under
protection for, according to Dugdale, a licence was granted
in the reign of Henry I to the Abbot of Amesbury to kill
Hares and Pheasants, and that later they were artificially
reared and fattened appears from Upton, who wrote about
the middle of the 15th century, while Henry VIIT seems
from his privy purse expenses to have had in his household
in 1532 a French priest as a regular “ fesaunt breder,” and
in the accounts of the Kytsons of Hengrave in Suffolk for
1607, mention is made of wheat to feed Pheasants, Partridges
and Quails. In ancient times Pheasants were taken in
snares as well as by Hawks. In Barlow’s prints (1655)
this bird (called ‘‘ Feasant—Phasianus’’) is shown being
pursued by a Hawk.
PHEASANT Duck: The PINTAIL. (Beverley, Yorkshire.)

Puitie or Pure: The HOUSE-SPARROW. _ (Provincial.)
Swainson says it is from the note. It may originate,
however, in Skelton’s poem “ Philip Sparrow.” The names
are also applied to the HEDGE-SPARROW.

PHILLIPENE: The LAPWING. (Ireland.)

Pariie’s Futmar: SCHLEGEL’S PETREL. (Godman.)

PHILOMEL: The NIGHTINGALE. The name is frequently
met with in poetical and other allusions to this bird, as well
as several times in Shakespeare, and arises from the classical
tale (to be met with in Ovid’s ‘‘ Metamorphoses,” bk. v1,
fab. 6) of the transformation of Philomela, daughter of
Pandion, King of Athens, into a Nightingale. Philomela,
finding herself deceived by Tereus, had her tongue cut
out by him to hinder her from revealing the truth; being
finally turned by the gods into a Nightingale, whence the
name of Philomela and the poetic allusion to her supposed
sad recapitulation of her wrongs. It was formerly supposed
that the bird sang with its breast impaled upon a thorn,
thus accentuating “the well-tun’d warble of her nightly
sorrow.” This popular error is alluded to by Shakespeare
in “The Passionate Pilgrim ”’ :—

She, poor bird, as all forlorn,
Lean’d her breast up-till a thorn,
And there sung the dolefull’st ditty,
That to hear it was great pity.
Sir Philip Sidney, also, in one of his sonnets, says that
this bird
Sings out her woes, a thorn her song-book making.
Fletcher and Pomfret, also, among the later poets, allude
to it.

PHEASANT—PIE. ~ bis

PIANET, PIEANNOT, PIANNOT, PINOT, PYNOT, PYENATE, PIANATE
or PyaneT. Provincial names for the MAGPIE (North
England), from Lat. pica. Pyanet occurs in Merrett (1667)
and Pianet in Willughby and later authors. (See “ Pie.’’)

PIBHINN (pronounced pee veen.) A Gaelic name for the
LAPWING. (Western Isles.) From its cry.

Prsypp ppv: The PURPLE SANDPIPER. (North Wales)
lit. “‘ black piper.”

PIBYDD GwyRDD : The GREEN SANDPIPER. (North Wales)
lit. “‘ green piper.”

Pispypp tun1aF: The LITTLE STINT. (North Wales) lit.
“lesser piper.”

PIBYDD LLYDANDROED: The GREY PHALAROPE. (North
Wales) lit. ‘‘ broad-footed piper.”

PipypD RHUDDGOCH: The DUNLIN. (North Wales) lit.
“ruddy piper.”

PIBYDD Y TRAETH. A Welsh name for the COMMON SAND-
PIPER, and also the SANDERLING (North Wales) ;
lit. “piper of the sand.” Another name for the first
species in North Wales is Pibydd y dorlan (=piper of
the streamside).

Picarmni: The AVOCET. Montagu gives it as a provincial
name.

Pick: The BAR-TAILED GODWIT. (Norfolk.)

PickATEE: The BLUE TITMOUSE. (Notts.)

Pick-A-TREE. A Northumberland name for the GREEN
WOODPECKER. (Wallis.)

PickcHEESE: The BLUE TITMQUSE. (Norfolk.)

PIcKEREL: The DUNLIN. (Scotland.)

Picke-Ta or ProcatarRy: The ARCTIC TERN. (Orkneys
and Shetlands.)

Pickin: The MISTLE-THRUSH. (Teesdale.)

PICKIE, PICKIE-BURNET, PICKIE-MAW, PICKMAW, PICKMIRE,
PICK-SEA, or PICTARNIE. Scottish Border names for the
BLACK-HEADED GULL.

PICcTARNIE: The COMMON TERN. (East Lothian, Fife.)
Occurs in Sibbald as ‘‘ Pictarne.”

Piz. A provincial name for the MAGPIE. Occurs in Turner
(1544) as “Py,” and in Aldrovandus (1599) as “‘ Pie,
Pij.” Mid. Eng. mie or pye, from Fr. pie, Lat. pica,
Welsh piog, Scott. piet, a Magpie. The name is applied also
to many other birds which present more or less of black
and white in their plumage. (See “ French Pie,” etc.)

N2

180 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Prep CuarrincH : The SNOW-BUNTING. (Albin.)
Prep Crow: The HOODED CROW. (Provincial.)

Prep CurrEe. An old gunner’s name for the GOLDENEYE
in parts of the South and West of England.

Prep Diver: The SMEW. (Provincial.)

Prep Frincn, Pirerrmcu, or Pypie: The CHAFFINCH.
(Cheshire.) From the pied plumage of the male. Other
variants in the Midlands are Pea Finch and Pine Finch.

PIED FLYCATCHER [No. 116]. Appears to be found first
in the 4th ed. of Pennant. In the folio edition it is called
Coldfinch, as in Willughby and Edwards.

Prep Mountain Frnco: The SNOW-BUNTING. Occurs in
Willughby and in Albin.

Prep OystTER-CaTcHER: The OYSTERCATCHER. So called
by Pennant, Montagu and other old writers.

PIED WAGTAIL [No. 81]. It is described by Turner (1544)
under the heading of Culicilega of Aristotle, and he gives it
the name of “ Wagtale”’ merely. It occurs in most old
authors as White Wagtail, Pied Wagtail first appearing in
Bewick (1797) although its distinctness from the White
Wagtail of the Continent was not pointed out by Gould
until 1832. In Gaelic its name, according to Gray, is
Breac-an-t’-sil, signifying a plaid, from the resemblance
of its plumage to that article. In Cornwall, where it is
known as the “tinner,” one perching on a window-sill is
said to be a sign of a visit from a stranger. Bolam gives
it as a Border belief that the bird ought always to wag its
tail nine times on alighting, and before beginning to run
about or feed ; should the number be less or more, it is very
unlucky for the person who is counting.

PIED WHEATEAR [No. 172]. This Asiatic and South-east
European species was first recorded for the British Islands
in the ‘‘ Aunals of Scottish Natural Hist.,”’ 1910, p. 2.

Prrp WicEon. A provincial name for the GARGANEY and the
GOLDENEYE. (Montagu.)

PrED WooDPECKER : The GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER.
(Bewick.)

Pre-FincH : The CHAFFINCH (Upton-on-Severn) ; the HAW-
FINCH (Notts.).

Pir-Nanny: The MAGPIE. (Yorkshire.)

Prenet : TheOYSTERCATCHER. (Provincially.) A diminu-
tive of “Pie.” Also the MAGPIE (see Pianet).

PIED—PINTAIL. 181

Por, Pver, Prot, or-Pvor; The MAGPIE. Turner (1544)
has “ Piot,’’ and Merrett (1667) has “‘ Pyot.” Piet is also
applied to the DIPPER. (See “ Water-Piet.’’)

PIE-WYPE or PrE-wiPpE: The LAPWING. (See “ Wype.’’)

Picgzon Fett: The FIELDFARE. (Berks., Bucks., Oxon.,
Cheshire.) From the blue-grey lower-back.

Picron Gutu: The BLACK-HEADED GULL. (Yorkshire
coast.)

Pickeon Hawk: The GOSHAWK (Rutty); also the
SPARROW-HAWK (Yorkshire). Occurs in Montagu for
the latter species.

PIGEON oF THE NortH. Aname forthe LITTLE AUK. (Hett.)

Picton PLtoverR: The GREY PLOVER. (Humber district.)

Piamy CURLEW or Pigmy SanppipER: The CURLEW SAND-
PIPER. So called from its being supposed to resemble
a miniature Curlew. Montagu includes the species under
the name of Pigmy Curlew, which is a Norfolk name for
the species.

Pia Mynawp. A Welsh name for the AVOCET.

Pita GwyRpD: The GREENFINCH. (North Wales) lit.
“* oreen finch.”

PINE-BUNTING [No. 44]. A bird inhabiting the pine forests
of Siberia, which has lately been recorded once from Fair
Isle (Shetlands).

PINE-GROSBEAK [No. 32]. So called from its frequenting
pine woods. Grosbeak is from Fr. grosbec (“ great bill’’).
The name is found in Bewick (1797). It is the Pine Bull-
finch of Selby and the Common Hawfinch of Fleming, while
Edwards calls it the Greatest Bullfinch.

Ping Maw: The BLACK-HEADED GULL. (Antrim.)

Prnk, Prnkety, PrInK-TWInK. Provincial names for the CHAF-
FINCH. (England.) From its call-note.

PINK-FOOTED GOOSE [No. 278]. First described and named
by Bartlett (“‘ P.Z.S.,” 1839, p. 3), the name being adopted
by Yarrell and succeeding authors.

Prynock: The HEDGE-SPARROW. (Provincial). From its
piping note (Swainson). The BEARDED TITMOUSE is
also known as “ Bearded Pinnock.”

PINTAIL [No. 296]. The name Pintail is first applied by
Pennant (1766) who calls it Pintail Duck. Willughby and
Ray call it the “Sea Pheasant or Cracker.” The name
arises from the pointed appearance of the tail, the two middle
feathers of which are elongated and finely pointed.

182 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Prnut: The MAGPIE. (Notts., Cheshire.) A corruption
of Pianet.

PiopEN y Mér or Piocgen y Mér: The OYSTERCATCHER.
(North Wales) lit. “ sea-pie.”’

PioGEN, PiopEN, or Pia. Welsh names for the MAGPIE;
hit: Ries:

PIOGEN GOCH, PioGEN-y-cozkD: The JAY. (North Wales.)
The first signifies “‘ red magpie,” the second “ wood magpie.”

PiogHarp. A Gaelic name for the MAGPIE.

Pres or Pope: The PUFFIN. (Cornwall.)

Preit: The MEADOW-PIPIT. Fr. Pipit from Lat. pipio,
lit. a “piper” or nestling ; pigeon is from the same root.

Prerr Lark: The TREE-PIPIT. (Pennant.) Montagu’s Pipit
Lark is no doubt the MEADOW-PIPIT.

PIRENET or PIRENNET: The SHELD-DUCK. (Scotland.) A
corruption of “‘ Pied ent”? ( Pied Duck).

PrrrE: The COMMON TERN. (Ireland.)

Pisan Cuckoo : The GREAT SPOTTED CUCKOO. (Latham.)

Pir Martin : The SAND-MARTIN. (Craven, Yorkshire.)

Pir Sparrow. A _ local, Cheshire name for the SEDGE-
WARBLER and also the REED-BUNTING. From their
frequenting small ponds locally called pits; Holland also
gives Spit Sparrow for the Reed-Bunting in Cheshire.

PLOUGHMAN’s Birn: The REDBREAST. (Lofthouse, near
Wakefield.)

PioverR: The LAPWING, generally. From Fr. Pluvier, Old Fr.
Plovier, probably from Lat. pluvia, rain.

PLOVER’s PaGE: The DUNLIN is so called in parts of Scotland
and in the Shetlands (Saxby), from its habit of flying in
company with the GOLDEN PLOVER. In the Orkneys the
name is given to the JACK SNIPE (Dunn).

PLUM-BIRD or PLUM-BUDDER: The BULLFINCH. (Shrop-
shire.) From its habit of picking the buds of fruit trees.

PocHARD, PocKARD or PoKER. See COMMON POCHARD.

PoKkE PuppDING, PoKE Bag, or Pupprne Baa: The LONG-
TAILED TITMOUSE. (Gloucestershire, Shropshire, Nor-
folk.) From the shape of the nest (poke—pocket).

Polish Swan. An aberrant phase of the MUTE SWAN, in
which the cygnets are white, instead of dark grey. It was
first described by Yarrell (“ P.Z.S.,” 1838, p. 19) as a
separate species.

PINUT—POTTERTON. 183

PotuarREUN. A Gaelic name for the DUNLIN in the Long
Island ; signifying “‘ bird of the sand-pits ” (Gray).

POMATORHINE SKUA [No. 440]. It is the “ Pomerine
Skua ” of Selby and Yarrell (1st ed.), and the Pomerine
Gull of Gould (‘‘ Birds of Europe,” pt. 1, 1832). It is first
noticed as a British bird in the ‘‘ Sale Catalogue of Bullock’s
Collection ” (April, 1819, lot 61, p. 32) where it is referred
to as “ allied to the Arctic, but greatly superior in size.”

Poot Snipe: The REDSHANK. (Willughby.) Albin calls it
the “‘ Poole Snipe,” but the derivation is no doubt from the
former word (pool, or pond, snipe).

Poor WituieE: The BAR-TAILED GODWIT. (East Lothian.)
Imitative of its call-note. Also called Poor Wren.

Por. A name for the REDWING according to Swainson.

Port. Willughby gives this as a Cornish name for the
PUFFIN. The BULLFINCH is also so called in Dorset.
Swainson thinks in the latter case it is a derivation of
Alp. Itis also applied to the RED-BACKED SHRIKE in
Hants.

PoreLeR. An old name for the SPOONBILL.

Poprngay: The GREEN WOODPECKER. — (Provincial.)
Dutch Papegay. Properly a Parrot, but probably used to
denote any brightly plumaged bird. Occurs in Turner as
‘““Popiniay,” and in Aldrovandus as “ Popiniay”’ and
‘“‘Popingay.” Shakespeare has : ‘To be so pestered with
a popinjay ” (“ Henry IV, act 1, sc. 5) which has been held
to refer to a parrot, but without any good reason, for the
reference is obviously to the human popinjay (i.e. an idle
fop). He elsewhere (“‘Cymbeline,” act 11, sc. 4) speaks of a
gaudily-dressed person as a Jay, whichis, of course, equally
a term of contempt or derision for an over-dressed foppish
fellow, in a word, a popinjay. A popinjay was formerly
a gaudily-painted bird set up as a target for archers. The
name is, or was until recently, in provincial use for the
Green Woodpecker, which on the wing presents a clumsy
and gaudy appearance.

Porring WiGkoN: The GOLDENEYE and the RED-
BREASTED MERGANSER. (Drogheda Bay.) Because
they pop up and down so suddenly (Swainson).

Post-BirD: The SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. (Kent.) On
account of perching on a post waiting for flies.

PorreRTON HEN: The BLACK-HEADED GULL (Aberdeen.)
Swainson says, on the authority of Mr. Harvie-Brown,
that it is from a loch of that name, now dried up.

184 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Povey: The BARN-OWL. (Gloucestershire.)

PRAHEEN CarRK: The HOODED CROW. (Ireland.) Signifies
the “‘ hen crow.”

PRATINCOLE [No. 354]. The name first occurs in Pennant
(ed. 1776) as a rendering of Kramer’s name Pratincola
(1756).

PRIDDEN PRAL. A west Cornwall name for the GREAT TIT-
MOUSE and BLUE TITMOUSE .; signifies “ tree babbler.”

PrinE: The BAR-TAILED GODWIT. (Essex.) From its
habit of probing the mud for food (Swainson).

PRINPRIDDLE: The GREAT TITMOUSE. — (Staffordshire.)
According to Poole’s Glossary. Swainson also makes it
an equivalent of ‘‘ Pridden pral ” in Cornwall for the LONG-
TAILED TITMOUSE.

Provup-TaILor : The GOLDFINCH. (Midlands.)

PROVENCE Furze.ina. Macgillivray’s name for the DARTFORD
WARBLER.

PTARMIGAN [No. 465]. The name is from the Gaelic
Tarmachan. Occurs in Willughby (1678) as ““ White Game
or White Partridge.” Sibbald (1684) however called it
Ptarmigan, and he is followed by most subsequent authors.
According to Inwards it is a Scottish belief that the fre-
quently repeated cry of the Ptarmigan low down on the
mountains during frost and snow indicates more snow and
continued cold.

PuckerRIDGE: The NIGHTJAR. (Hants.) Newton thinks it
is possibly connected with A.Sax. puca, a goblin or demon.
In Gilbert White’s “ Observations on Birds,” published in
the ‘“ Naturalists’ Calendar ” (1795), it is related that in
Hampshire, where it sometimes goes by this name, “ The
Country people have a notion that it is very injurious to
weanling calves, by inflicting, as it strikes at them, the
fatal distemper known to cow-leeches by the name of
puckeridge.” In west Sussex and west Surrey it becomes
“ Puck-bird.”

Purtr. An obsolete Cheshire name for the LAPWING.
(Holland’s ‘“* Glossary.”’) |

PUFFIN [No. 449]. The word is apparently a diminutive
(=puffing) and was possibly given at first to the young of
this bird, which for long was known only by various local
names in different parts of the coast. The name would
therefore apply to the downy covering of the young birds,
e.g. a diminutive of “puff” or “puffy.” The Welsh

POVEY—PURRE. 185

name, however, for this bird is Pwffingen, but whether
derived from the English name or whether it is the origin
of the English name needs investigation. It occurs in
Kay, or Caius (1570), as the “ Puphin or Pupin,” and he
accounts for the name by remarking that “this bird our
people call the Puphin, we say Pupin from its ordinary
ery of ‘pupin.’” Albin, Edwards, Pennant and _ later
writers call it the Puffin, which spelling is found in
Willughby (1678), but that the name was not a general
one in the latter writer’s day is shown by his referring to it
as ‘“‘ the bird called Coulterneb ‘at the Farn Islands; Puffin
in North Wales; in South Wales Gulden-head, Bottle-nose
and Helegug; at Scarburgh, Mullet; in Cornwall, Pope;
at Jersey and Guernsey, Barbalot.”” Swainson gives Puffin
as an Antrim name for the RAZORBILL.

Purriner. Albin gives it as a Farn Island name for the
BLACK GUILLEMOT.

PUFFIN OF THE IsLE oF Man: The MANX SHEARWATER.
(Willughby.)

PUFFIN OF THE IsLE oF WicHtT: The PUFFIN. (Edwards.)

Pueey or Juecy WREN: The WREN. (West Surrey.)

Puir: The BLACK-HEADED GULL. (Norfolk.) Found in
King’s “‘ Vale Royall” (1656). From its note (see Pewit
Gull). Also the LAPWING (East and South coasts),
being a corruption of “ Pewit.”

Pump-BORER: The LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER.
(Shropshire.) “‘ Because the noise it makes is like that
produced by boring with an augur through hard wood ”’
(Swainson).

PUPHIN or PupiIn: The PUFFIN. (Caius.)

Purple Gallinule. Examples of this exotic species obtained in
our islands are usually regarded as escaped birds.

PURPLE HERON [No. 261]. The name is found in Jenyns
(1835) and succeeding authors, and is derived from
Linnzus’s name for the species (Ardea purpurea). Latham,
Lewin, Walcott, Montagu and other old writers call it the
‘“‘ African Heron.” It is the Purple-crested Heron of
Bewick and the Crested Purple Heron of Selby.

PURPLE SANDPIPER [No. 385]. The name is derived from
the purplish gloss on the upper-parts, and is first found in
Montagu (1802). It is the Selninger Sandpiper of Latham
and Pennant, and the Purple or Rock Tringa of Selby.

Purre. An old name for the DUNLIN in winter-plumage
(Norfolk, Yorkshire.) Occurs in Willughby.

186 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

PuRRE Maw: The ROSEATE TERN. (Carrickfergus.) From
its hoarse cry. Maw is an equivalent of Gull.

Puttock: The KITE and also the COMMON BUZZARD
Turner and Merrett apply it to the former, while Willughby
applies it to the latter bird, to which also it was until
recently applied in Essex, where half a century ago it was
not such a rara avis in that county as the Kite. Montagu
also gives it as a provincial name of the Common
Buzzard, but Bewick, who spells it Puttok, applies it
to the Kite. It appears also to have been sometimes
applied to the MARSH-HARRIER. It is a contraction
of “ poot-hawk,” lit. “‘ pullet-hawk,” poot signifying poult
or pullet. Also sometimes spelt “ Puddock.”

PwrrFin. A Welshname for the PUFFIN, of which it is, perhaps,
the original.

PWFFIN MANAW or PWFFINGEN Fanaw. Welsh names for the
MANX SHEARWATER, ; lit. “ Manx Puffin.”

Pyemy CurRLEw. See “ Pigmy Curlew.”

Pysa Eryr. A Welsh name for the OSPREY, signifying
** Fish eagle.”

Pyseotwrk: The KINGFISHER. (North Wales) lit. “fisher.”

QUAIL [No. 468]. From O.Fr. Quaille (Mod. Fr. Caille). The
name occurs in Turner (1544) as ‘“‘ Quale:”’ Merrett and
Willughby have Quail. As instancing the immense migra-
tions of former times it may be related that Pliny credits
them with being a danger to sailors, as he says they often
settle on the sails, and that always at night, and so sink
ships.

QuatuziE. An old Scots name for the QUAIL.

QuAKETAIL. A name invented by Macgillivray for the group
of “‘ yellow ” wagtails (Budytes), as distinguished from the
PIED WAGTAIL and its congeners which he called
“* wagtails.”’

QUEEST, QuEsT, Quist, QuisTy. Provincial names for the
RING-DOVE. Occurs in Merrett (1667) as “ Quist ” and
in Montagu as “ Quest.” It is also found corrupted to
Quice, Queeze, or Quease. From Lat. questus. (See also
Wood Quest.)

QurEeT. A name for the COOT. (Swainson.)

QuEEzE: The RING-DOVE. (Cheshire.) (See Queest.)

QuEt: The COMMON GUILLEMOT. (Aberdeen.)

QuuHare. An old Scots form of ‘“ Whaup” (CORLEW).

PURRE—RAVEN. 187

QUICK ME DICK: The QUAIL. (Oxfordshire.) Imitative of
its call-note.

QuicksTaRT: The REDSTART. (Ireland.)

QuINK or QuincK-GoosE. A fowler’s name for the BRENT
GOOSE : thought to be from its note.

Qtis: The WOODCOCK. (Wiltshire.)

RADDE’S BUSH-WARBLER [No. 129]. An Eastern Siberian
species named in honour of Radde, who described it in
1863.

RaFrer or RaFrrerR Brrp: The SPOTTED FLYCATCHER is
so called from its nesting on rafters in old buildings.
(Montagu.)

Ratt: The LAND-RAIL. Occurs in Willughby as the “ Rail
or Daker-hen.” Sometimes also used for the WATER-
RAIL.

RAIN-BIRD, RAIN-FOWL, or RaAIn-PIE: The GREEN WOOD-
PECKER. (Provincial.) “ Rayn byrde” is found in
Turner, “ Rainfowl” occurs in Willughby, and Wallis tells
us it was so called in Northumberland. It is still a country
belief that when the cry of this bird is much heard rain
will follow.

Rain Goose: The RED-THROATED DIVER. (Caithness,
Orkneys and Shetlands.) From its cry being thought to
foretell rain.

RateH. A name for the RAVEN. (Swainson.)

RaLpHiE: The CORMORANT. (Whitby, Yorkshire.)

RaMaAGE-Hawk. In falconry a young hawk that can fly and
prey for itself. Ramage is also used to denote a wild or
coy hawk.

Rantock: The GOOSANDER. (Orkneys.)

Rat-BiRD, Rat-HEN: The WATER-RAIL. (Sedbergh, York-
shire.)

Raton: The LITTLE AUK. (Shetlands.) Probably a corrup-
tion of Rotch or Rotchie.

Rat Goose: The BRENT-GOOSE. Swainson thought it to be
from its note (“‘ rott.’’)

RATTLE-THRUSH : The MISTLE-THRUSH. (Yorkshire.) From
its harsh note.

RatTTLE-wines. A fowler’s name for the GOLDENEYE.
(Norfolk.)

RAVEN [No. 1]. From A Sax. hrefn, hrefn, a Raven: in Mid.
Eng. becoming raven, the initial h being dropped. Skeat
says it is derived from the cry and has no connexion with

188

DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

the word raven, to plunder or devour voraciously. The name
appears in Turner (1544), also Merrett and all later writers.
Turner states that “in places with less space, and where
there is not room for many, Ravens dwell only in pairs,
and, when their young have just gained power of flight,
the parents first banish them from the nest, and later
drive them out of the whole neighbourhood.” Willughby
states, on hearsay, that the Raven was formerly capable
of being “reclaimed and trained up for fowling after the
manner of a hawk.” Kay, or Caius, also says that he saw
in the year 1548, two white ravens from the same nest in
Cumberland, which were trained for bird-catching just like
hawks. The Raven was a sacred bird of the Druids.
O’Curry (‘‘Manners and Customs of Ancient Irish ”’) has
found that it was domesticated on account of the auguries to
be obtained from its croakings. The same belief in its gift
of prophecy prevails among the Icelanders. It is also
well known as an old Anglo-Saxon emblem. The Raven
is a familiar bird in the Norse mythology, as Woden’s bird:
two Ravens, one black and one white, sit upon his shoulders
and tell him all that passes in the world below. In the
Welsh “‘ Mabinogion”’ the hero Owein, son of Urien, is
accompanied by an army of Ravens, which attack his
enemies. In the Irish legend also Cuchullaind had two
magic Ravens which announced to him the coming of his
foes. It was by the means of this bird that Flokki, in the
Norse saga, discovered Iceland. There is a belief among
the Cornish fishermen that King Arthur is still living in
the form of a Raven, changed by magic into that shape,
and that he willsome day resume his own form (‘‘ Notes and
Queries,” ser. 1, viii). Hawker (‘‘ Echoes from Cornwall ’’)
has, however, fastened the same belief upon the Chough.
An ancient superstition was that the Raven neglected her
young after they were hatched. According to Glanville
(‘« De Proprietatibus Rerum,” 1483) the young are fed with
the “dew of heaven” until they are fledged and have
black feathers. Izaak Walton says that the Raven “ leaves
her young ones to the care of the God of nature, who is
said in the Psalms (cxtvu, 9) to feed the young ravens
that call upon Him; and they be kept alive and fed
by a dew or worms that breed in their nests; or some
other ways that we mortals know not.” Shakespeare
(‘« Titus Andronicus,” act 1, sc. 3) alludes to this when he
says :—
Some say that ravens foster forlorn children,
The whilst their own birds famish in their nests.

RAVEN—REDBREAST, 189

Its association with the story of Noah’s Ark is known to
all. The Romans, who consecrated the Raven to Apollo,
regarded it as a foreteller of good or evil. In somewhat
later times, it became in England very generally accepted
as a bird of ill-omen. It is thus frequently alluded to in
Shakespeare. In “ Othello” (act 1v, sc. 1) we find a refer-
ence to its flying over a house in which there is sickness
being an omen of death—

As doth the Raven o’er the infectious house,

Boding to all.
Marlowe (‘‘ Jew cf Malta’) alludes to the same superstition.
According to Dyer the belief is still held in Cornwall that
the croaking of a Raven over the house bodes evil to some
member of the family. Ravens’ feathers are said to have
been used by witches, and Shakespeare (‘‘ Tempest,” act 1,
sc. 2) has :—

As wicked dew as e’er my mother brush’d
With raven’s feather from unwholesome fen.

In Rowlands’s “More Knaves Yet” (ca. 1613) allusion
is made to a curious belief that if a Raven cries just overhead
“some in the Towne have lost their virtue.” Drayton
also alludes to “‘ the black night-raven’s throat ”’ as boding
ill. According to Inwards it is a popular belief that if
Ravens croak three or four times and flap their wings fine
weather is expected.

RAVEN or RAVEN Crow. According to Nel on and Clarke the
CARRION-CROW is so called in parts of Yorkshire.

Ray’s Waatar.. See YELLOW WAGTAIL

RAZORBILL [No. 443]. Occurs first in Merrett (1667).
Willughby mentions it as “The bird called Razorbill in
the West of England, Auk in the North, Murre in Cornwall.”
Sibbald calls it the Auk and says it is “the Scout of our
country folk” (i.e. the Scots).

RAZOR-GRINDER: The NIGHTJAR. (Norfolk.) From _ its
jarring note.

RED-BACKED SHRIKE [No. 112]. The name, which is
derived from the bright red-brown mantle, seems to occur
first in Pennant (1766) as “ Red-back’t Butcher Bird,”
which in later editions is changed to Red-backed Shrike.

RED-BILLED Heron: The BUFF-BACKED HERON. (Pen-
nant.)

REDBREAST [No. 185, British Redbreast, No. 184, Continental
Redbreast]. Properly a contraction of the old English name
“Robin Redbreast.”” Modern writers have, however, pre-
ferred the name Redbreast to the much more popular name

190 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Robin. In the older name Robin Redbreast (under which
it occurs in Turner, Willughby, Sibbald, and other old
writers) the word Robin is, it is said, a nickname, but even
if so there is no more reason to drop the Robin than to
drop the Mag in Magpie, and revert to the old word Pie.
Another instance is to be found in Jackdaw, although in
this case the Jack is not a nickname as sometimes supposed
(see JACKDAW). The name Redbreast alone occurs first
in Merrett’s list (1667), and although increasingly frequent
in books in modern times it has never taken the place of
the name Robin colloquially. For other information on the
species see under Robin. Dr. Hartert has separated the
British resident form from the Continental, which occurs
on migration, hence the change of name.

RED-BREASTED Duck : The FERRUGINOUS DUCK. (Lewin.)

RED-BREASTED FLYCATCHER [No. 118]. So called from
the orange-red colour of the throat and breast.

RED-BREASTED Gopwit: The BLACK-TAILED GODWIT.
(Bewick.)

RED-BREASTED GOOSANDER: The RED-BREASTED MER-
GANSER. (Edwards.)

RED-BREASTED GOOSE [No. 281]. The name first occurs
in Pennant’s “ Arctic Zoology ” (um, p. 571). It is derived
from the chestnut-red of the chest and sides of neck in the
adult.

RED-BREASTED Lrnnet: The LINNET (in spring-plumage). So
called from the crimson colour of the breast.

RED-BREASTED MERGANSER [No. 313]. So called from
the reddish-brown of the lower-neck and upper-breast.
The name occurs in the later editions of Pennant, as also
in Montagu, but in the folio edition of Pennant (1766) the
species is called ‘“‘ Lesser Dun Diver.” Edwards, however,
has Red-breasted Goosander. The name Merganser is
first found in Gesner (‘‘ Hist. Anim.,”’ 1555).

RED-BREASTED Moor Tit: The STONECHAT. (East Cleveland,
Yorkshire.)

RED-BREASTED SANDPIPER [No. 386]. So-called from
the pale chestnut tint of the under-parts while in breeding-
plumage. It is the Red-breasted Snipe of Eyton, and the
Brown Snipe of earlier authors.

RED-BREASTED SHOVELER: The SHOVELER. (Bewick.)

RED-BREASTED SNIPE: The RED-BREASTED SANDPIPER ;
also the BAR-TAILED GODWIT, in spring-dress. (Mon-
tagu, ‘“‘ Orn. Dict.,” Supp.)

RED—RED. 191

RED-BREASTED SNIPE-TATTLER: The RED-BREASTED SAND-
PIPER. So called because it resembles both the snipes
and the “ tattlers.”

Repear: The GOLDFINCH. (North England.) From its red
front , also applied to the LINNET when in spring-plumage
with red crown, and to the LESSER REDPOLL at Ack-
worth, Yorkshire.

Rep Cock: The RED GROUSE. (Tunstall MS., 1780.)

RED Coot-FooTED TRiINnGA : The RED-NECKED PHALAROPE
(female) is so called by Edwards.

Rep Crakina REED-WREN. A name for SAVI’S WARBLER.

RED-CRESTED POCHARD [No. 297]. The name is found
in Selby. It is the Red-crested Whistling Duck of Yarrell
(1st ed.) who first recorded the species in 1828 (‘ Zool. Jnl.,”’
mu, p. 492). The name arises from the rusty-red colour of
the crested head.

Rep Duck: The FERRUGINOUS DUCK. (Pennant.)

RED-EYED PoKkER: The COMMON POCHARD. (Provincial.)

RED-FOOTED FALCON [No. 239]. The name, which originates
in the bright brownish red of the tarsi and feet, appears in
the first edition of Yarrell. It is the Red-legged Falcon of
Jenyns and Eyton, and the Orange-legged Hobby of Selby.

RED-FRONTED SwaLLow: The SWALLOW (Macgillivray).

RED-FRONTED THISTLE-FINCH: The GOLDFINCH. (Macgil-
livray.)

Rep Game: The RED GROUSE. Occurs in Willughby.

Rep Gopwit: The BLACK-TAILED GODWIT (Pennant,
Montagu); BAR-TAILED GODWIT (Selby).

Rep Gopwit Syree: The BLACK-TAILED GODWIT, in
spring-plumage. (Pennant.)

RED GROUSE [No. 464]. Pennant, in his folio edition, calls
it Grous only, but in his later editions “‘ Red Grous,” the
final e being quite modern. Occurs in Willughby (1678)
as ““ Red Game, Gor-cock, More-cock,”’ while Sibbald (1684)
ealls it ‘‘Moor-Cock, or Moor-fowl.” It is believed in
Scotland that the gathering of Grouse into large flocks
indicates snow. Their approach to the farm-yard is a sign
of severe weather—frost and snow. When they sit on
dykes in the moor, rain only is expected (Inwards).

Rep Hawk: The KESTREL. (Stirling and Yorkshire.) From
its rufous plumage. Also the PEREGRINE FALCON in
first year’s plumage.

Rep-HEAD: The COMMON POCHARD. (Yorkshire.)

192 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

RED-HEADED BUTCHER-BIRD: The WOODCHAT SHRIKE.
(Albin.)

RED-HEADED Fincu: The LINNET (Pennant); the LESSER
REDPOLL (Swainson).

RED-HEADED PocHarD: The COMMON POCHARD. (Selby.)

RED-HEADED SmMEW: The female SMEW. (Pennant.) It is
a Holy Island name for the young.

RED-HEADED SpaRROow: The TREE-SPARROW. (Albin.)
Nelson and Clarke give it as a Linton-on-Ouse (Yorkshire)
name.

RED-HEADED Wi1GEoNn : The COMMON POCHARD. (Pennant.)
In local use in Cheshire and Northumberland.

Rep Hoor: The BULLFINCH. (Dorset.)

Rep Kire: The KITE. (Macgillivray.)

Rep Lark: The AMERICAN WATER-PIPIT. Occurs in
Edwards (‘‘ Gleanings,” pl. 297), Pennant, etc.

RED-LEGGED Crow: The CHOUGH. The name used by
Pennant, Lewin, Latham, Walcott, Montagu and other old
writers. Nelson and Clarke give Red-legged Daw as a local
Yorkshire name.

RED-LEGGED Fatcon: The RED-FOOTED FALCON.

RED-LEGGED Gopwit: The SPOTTED REDSHANK.
(Bewick.)

RED-LEGGED GuLL: The BLACK-HEADED GULL. (Iveland.)
Also Red-legged Pigeon Mew in Norfolk.

RED-LEGGED HorsEMAN: The REDSHANK. (Albin.)

RED-LEGGED JACKDAW: The CHOUGH. (North Ireland.)

RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE [No. 469]. The name first
occurs in Willughby (1678). It was not formerly an
indigenous species in our islands, having first been intro-
duced in Suffolk about 1770, while it has since spread
throughout the south-eastern counties.

RED-LEGGED SANDPIPER or SNIPE: The REDSHANK. (Pro-
vincially.) The former name is also applied to the RUFF
(without its ruff). Red-leg is also a Norfolk name for the
Redshank, and Red-legs a Yorkshire one for the same species.

Rep Linnet: The GOLDFINCH (Cheshire); the LINNET
(Hampshire, West Yorkshire); the LESSER REDPOLL
(West Yorkshire).

Rep Lose-root: The RED-NECKED PHALAROPE. (Selby.)

ReEp-NECK: The COMMON POCHARD. (Cheshire.)

ReED-NECKED BeERNIcLE-GoosE: The RED-BREASTED
GOOSE. (Macgillivray.)

RED—RED. 193

RED-NECKED GREBE [No. 338]. This name, which arises
from the red fore-neck, first occurs in Pennant’s “ Arctic
Zoology,” and is the name used by most subsequent authors.

RED-NECKED NicuTsar. See ALGERJAN RED-NECKED
NIGHTJAR.

RED-NECKED PHALAROPE [No. 399]. This name seems
to occur first in Sowerby’s “ British Miscellany ” (1805) ;
it having been the “ Red Phalarope ” of the older authors,
including Pennant, Latham, Lewin, Walcott and Montagu,
and the Red Lobe-foot of Selby. Edwards figures both
male and female, calling the former “Cock Coot-footed
Tringa ” and the latter “‘ Red Coot-footed Tringa.” The
name originates in the red patch on each side of the neck
of the adult in summer-plumage.

RED-NECKED SANDPIPER: The DUNLIN (immature- or winter-
plumage). Occurs in Montagu.

Rep OwL: The SHORT-EARED OWL. (Dartmoor.) From
the pale orange of its under plumage (Swainson.)

Rep PartripcE: The RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE. (Mac-
gillivray.)

Rep Prarmican: The RED GROUSE. (Jenyns.)

Rep-rumMp: The REDSTART. (East Cleveland, Yorkshire.)

RED-RUMPED SWALLOW |[No. 196]. So called from its
rusty-red lower-back. It was first recorded as British in
1906, when a small party occurred at Fair Isle, Shetlands.

Rep SanppreeR: The KNOT. (Pennant, Montagu, etc.)
Swainson gives it as an Irish name, and Nelson and Clarke
as an obsolete Yorkshire name.

REDSHANK [No. 394]. The name “ Redshank ” is found in
Willughby, and occurs in Turner (1544) as ‘‘ Redshanc ”
and in Merrett as ““ Red Shanks.” Turner seeks to identify
the species with the Hzmatopodes of Pliny, which is, of
course, the OYSTERCATCHER. Albin calls it ‘“‘ Totanus
or Redlegged Horseman ”’ and “ Poole-Snipe.”

REDSHANK. A name for the FIELDFARE. (Swainson.)

RED-sHANK GULL: The BLACK-HEADED GULL. (Ireland.)

RED-sIDED THRUSH: The REDWING. (Macgillivray.)

RED-SPOTTED BLuETHROAT. See NORWEGIAN BLUE-
THROAT. This species seems to occur first in Edwards
(pl. 28) as “ Blue-throated Redstart.” The grounds on
which the authors of the ‘“‘ Hand-List ” changed the name
of this species to “‘ Norwegian Bluethroat ”’ appear to have
been to distinguish it from the Lapland and other forms.

Oo

194 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

REDSTART [No. 178]. From A.Sax. reid (red) and steort (tail).
Turner (1544) calls it “rede tale.” The first use of the
name Redstart I find is in Merrett’s list (1667) and
he gives “ Red-tail” as an equivalent name. Willughby
gives Redstart only, the A.Sax. name having thenceforth
taken the place of the later English one.

REDSTER or REDsTARE. Yorkshire names for the REDSTART.

Reptrai. A Yorkshire name for the REDSTART (q.v.).

RED-THROATED DIVER [No. 344]. So called from the
red upper-throat. The name appears in Edwards, in
Pennant (8vo ed.), and in most later writers. In the
folio edition of Pennant (1766) it is called ‘“‘ Red-necked
Diver.” It is the Speckled Diver of older authors.

RED-THROATED PIPIT [No. 69]. So called from the pale
chestnut of the throat and breast.

Rep Turusu : The REDWING. (Midlands.)

REDWING [No. 159]. So called from the orange-red colour
of the sides and under wing-coverts. Macgillivray’s name
‘“* Red-sided Thrush ”’ would really be more appropriate.
Formerly called the Wind Thrush (q.v.). The name Red-
wing appears first in Willughby (1678); Sibbald (1684)
calls it ‘‘Red wing or Wind-Thrush.” Swainson gives
Redwing Mavis as a Forfar name.

Red-winged Starling. A North American species of which
examples (no doubt escaped from captivity) have been
taken in this country. The name is found in Albin (1738) ;
it is included by Yarrell (1st ed.).

REDWING FELFER or REDWING THROLLY. Yorkshire names for
the REDWING.

REED-BUNTING [No. 53]. Frequents streams and _ rush-
covered ground rather than reeds. Occurs in Turner (1544)
as ‘“‘Rede Sparrow” and in Merrett and Willughby as
“Reed Sparrow,” as also in Pennant (1766). The name
Reed-Bunting appears to occur first in Montagu. Yarrell
calls it Black-headed Bunting (an unfortunate choice), which
has led to confusion with the non-indigenous species so
named.

Rrep Buntine. Swainson says this was an Essex name for
the BEARDED TITMOUSE.

RreEp, CouckER. A name for the REED-WARBLER.

REED FavuvetteE: The SEDGE-WARBLER. (Bewick, 1797.)

REEDLING : The BEARDED TITMOUSE. (Norfolk.)

REDSTART—RING. 195

REED-PuHEASANT. A Norfolk name for the BEARDED TIT-
MOUSE, in allusion to its long tail.

Reep-Sparrow. An older name for the REED-BUNTING ;
still used provincially in Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire and
elsewhere.

REED-WARBLER [No. 136]. So called from its frequenting
reed-beds. The name appears as Reed Wren in Latham
(“ Syn.,” Supp., p. 184) and as Reed Warbler in Pennant
(1812 ed.). Itis also sometimes called Reed Tit.

Reerocuer. An Irish name for the HEDGE-SPARROW.

REEL-Brrp or REELER. Local names for the GRASSHOPPER-
WARBLER, from the resemblance of its song to the noise
of the reel used by the hand spinners of wool. According
to Newton SAV’S WARBLER (now extinct in the Fens)
was formerly also known as the “ Night Reel-bird.”

REEVE: The female of the RUFF (q.v.). It occurs in
Leland’s ‘‘ Collectanea” as ‘‘ Ree,’ and in the Northum-
berland ‘“‘ Household Book ” (1512) as “‘ Rey.”

RHEGEN yDDWR: The WATER-RAIL. (North Wales) lit.
“water crake”; also called Rhegen y Gors, or marsh
crake.

RHEGEN YR yD. A Welsh name for the LAND-RAIL; lit.
“ corn-crake.”

RHONELL GocH. A Welsh name for the REDSTART; signi-
fying ‘‘ red-tail.”

Ruostroe cocn. A Welshname for the BAR-TATILED GODWIT;
signifying “ruddy godwit.”

RIABHAG-CHOILLE. A Gaelic name for the WOOD-LARK.

Ricwarpson’s Skua. An alternative name for the ARCTIC
SKUA. It seems to occur first in Selby.

RICHARD’S PIPIT [No. 65]. The name is found in Selby
(1825). It was first recorded by Vigors from an example
taken near London in 1812.

RiIcHEL-BIRD: The LITTLE TERN. (Montagu.)

Rinp TaBBERER: The GREEN WOODPECKER. (Provincial.)

Rin¥.© A Cornish name for the QUAIL.

Rivne Birp: The WRYNECK. (West Surrey.) On account of
its arriving at the time the oak bark is stripped (“‘ rine ”=
rind).

Ringe Birp, Rina Bunting: The REED-BUNTING. From
the white collar.

0 2

196 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

RING-DOVE [No. 345, Wood-Pigeon]. So called from the
white patch on each side of the neck. Also known as Wood-
Pigeon, but this latter name is inappropriate, having
frequently been applied to the STOCK-DOVE, and the
attempt to revert to it in the ‘‘ Hand-List ” is therefore un-
fortunate. Turner (1544) has “ Ringged Dove,” while
Merrett writes it “Ring Dove” as does also Sibbald.
Willughby calls it the “Ring Pigeon,” Pennant (1766)
has “ Ring-dove,” and this name is used by nearly all
subsequent authors. Dyer relates a North Yorkshire belief
that once upon a time the Cushat or Ring-dove laid its eggs
upon the ground, while the Peewit or Lapwing made its
nest on high; but one day they agreed to exchange their
localities for building. Hence the Peewit now expresses
its disappointment as follows :—

Peewit, Peewit !

I coup’d my nest and I rue it.
The Cushat, however, rejoices that she is safe out of the
reach of mischievous boys :—

Coo, coo, come now,

Little lad

With thy gad,

Come not thou.

A Suffolk legend is that the Magpie once undertook to teach
the Wood-pigeon how to make a more substantial nest,
but the latter kept repeating her cry of “‘ Take two, Taffy !
take two!” until the Magpie, after insisting that one was
enough at a time, finally gave up the attempt in a passion.
Pigeons were regarded in former times in England as
portents of death, and a sick man who had a desire to eat
of one was supposed to foretell his own death (De Kay).
Martial says of their flesh that :—

Ringed doves make a man’s loins slow and dull,
Who would be lusty should not eat this bird.

Butit isnot improbable that he referred to the small Collared
Turtle-dove and not our northern species. The Ring-Dove
is not so gentle as popular fancy would have it. Montagu
relates that he once bred up, to live together “in perfect
amity, a common Pigeon, Ring-Dove, White Owl and
Sparrow Hawk; of which the Ring-Dove was master.”

RinGED Buiackpirp, Ring BLAcKBIRD, RINGED THRUSH, or
Rina THrusH: The RING-OUZEL. From the white
gorget. Macgillivray callsit the Ringed Thrush, and Fleming
the Ring-Thrush.

RinceD DorrereL or Rina Dorrrren: The RINGED
PLOVER. The second form is in use on the Scottish
Borders.

RING—RIVERSIDE. 197

Ringed Guillemot. A supposed variety of the COMMON
GUILLEMOT described in Yarrell (1st ed.) as a separate
species. It is the Bridled Guillemot of Gould.

RINGED PLOVER [No. 358]. So called from its black
pectoral band. The name first occurs in Pennant’s ‘“‘ British
Zoology” (8vo ed.). It is the Sea Lark of Willughby, Albin,
Pennant (fo. ed., 1766) and other old writers.

Rinc-EYED Scout: The Ringed Guillemot. (Yorkshire.)

RiNGLEsToNES. A name used by Sir Thomas Browne for the
RINGED PLOVER. Skeat thinks it may refer to the bird’s
habit of “ranging” the stones for its nest. Swainson
refers it to the bird’s ‘“‘ white collar.”

RinG-NECK: The RINGED PLOVER. (Yorkshire.)

RING-NECKED Duck. See American Scaup.

RING-NECKED Loon: The GREAT NORTHERN DIVER.
(East Lothian, Cork Harbour.)

RING-NECKED PHEASANT. A variety of the PHEASANT.

RING-OUZEL [No. 162]. The name arises from the conspicuous
white gorget or crescent on the breast. “ Ring-Ouzel”
first occurs in Willughby (1678) and was adopted by most
succeeding authors.

RING-TAIL or RING-TAILED Krre: The female HEN-HARRIER,
from the brown-banded tail. The former name occurs
in Turner and Willughby, and the latter in Merrett.
Swainson gives Ring-tail as an East Lothian name. Col.
Thornton’s ‘‘ Stangel or Ringtail ” is perhaps the KESTREL.

RryG-TaiLeD or Rine-ram Eacte: The GOLDEN EAGLE
(immature). Willughby and Ray describe a “ Gelden
Eagle with a white ring about its tail,” which they “ take
to be specifically the same” as the Golden Eagle.
It was for long considered a separate species, however,
and Linnzeus describes it as Falco fulvus. Pennant figured it
in 1766 (‘ Brit. Zool.,” fo. ed.) under the name of Ringtail
Eagle, and Montagu in 1802 deemed it a good species.

Rina-Turusu: The RING-OUZEL (see Ringed Blackbird).

Rinc-WHIsTLE: The RING-OUZEL. (Teesdale, Yorkshire.)

Riepock or Rirrock: The COMMON TERN. (Orkneys.)
Swainson derives it from the Icel. rit-wr.

Risine Lark: The SKY-LARK. (Northants.) From its
soaring while singing.

River Pre: The DIPPER. (Ireland.) From its haunts and
pied plumage.

RIVERSIDE Buntine : The REED-BUNTING.

198 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

RrveR SwaLLtow: The SAND-MARTIN. (Yorkshire.)
Rixy: The COMMON TERN. (East Suffolk.)

RoapD GoosE or RHopE GoosE: The BRENT GOOSE. The
latter form is a Yorkshire name. Perhaps from its cry
(“‘rott ”’).

RoaRER. Swainson gives this as a Border name for the BARN-

OWL.
RoOBERD or RoBINET. Names forthe CHAFFINCH. (Swainson.)

Rosin. An alternative name for the REDBREAST, and a con-
traction of the Old English name “‘ Robin Redbreast ”’ (see
Redbreast). The present name is an anglicization of
the French Robin, a proper name, in fact a diminutive of
Robert. Robin is still in use with us provincially as a
Christian name. It is one of the most familiar of English
birds, and occurring most frequently in our folk-lore and
literature. The most familiar of all rhymes on this bird
is, of course, the well-known ‘‘ Death of Cock Robin.” A
Derbyshire children’s rhyme on the death and resurrection
of Cock Robin commences: “Cock Robin is dead and
lies in his grave.” It is, however, of little value in the
Robin cycle (‘‘ Folklore Journal,’ December, 1883). For
a note on a Breton song, “‘ Les Noces du Roitelet,” nar-
rating the wedding of the Robin and Wren, see the same
journal for May, 1883. This song, in which all the birds
bring presents or perform services, is similar in many
respects to the English rhyme “‘ The Wedding of Cock Robin
and Jenny Wren.” A couplet still heard at times on the

same unscientific union runs: ‘‘ The Robin and the Wren
are God’s Cock and Hen.” Or, according to Mr. Dyer’s
version :—

The Robin and the Wren

Are God Almighty’s Cock and Hen :

Him that harries their nest,

Never shall his soul have rest.
An old belief was that the Robin and Wren, and more
particularly the former, had a habit of covering, with leaves
or moss, unburied bodies, a belief arising no doubt from
the old story of the “‘ Babes in the Wood.” The supposed
habit is, however, alluded to by Drayton and by Webster.
The superstitions relating to this bird are many. In some
parts of Northamptonshire it is still held in veneration,
and its killing is regarded in the light of sacrilege. This
aversion to its killing obtains, in fact, in many parts of the
country, the feeling being traceable to the bird’s attempt,
according to one legend, to draw the nails, and according

RIVER—ROCK. 199

to another, to pluck a spike from the Crown of Thorns at
the Crucifixion, and receiving a drop of blood in the effort,
from which the red colour of its breast arises. I have found
the same reluctance to kill attaching in Canada to the
American Robin (or red-breasted Thrush); the super-
stition having been transferred with the name. Another
Northamptonshire belief is that the Robin taps thrice at
the window of a room in which a sick person lies before the
death of the inmate. The belief in a Robin coming into
a house being a sign of death has been recorded from
Bath (‘“ Folklore Journal,” December, 1894). In Scotland
(according to Dalyell), the Robin is considered a lucky token.
In Yorkshire it is believed that if a Robin is killed the
slayer’s cows will give bloody milk. In Cornwall it is
thought to be unlucky to hunt the Robin or the Wren.
Another belief met with in some parts is that the Robin’s
song is of ill omen when heard by a sick person, while a
curious superstition recorded in Chamber’s “ Book of Days ”
(vol. 1, p. 678) is to the effect that a Robin dying in one’s
hand causes it to always shake afterwards ; this also exists
as a Berkshire belief. According to Bolam it is a common
Border belief that if the Robin sings from underneath a bush
it will rain, but if he mounts to the top of a bush to sing,
a fine day may be expected. Swainson says a Suffolk
rhyme is :-—
If the Robin sings in the bush,
Then the weather will be coarse ;
But if the Robin sings on the barn,
Then the weather will be warm.
Rogry. The male of the HOBBY was formerly so called some-
times by falconers, according to Col. Thornton.
RoBINET: The Robin or REDBREAST;; lit. “‘ little Robin.”
Rosin coco: The REDBREAST. (North Wales) lit. ‘“ red
robin.”

Ropin Hawk. A name for the CROSSBILL. (Hett.)

Ropin ReEpDBREAST. The old English name of the Robin (see
REDBREAST). Saxby says it is also a Shetland name
for the WREN.

Rock BuackBirp or Rock Sraruing: The RING-OUZEL.
(Ireland and Stirling.)

ROCK- DOVE [No. 347]. The name arises from its more exclu-
sively frequenting cliffsand caves than its congeners.
Willughby calls it the “Common Wild Dove or Pigeon.”
Montagu (1802), who employs the name Rock Dove for it,
unites the STOCK-DOVE with it under the mistaken

200 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

impression that they were one and the same species. In
Northumberland the name is sometimes applied to the
Stock-Dove on account of its nesting at times on crags,
while Swainson gives Rock Dove as an Irish name for the
BLACK GUILLEMOT. F

RockeEt-Dove: The STOCK-DOVE. (Gunnergate-in-Cleveland.)
From the rocket-like flight as it leaves the ivy-clad trees
(Nelson and Clarke).

Rock Grouse. A name for the PTARMIGAN.

Rock Hawk: The MERLIN. (Provincial.) From its habit
of perching on rocks.

RockierR: The ROCK-DOVE. Montagu gives this as a pro-
vincial name for the species. It is also spelt “‘ Rocker.”

Rock Lark: The ROCK-PIPIT. (Montagu.) It is a Brid-
lington (Yorkshire) name for the species.

Rock Lintre: The ROCK-PIPIT. (Aberdeen.)

Rock-Martnet: The SWIFT. (Merrett.)

Rock-OvuzEt : The RING-OUZEL. (Lancashire and Yorkshire.)
Willughby gives it as a Derbyshire name for the same
species. It is applied to the DIPPER at Longdendale,
Cheshire.

Rock-Pickon : The ROCK-DOVE. (Flamborough and Bemp-
ton, Yorkshire.) Nelson and Clarke state that the STOCK-
DOVE is there called Rock-Dove.

ROCK-PIPIT [No. 72]. The name is found in Selby (1825).
It is the Rock Lark of Montagu, the Dusky Lark of Lewin
and Pennant, the Sea Lark of Walcott and the Sea Titling
of Fleming.

Rock Plover: The GREY PLOVER. (Wexford.)

Rock SanppipER: The PURPLE SANDPIPER. (Northum-
berland.)

Rock Sparrow: The TREE-SPARROW. (Cheshire; and
Halifax, Yorkshire.)

Rock Sraruinc: The RING-OUZEL. (Roxburgh.)

ROCK-THRUSH [No. 165]. First described and named by
Vigors (‘‘ Zool. Jnl,” 1, p. 396). Its home is in the mountain
ranges of South and Middle Europe, hence its name.

Rock Trinca: The PURPLE SANDPIPER. (Selby.)

Rocus. A Gaelic name for the ROOK.

Roper. A name for the GADWALL. (Swainson.)

Ropna-Hrnten. A Cornish name for the LAPWING.

ROCKET—ROOK. 201

ROLLER [No. 207]. From Fr. Rollier. The name, which is
found in Willughby, appears to originate with Gesner (1555)
who says it was so called near Strasburg from its habit of
rolling or turning over in its flight.

Roop GoosE: The BRENT GOOSE. Swainson thinks it is
from its cry (“rott”’).

ROOK [No. 4]. Occurs in Aldrovandus (1599) as ‘“ Roock,”
and in Merrett (1667) and also Willughby as Rook. Turner
describes it as probably the frugilega of Aristotle, but gives
no English name. Shakespeare also mentions it (as a bird
of ill-omen) in ‘‘ Macbeth ”’ (act mt, se. 4). It is probably
so named from its colour, rook (A.Sax. Aréc) being equivalent
to smoke-black ; rooky is adjectivally used to denote this. It
is an equivalent of the German rauch, smoke. Some authori-
ties have, with much less reason, preferred raucus, from the
bird’s hoarse note. In some parts of the country, according
to Swainson, it is believed that Rooks forsake their home
on the downfall of the family, or death of the heir of the
estate ; this belief prevailing in Northumberland, Rutland
and Cornwall. Dyer also says that it is a very prevalent
notion in the North of England that “when Rooks desert
a rookery which they have tenanted for a number of years,
it foretells the coming downfall of the family on whose
property itis.’ It is supposed that in earlier times owners
of estates prided themselves on attaching the Rooks to
them because they were regarded as “fowls of good omen.”
The Rook is one of the most commonly believed in as a
weather prognosticator among birds. When it hangs about
home or flies up and down or especially low, rain or wind
may be expected; when it “tumbles” or drops in its flight
it is taken as a sure sign of rain. In connexion with this
Dr. Jenner’s lines may be cited—

And, see yon rooks how odd their flight,

They imitate the gliding kite,

And seem precipitate to fall,

As if they felt the piercing ball—

** Twill surely rain—I see with sorrow

Our jaunt must be put off to-morrow.”
If the birds feed busily and hurry over the ground in one
direction, and in a compact body, a storm will soon follow.
When they sit in rows on dykes and palings wind is looked
for ; while when going home to roost if they fly high the next
day will be fair, and vice versa (Inwards). A Devonshire
saying is that if Rooks stay at home, or return in the middle
of the day, it will rain ; if they go far abroad, it will be fine.

202 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

ROSEATE TERN [No. 418]. The name is found in Montagu
(“ Orn. Dict.,” Supp.). So called from the pink tinge on
the under-parts.

ROSE-COLOURED STARLING [No. 14]. This name is found
in the 1832 edition of Bewick. It is generally called Rose-
coloured Pastor, from the prevailing colour of its plumage
and from Temminck’s generic name (pastor) for it, and under
this name it occurs in Selby (1825). Bewick (1797) has
Rose-coloured Ouzel (probably a rendering of Buffon’s
*“* Le Merle couleur de Rose’).

Rose Linnet: The LESSER REDPOLL (Yorkshire); also
the LINNET (in spring-plumage). Occurs in Fleming
for the first-named species.

Rosse-Lintiz. A Border name for the LINNET (Lintie=Lin-
net). Swainson says it isa Lowland name for the LESSER
REDPOLL.

Ross’s Guu or Ross’s Rosy Guitt. See WEDGE-TAILED
GULL.

Rosy Buturincu. Now called SCARLET GROSBEAK.

RotcHeE, Rotceu, or RotcurE: The LITTLE AUK. Rotche is
a frequent name for the species, especially among sailors,
and originates, apparently, in its cry, which has been
syllabled as “ rot-tet-tet.” According to Gray this species
is called Rotchie by the seafaring people on the shores of
East Lothian and Fifeshire.

RorHerock. Anold Orkneyname forthe BARNACLE-GOOSE.

Rorr GoosE: The BRENT GOOSE. From its cry (“ rott ’).

RovuGH-FootEep Eacir. See SPOTTED EAGLE. The name
occurs in Charleton and in Latham, but belongs to the
Lesser Spotted Eagle.

ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD [No. 242]. The name first
appears as Rough-legged Falcon in the Appendix to Pen-
nant’s “ British Zoology.” Fleming and Yarrell have
Rough-legged Buzzard.

Rounp-Berry Brrp: The RING-OUZEL. (Connemara.) From
its fondness for the berries of the rowan or mountain
ash (Swainson).

Row-pow or Roo-Doo : The HOUSE-SPARROW. (Northants.)

Royston Crow. The Old English name for the HOODED
CROW, but still in use in the northern counties. It is
found in Merrett (1667), and also Willughby, Albin and
Pennant (1766 ed.). The latter in later editions calls it

ROSEATE—RWUSH. 203

Hooded Crow. Turner (1544) calls it the ““ Winter Crow.”
Albin says it is sc called from having been seen in numbers
in winter about Royston and Newmarket.

Ruby-crowned Wren. This American species, of which two
examples were said to have been shot near Loch Lomond in
1852, is not considered to have a place on the British List.

Ruppock: The REDBREAST. (Cornwall and Yorkshire.)
Occurs in Merrett and Willughby. From A.Sax. rudduc.
Swainson also gives “‘ Reddock ” for Dorset.

Ruppy Piover: The SANDERLING. Adult male in summer-
plumage. (Swainson.)

RUDDY SHELD-DUCK [No. 286]. Occurs in Selby (1833), and
also in Yarrell (Ist ed.) as the Ruddy Shieldrake. It is
the Ruddy Goose of Bewick.

RUFF and REEVE [No. 370]. Derivation of Reeve is thought
to be from A.Sax. gerefa, literally one in authority, perhaps
so called from the pugnacious habits of the males. A
wood-reeve was anciently the overseer of a wood. The
name is found in Willughby as “The Ruff, whose female
is called a Reeve”; in Merrett as ‘‘ Rough and Reev,”
perhaps a mere phonetic spelling (but see below). The
name Ruff is invariably applied to the male bird, the
female being called Reeve. According to Willughby,
“They breed in Summer time in the Fens of Lincolnshire
about Crowland,” but it is, alas, now nearly a thing of the
past for them to breed anywhere in England. Newton
observes that it is ‘“‘at present unknown whether the
bird was named from the frill (Elizabethan) or the frill
from the bird. In the latter case the name should possibly
be spelt Rough (cf. ‘ rough-footed’ as applied to fowls with
feathered legs) as in 1666 Merrett (‘ Pinax,’ p. 182) had it.”

Rurrep Bustarp. A name for MACQUEEN’S BUSTARD.

RvFous-BACKED Ecret: The BUFF-BACKED HERON.
(Gould.)

Rvurovus TurtLEe-Dove. An Asiatic ally of our TURTLE-DOVE
which has occurred in Yorkshire.

RUFOUS WARBLER [No. 152]. The name is found in
Latham. (‘‘ Syn.,” rv, p. 431). It occursin Gould (“ Birds
of Europe”) and Yarrell (“ Supp.” 1, 1856) as Rufous Sedge
Warbler. Derived from the Rufous-brown plumage.

RunneR: The WATER-RAIL. (Sedbergh, Yorkshire.)

Runt : The WREN. (Near Huddersfield.)

Rusu-WaRBLER. A name for the REED-WARBLER.

204 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

RUSSET-PATED CHouGH. Shakespeare mentions (‘‘ Midsummer
Night’s Dream,” act 11, sc. 2) :—
Russet pated choughs, many in sort,
Rising and cawing at the gun’s report.
The term “ russet-pated ”’ has aroused a good deal of con-
troversy. Mr. Harting considers it to refer to the JACK-
DAW, and a few years ago in the “ Zoologist ” he defended
at some length his opinion that “ russet ” might denote the
grey nape of this bird. Professor Newton, on the other
hand, seems to have preferred to read it “ russet-patted ”’
(i.e., red-footed), making the passage refer to the CHOUGH.
Mr. Harting has shown (as will be seen in the present work
under “‘ Chough ’”’) that the word ‘‘ chough ” did not always
apply to Pyrrhocorax graculus; yet on the other hand he
admits that Shakespeare in other cases refers always to
the Jackdaw as the “ daw.”
Russet WHEATEAR: The BLACK-EARED WHEATEAR.
The name is found in Latham, and it is figured by Edwards
(pl. 31). It is also called Russet Chat.

RUSTIC BUNTING [No. 51]. The name is an anglicization of
Pallas’s name Hmberiza rustica.

SABINE’S GULL [No. 423]. The name is found in Jenyns and
was adopted by Yarrell and succeeding authors. It is the
Sabine’s Xeme of Eyton.

Sabine’s Snipe. A melanism of the COMMON SNIPE, for long
supposed to be a distinct species. 1t was first described
by Vigors-in a communication to the Linnean Society
(‘Trans.,” vol. x1v), from a bird shot in Queen’s County,
Treland, in 1822, while many others have been obtained
from time to time.

Sapcock, SEDcocK, SEDGECOCK, SETTcOcK. Local Cheshire
names for the MISTLE-THRUSH. (Coward and Oldham.)

SADDLE-BACK: The GREAT and LESSER BLACK-BACKED
GULLS. (Yorkshire.) From the saddle-shape of the dark
mantle. Swainson gives Greater Saddle-back as an Irish
name for the former.

Sarip Foot. A Shetland name for the LESSER BLACK-

BACKED GULL. (Saxby.)

Sr. CuTHBERT’s Duck : The COMMON EIDER. (Northumber-
land.)

Sr. GrorGe’s Duck: The SHELD-DUCK. Occurs in Montagu.

St. Kizpa Wren. See WREN.

Sarrnh: The MISTLE-THRUSH. The name occurs in Merrett
(1667).

RUSSET—SATIN. 205

SALLYPECKER: The CHIFFCHAFF and also the WILLOW-
WARBLER. (Ireland.) “Sally ” signifies sallow (—willow.)
Swainson says it is also an Irish name for the SEDGE-
WARBLER.

SAND-BACKIE: The SAND-MARTIN. (Forfar.)

Sanp-cock : The REDSHANK. (Bewick.)

Sanp DorrerEL: The RINGED PLOVER. (Humber.)

SANDERLING [No. 372]. Cognate with Ice]. Sanderla. The
name occurs in Willughby (1678) and in most succeeding
authors.

Sanp Lark, SAanpy, or Sanpy LavERock: The RINGED
PLOVER. (Northumberland.) The last name is also
used in the Orkneys and Shetlands. Sand Lark is applied
in Scotland to the COMMON SANDPIPER, and in
Treland to the SANDERLING, also at Bridlington to the
ROCK-PIPIT.

SANDLARK OF THE SHORE: The DUNLIN. (Ireland.)
SAND-MARTIN [No. 198]. The name occurs in Merrett’s list
(1667), also in Willughby and most subsequent authors.

Sanp Mouse: The DUNLIN. (Westmorland.)

Sanp Picton: The STOCK-DOVE. (Cheshire.)

Sanp Runner: The DUNLIN. Also the RINGED PLOVER
and the SANDERLING on the Humber.

Sanp Snrp—E: The COMMON SANDPIPER. (Cheshire and
West Yorkshire.)

Sanp or Sanpy SwaLtow: The SAND-MARTIN. (Provincial.)
Sandy is a Teesdale name.

Sanp THrusH. A name for the DIPPER. (Hett.)

SANDWICH TERN [No. 417]. The name is found in Latham’s
“« Synopsis ” (v1, p. 356), it being communicated to him by
Boys of Sandwich, whence the name.

Sanp WicrEon: The GADWALL. (Essex.)

SANDYHEAD. A name for the COMMON POCHARD.

Sanpy Laverock or Sandy Loo: The RINGED PLOVER.
(Orkney and Shetland.)

Sanpy Lavrock: The COMMON SANDPIPER. (Scottish
Borders.)

SARDINIAN WARBLER [No. 149]. Of this South European
species an example was obtained near Hastings in June,
1907.

Satin GrEBE: The GREAT CRESTED GREBE. From the
silky plumage of the under-parts.

206 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

SAVI’S WARBLER [No. 131]. This species was first recorded
from the Cambridgeshire Fens in 1840 and was known to
breed there up to the year 1856. It was named in honour
of Savi, the Italian ornithologist, who first described the
species in 1824. The name appears in Yarrell (1843).

Saw-BEER: The GOLDEN PLOVER. Mr. Robert Godfrey
informs me that this name is used “in one locality lying
to the south of the Pentland Hills in this county (Mid-
Lothian) and is distinctly an effort to syllable the wail of
the bird.” It recalls Saxby’s version “‘ Oh dee-ar.”

SawBitL: The GOOSANDER and the RED-BREASTED
MERGANSER. (Scotland, Yorkshire, and Northumber-
Jand.) Also occurs as Saw-neb (Aberdeen) for both species
and Sawbill Wigeon (Galway) and Sawbill Duck (York-
shire) for the RED-BREASTED MERGANSER.

SAWFINCH, SAWFITCH, SAWFILER, SAW-SHARPENER, SAW-WHET :
The GREAT TITMOUSE. (Provincial.) So called from
its song resembling the sound of saw-sharpening. According
to Swainson, in some parts of the country these notes are
considered to portend rain, but Bolam says that on the
Border the reverse is the belief.

ScaLp Crow: The HOODED CROW. (Ireland.)

ScaLE DRAKE: The SHELD-DUCK. (Orkneys.)

SCALLOP-TOED SANDPIPER: The GREY PHALAROPE. (Pen-
nant, 1766.)

ScaMEL. Occurs in Shakespeare (‘‘ The Tempest,” act m1, sc. 2)
and has been erroneously surmised to be intended for
‘““stannel”’ (the KESTREL), q.v. Mr. H. Durrant tells me
that in Norfolk the female of the BAR-TAILED GODWIT
is known as the “scamel.” Swainson gives ‘‘Scammel ”
as a Norfolk name for the Bar-Tailed Godwit. Newton
thinks it a misprint for “‘Seamel” (i.e. Sea-Mew) or
‘“*Stannel ”’ (a Kestrel).

ScANDINAVIAN CurFFcHAFF. See CHIFFCHAFF.

SCANDINAVIAN ROCK-PIPIT [No. 73]. This Scandinavian
form of our ROCK-PIPIT is known to occur in our Islands
on migration. It was first recorded as British by Booth.

ScARBH (pron. scarrav) : The SHAG. (Western Isles of Scotland.)

ScaRE-crow: The BLACK TERN (Willughby); the
HOODED CROW (Montagu).

ScarF: The SHAG (Shetlands) and also the CORMORANT.
From Gael. scarbh, Icel. Skarfr. Swainson, however, derives
both Scarf and Scart from A.Sax. scega, a beard, derivate
of SHAG.

SAVI’S—SCOTCH. 207

SCARLET GROSBEAK [No. 31]. Formerly known as the
Rosy Bullfinch.

Scart or Skart: The SHAG. (Orkneys and Shetlands.) From
the Gaelic scarbh. Also applied to the CORMORANT.
(Lanes., Northumberland, North Ireland.)

SCAUP-DUCK [No. 301]. The name occurs in Willughby
(1678) and in Pennant and succeeding authors. Montagu
observes that “it is supposed to take its name from feeding
on broken shells, called scaup.” Scalp (Old D. schelpe,
Old Fr. escalope) signifies a shell. It is called Scaup
Pochard by Selby.

Scavurre, Scortz, or ScorEy: The young of the HERRING-
GULL. (Orkneys.) In Shetland applied to any young
gull according to Saxby.

Scurnz’s SANDPIPER: BONAPARTE’S SANDPIPER. (Eyton.)

SCHLEGEL’S PETREL [No. 330]. A South Pacific species
recently recorded as British (“‘ P.Z.S.,” 1908, p. 433).

ScIssORS-GRINDER: The NIGHTJAR (Norfolk and Suffolk.)
From its jarring note.

ScLAVONIAN GREBE. See SLAVONIAN GREBE.

Scoppy: The CHAFFINCH. (Cornwall, North Yorkshire. )
Hett also gives “Scoppy.” In Staffordshire ‘‘cobby ”
signifies in good form or spirits.

ScotpErR: The OYSTERCATCHER. (Orkney.) From Icel.
Skjéldr, piebald. Also occurs as “‘ Shelder.”

Scooprer or Scoorrne Avocet: The AVOCET. Scooper occurs
in Charleton (1668). The name Scooping Avocet is first
found in Pennant (1776). Montagu has Scooping Avoset.
The term “Scooping ”’ is from the bird’s habit of scooping
its food (marine worms, crustacea, etc.) out of the mud or
sand by means of its peculiarly shaped bill.

Scoot or Scour: The COMMON GUILLEMOT. (Northum-
berland, Yorkshire.)

ScopPER-BiLL. .A local Norfolk name for the SHOVELER.

SCOPS OWL [No. 226]. This tiny species was formerly called
Scops-eared Owl, under which name it occurs in Latham,
etc. It is the “Little Horned Owl” of Montagu (‘‘ Orn.
Dict.,”’ Supp.).

Scorre or Scorry. See ScAvRIE.

ScotcH Canary: The YELLOW BUNTING. From its yellow
colour.

Scotcu GoosE: The BRENT GOOSE. (Flamborough.)

208 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

ScotcH NicHTINGALE: The SEDGE-WARBLER. From its
singing at night.

Scotch Wren: The WILLOW-WARBLER. (Pennant.)

Scorer : The COMMON SCOTER. (Pennant, Montagu, etc.)

ScottisH CRESTED TrtmousE. See CRESTED TITMOUSE.

ScoTtTisH CrossBILL. See COMMON CROSSBILL.

Scout. A Cornish name for the KITE.

Scoutron Prewit or Scoutton Pre: The BLACK-HEADED
GULL. (Norfolk.) From its breeding at Scoulton Mere.

Scout: The COMMON GUILLEMOT (Yorkshire and Scot-
land); also applied to the RAZORBILL (Scotland).
Sibbald mentions the latter under the name of Auk, “ the
Scout of our country folk.” Willughby prints it Skout,
and gives it as a Yorkshire name. The word as used is of
Scandinavian origin and signifies to drive away. Also a
Farn Island name for the PUFFIN.

ScoUTIALLIN, SCOUTY-ALLAN, or ScouTY-AULIN: The ARCTIC
SKUA. (Orkney and Shetland.)

ScraBER: The LITTLE AUK. (St. Kilda.) Also the MANX
SHEARWATER (Hebrides); and the BLACK GUIL-
LEMOT (Hebrides, East Lothian). Said to be from its
Norwegian name, skrabe, or scraper, because it scrapes a
hole in the sand for its nest.

ScrRAYE: The COMMON TERN. From its cry.

ScREAMER, SCREECHER, SCREECH Martin, SQUEALER. English
provincial names for the SWIFT, from its harsh screaming
note.

ScrEAMING OwL: The BARN-OWL. (Yorkshire.)

ScrRECH y COED. A Welsh name for the JAY; lit. “ wood
screech.”

ScrEECH, or SCREECH THRUSH: The MISTLE-THRUSH. So
called from its loud song. Screech-bird or Screech-Thrush
is also a Stirling name for the FIELDFARE.

ScrrecH Hawk: The NIGHTJAR. (Berks. and Bucks.)

ScREECH OwL, ScCRICH-OWLE, or SCRITCH-OWL. Properly the
BARN-OWL. Sibbald applies the name to the TAWNY
OWL. The former occurs in Merrett (1667) as the ‘‘ Screech
or Screeching Owl.” Jn old English the name owl occurs
as “ Oule,” ‘“‘Ouul,” or “Ule,” the latter being the Saxon
name. In Rowland’s “More Knaves Yet” (ca. 1613)
occurs :-—

Wise Gosling, did but heare the scrich-owle crye,
And told his wife, and straight a pigge did dye.

SCOTCH—SEA. 209

Drayton also alludes to the popular belief in the unluckiness
of the “scritch-owl’s dismal note.” That a Screech Owl
“hooting” near the house is a sign of death has been
recorded as a Berkshire belief (“‘ Folklore,’’ December, 1894),
while in Reed’s “ Old Plays ” (v1, p. 357) we find :—

When Screech-owls croak upon the chimney tops,

It’s certain that you of a corse shall hear.

ScREMERSTON Crow: The HOODED CROW. (Roxburgh.)
From the large numbers which frequent the sea-shore in the
neighbourhood of that place (Swainson).

Screw or Devin ScrEw: The SWIFT. (Ackworth, Yorkshire.)

SoRIACHAG CHOILLE. A Gaelic name for the JAY ; lit. “‘ wood
screech.”

Scripptineg Lark: The YELLOW BUNTING. (Cheshire,
Yorkshire, Northants.) From the scribble-like markings
on its eggs. Also occurs as Scribbler.

Scutnt. A name for the GREAT SKUA.

Scurry. A Hampshire and Sussex name for the WREN. Pro-
bably for “Cutty.” (See “‘ Cutty Wren.”’)

Sra-Auk: The RAZORBILL. (Scarborough.)

SEA-BLUE BIRD OF Marcu: The KINGFISHER. (Poetical.)

Sra Cock: The GREY PLOVER. (Waterford.)

Sra Crow. A provincial name for the CORMORANT
(Montagu); the RAZORBILL (Orkney and Shetland) ;
the COMMON GULL (Yorkshire) ; the BLACK-HEADED
GULL (Cheshire, Yorkshire); the HOODED CROW
(Northumberland, Yorkshire); the CHOUGH (Ireland).
According to Swainson the name has also been applied
to the GREAT SKUA.

Sza Dorrret: The TURNSTONE. (Willughby.) Bewick
gives Sea Dotterel. It is also an obsolete name for the
RINGED PLOVER.

Sza-Dove. A Scots name for the LITTLE AUK.

Sea Dovir: The BLACK GUILLEMOT. (Forfar.)

Sna-EaGLE: The OSPREY; also the WHITE-TAILED
EAGLE. The two were much confused by the older
authors. Occurs as “Sea Eagle” in Merrett (1667) who
says it is notably found in Cornwall, and also in Willughby,
but the latter adds the name “‘ Osprey.” Pennant and later
writers have “Sea Eagle, or Osprey,” but their Sea-Hagle
is generally the immature White-Tailed Eagle. Even
Montagu in 1802 describes the Cinereous or White-Tailed
Eagle, the Sea Eagle (Falco ossifragus, Linn.) and the
Osprey. (‘See WHITE-TAILED EAGLE.)

P

210 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Sea Gout or Sea Cop: The COMMON GULL. (Merrett.)
Turner (1544) also has “Se-cob or see-gell,” and he tells
us the species is so named from countrymen likening their
cries to the word “ cob.”

SEA GuLL: Properly the COMMON GULL, but loosely applied
to any species of Gull. The name occurs as “Sea Gull”
in Barlow’s plates (1655).

Sea-GuLL Hawk: The HEN-HARRIER. (Connemara.)

Sea Hen: The young or female of the COMMON SCOTER
(Northumberland); also the COMMON GUILLEMOT
(Northumberland, Durham and East Lothian). Occurs in
Albin for the latter species.

Sea Kirtie: The KITTIWAKE GULL. (Norfolk and Suffolk.)

Sea-LarK: The RINGED PLOVER. (Merrett to Pennant.)
Still a provincial name. Also applied sometimes to the
ROCK-PIPIT; the SHORE-LARK (Yorkshire); the
DUNLIN (Cheshire, North Ireland, Scotland); and the
SNOW-BUNTING, SANDERLING and the TURNSTON#
({freland).

Sea Linnet: The SNOW-BUNTING. (Cheshire.)

Sea Lintre: The ROCK-PIPIT. (East Lothian.)

Seamas RvuA’. A Gaelic name for the PUFFIN. (Western Isles)
lit. ““ Red James.” .

Sra Maw or Sta Mew: The HERRING-GULL, the COMMON
GULL and the BLACK-HEADED GULL (Scotland) ; also
the COMMON GULL (Yorkshire).

Sea Mouse: The PURPLE SANDPIPER. (Northumberland.)
Bolam says it is an occasional name for the species from the
fearless manner in which the bird runs about the weed-
covered rocks within a few feet of the intruders. Also
a name for the DUNLIN (Lancashire and Dumfries).

Sea NanpieE: The OYSTERCATCHER. (Yorkshire.)

Sea Parrot: The PUFFIN. (Northumberland, Yorkshire,
Norfolk.)

SEA PEEK: The DUNLIN. (Forfar.)

SEA PHEASANT: The LONG-TAILED DUCK (Northumberland,
Yorkshire) ; also the PINTAIL (Hampshire, Yorkshire and
Dorsetshire). Occurs in Willughby for the latter species.

SEeA-Piz: The OYSTERCATCHER was formerly so called, by
the older writers from Willughby to Pennant. It is still
a common provincial name for the species.

Srea-PreT: The OYSTERCATCHER. (Northumberland.)

SEA—SEMI. 74 ak

Sea Piczon: The BLACK GUILLEMOT. (Holy Island and
Ireland.) The name is applied to the ROCK-DOVE in
Treland, and the GREY PLOVER (Yorkshire).

Sea Prror: The OYSTERCATCHER. Swainson thinks it is
a corruption of Sea-piet.

SEA Prover: The GREY PLOVER. From its frequenting
the sea-shore. ;

Sea Snre—E: The DUNLIN (North England, Scotland); also
the KNOT (Dublin).

Sea-Swattow: The COMMON TERN, ARCTIC TERN and
LITTLE TERN. (Provincial.) Occurs in Willughby and
Ray for the first-named, who also call it Hirundo marina.
The salmon fishermen in the West of Ireland believe that
when the sea-swallows are numerous salmon will also be
plentiful. According to Hett, the name is sometimes
applied to the STORM-PETREL.

SeatHor. A Cornish name for a Diver or Grebe.

Sea Tittrnc: The ROCK-PIPIT. (Fleming.)

Sea-TurtLte: The BLACK GUILLEMOT. (Willughby.)

Seave-caP: The REED-BUNTING. (Thirsk, Yorkshire.)
“ Seave ”=rush.

Sea-Woopcock: The BAR-TAILED GODWIT. (Montagu.)
It is a Shetland name for the Godwits.

SEDGE-BIRD or SEDGE-WREN: The SEDGE-WARBLER.
(Provincial.) Sedge Marine is also a Norfolk name, and Seg-
bird a Yorkshire one. Sedge-bird occurs in Albin (1738).
Macgillivray calls it Sedge-Reedling.

SEDGE-WARBLER [No. 139]. This species is mentioned by
Willughby under the name of Salicaria and is the Willow- _
Lark of Pennant (ed. 1766), while it is called Sedge Warbler
in his “ Arctic Zoology ” (m1, p. 419) and in later authors.

SrED-BiRD: The COMMON GULL. (Scotland.) From its
habit of following the plough. Also the PIED WAGTAIL
(Yorkshire).

Secce or Hecss-suece. An old name for the HEDGE-
SPARROW (and perhaps other small birds). From A.Sax.
Sugge, Old Eng. heisugge. Swainson gives it as a Devon
name.

SELNINGER SANDPIPER : The PURPLE SANDPIPER. (Latham.)

SEMI-PALMATED SANDPIPER [No. 384]. An Arctic-
American species, first recorded for England in 1907.

PZ

212 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

SENTINEL SHRIKE. A name sometimes given to the GREAT
GREY SHRIKE ; it exists also in its specific name excubitor
(i.e. a sentinel) and in the names by which this Shrike
is known in several countries on the Continent. It origin-
ates from the bird’s habit of sitting sentinel-wise on an
exposed perch, and from its marvellous powers of vision
it was commonly made use of in the days of falconry as
a sentinel to detect the approach of a wild hawk; it is
in fact still so employed in Holland.

SERIN [No. 28]. Sometimes called the Serin Finch. From
Fr. serin, probably from Lat. siren, on account of its song.
It occurs in Willughby as the ‘‘ Serinus of Gesner.”

SeruLA. A provincial name for the RED-BREASTED MER-
GANSER. (Montagu.)

Ser-Hammer. A Teesmouth fowler’s name for the BAR-
TAILED GODWIT.

SEVEN-COLOURED LinnetT: The GOLDFINCH. (Shropshire.)

Srven WuistLER: The WHIMBREL; from the clear whistling
note, supposed to be repeated about seven times.

SHAD-BIRD: The COMMON SANDPIPER. (Shrewsbury) ;
because before the erection of weirs at Worcester the shad
used to ascend the river about the middle of April, the
time of the arrival of the Common. Sandpiper (Jackson,
‘‘ Shropshire Word-Book,” p. 372).

SHAG [No. 317]. Often called the Green Cormorant. The
name “Shag” first appears in Merrett, who says
Cormorants are so called in Cornwall. Willughby also
terms it ‘‘the Shag, called in the North of England the
Crane.” Pennant calls it ‘“‘Shag Cormorant.” From
Icel. skegg=the beard, from skaga=to protect; so called
on account of the recurved crest of feathers with which
the head is adorned in spring-plumage.

SHacca: The CORMORANT, also the SHAG. (Cornwall.)
See SHAG.

SHake: The REDSHANK. (Connemara.) From the constant
nodding of its head while on the ground (Swainson).
SHakinc PerrycHars. A name for the WOOD-WARBLER.

(Hett.)

SHarPreE: The BLACK-HEADED GULL. (Bridlington,
Yorkshire.)

SHarp-saw: The GREAT TITMOUSE. (Norfolk.) From its
“ saw-sharpening ” notes.

SHARP-TAILED Duck. Montagu gives this as a provincial
name for the LONG-TAILED DUCK.

SENTINEL—SHELL. 213

SHARP-TAILED IsLAND (=Iceland) Duck: The LONG-TAILED
DUCK. (Willughby.)

SHEAR-TAIL: The COMMON TERN. (Orkneys.)

SHEARWATER: The MANX SHEARWATER. (Montagu.) Also
the GREAT SHEARWATER.

SHEELFA, SHitFA, SHEELY. Localnamesfor the CHAFFINCH,
supposed by some to be from the variegated plumage of
the male (shell, or shield=pied or variegated.) The first
two are North England and Scots names, while Sheely is a
Northamptonshire and Yorkshire name.

SHEELY, or Surety. Mr. Witherby tells me that this is a
Holy Island (Northumberland) name for the GOLDEN-
CRESTED WREN.

SHEEPRACK: The STARLING. (Northants.)

SHEEP’s GuipE: The GOLDEN PLOVER. (Longdendale,
Cheshire.)

SHEEP’S-HEAD-AND-PLUCK : The RED-THROATED DIVER.
(Bridlington.) From a supposed resemblance.

SHELD-DUCK [No. 285]. The name (from sheld=parti-
coloured) occurs in Merrett’s list (1667) as ‘“‘ Shell Drake ”’ ;
he gives it as a Norfolk name, but there is no certainty
that it was intended for this species. Willughby and Ray
call it “‘Sheldrake or ‘ Burrough Duck,’ called by some
Bergander,” and observe that “They are called by some
Burrow Ducks, because they build in Coney-burroughs ;
by others Sheldrakes, because they are parti-coloured.”
They, however, merely cite Bergander as found in Ald-
rovandus.

SHELDER: The OYSTERCATCHER. Shetlands.)

SHELD Fowi: The SHELD-DUCK. (Orkneys.)

SHELDRAKE: The SHELD-DUCK. Swainson says it is also
a Waterford name for the SHOVELER.

SHELL or SKELL: The SHELD-DUCK. (Yorkshire.)

SHELL-, SHEL-, or SHELD-APPLE: The CHAFFINCH (Stafford-
shire and Northumberland.) Occurs in Turner (1544) as
“‘Sheld-appel.” Swainson thinks the “sheld” means
parti-coloured as in SHELD-DUCK, and that the “apple ”
is a form of Alp (q.v.). Merrett, Willughby, Pennant,
Bewick and other authors apply the name, however, to the
CROSSBILL, and much more appropriately, as the latter
species literally shells apples, cf. Carew (‘Survey of Corn-
wall,” p. 73, 1602) who says: ‘‘ Not long since there came a
flock of birds into Cornwall, about harvest season, in bigness

214 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

not much exceeding a sparrow, which made a foul spoil
of the apples. Their bills were thwarted crosswise at the
end, and with these they would cut an apple in two at one
snap, eating only the kernels.” In this case, of course,
the meaning ascribed to the name by Swainson and others
is incorrect.

SHELLCOCK, SHERCOCK. Local Cheshire names for the MISTLE-
THRUSH. (Coward and Oldham.)

Suet, Duck: The SHELD-DUCK. (Lancashire.) The
GOOSANDER is so called on the Shannon.

SHELL-TURNER. A name for the RINGED PLOVER. (Hett.)

Surep or SHeppy: The STARLING. (North and West York-
shire.)

SHEPSTER, SHEPSTARE, or SHEPSTARLING: The STARLING.
Equivalent to Sheep-Stare and Sheep-Starling. The first
is a Cheshire, Yorkshire, and Northern Counties name, the
second and third are Craven (Yorkshire) names.

Suercock. A Lancashire and Yorkshire name for the MISTLE-
THRUSH. The etymology is doubtful; it may be, how-
ever, that ‘‘sher” is acorruption of shire (A.Sax. scer) as in
sheriff, hence the literal signification would he “ cock of the
shire.” Hett gives ‘‘ Shirley Cock” for the same species.

SueriFr’s Msn: The GOLDFINCH. (Shropshire.) From its
bright plumage, suggesting a showy livery.

SHETLAND WREN. See WREN.

SHEILDRAKE : The SHELD-DUCK. (Pennant.)

SHipsTerR, SHIp-STARLING. Yorkshire names for the
STARLING ; ship is a corruption of sheep.

SHOE-AWL or SHOEING-HORN: The AVOCET. From the shape
of its bill.

Spoor: The ARCTIC SKUA. (Shetlands.) Imitative of its
cry.

SuHore-BirD: The SAND-MARTIN. Occurs in Merrett and
also in Willughby.

SHORE-LARK [No. 64]. The name is found in Gould’s “ Birds
of Europe.”

SHORE-SANDPIPER : The GREEN SANDPIPER (?) Occurs in
Bewick.

SHorE Snrpz: The COMMON SANDPIPER. (Perth.)

SHorE TEETAN: The ROCK-PIPIT. (Orkneys).

SHORT-EARED OWL [No. 225]. The name first occurs in
Pennant (1766).

SHELLCOCK—SIBERIAN. 215

SHORT-HEELED Firtp Lark: The TREE-PIPIT. (Montagu.)
Because the hind claw is not so long as the toe itself.
Swainson says it is a Scottish provincial name. By
inference the SKY-LARK is the Long-heeled species.

SHort Horn Ow: The SHORT-EARED OWL. (Fleming.)

SHORT-TOED LARK [No. 59]. The name is found in Gould’s
‘* Birds of Europe ” (pt. xv, 1835).

SHORT-WINGED Woop-WREN. A name for the CHIFFCHAFF.
(Macgillivray.)

SHOULFALL: The SNOW-BUNTING. (Sibbald.)

SHovELARD. An old name for the SPOONBILL. Occurs in
Turner (1544) and in Merrett (1667) ; also occurs as Shovelar
and Sholard.

SHOVEL-BILL: The SHOVELER. From its spatulated bill.

SHOVELER [No. 295]. The name arises from the spatulated
or spoon-shaped terminal part of the bill. It is found in’
Willughby and most succeeding authors.

SHRED Cock: The FIELDFARE. (Shropshire.)

SHRIEK or SHREEK: The GREAT GREY SHRIKE. An equi-
valent of Shrike (q.v.).

SHRIEKER : The BAR-TAILED GODWIT and BLACK-TAILED
GODWIT. (Norfolk.)

SHRIEK OwL: The SWIFT. (Provincial.)

SHRike. Usually the GREAT GREY SHRIKE. Occurs in
Turner for this species.

SHrittcock: The MISTLE-THRUSH. (Cheshire.) From its
loud song.

Surimp-caTtcHeR: The LITTLE TERN. (Norfolk.)

SHRITE or SHRErTcH : The MISTLE-THRUSH. The first occurs
in Willughby (1678), and the second in Charleton (1668)
and Sibbald (1684). The former name, at any rate, is a
provincialism still in use. The derivation appears to be
from A.Sax. Scric, to screech (see Shrike). Swainson spells
it “ Skrite.”

SHUFFLE-wInG: The HEDGE-SPARROW. (Craven.) So
called from its peculiar shake or fluttering of the wings.

SIBERIAN CHIFFCHAFF. See CHIFFCHAFF.

SIBERIAN GoosE: The RED-BREASTED GOOSE. (Bewick.)

SIBERIAN PECTORALSANDPIPER. See PECTORAL SANDPIPER.

Siberian Ruby-throat. This species is a relative of the well-
known “ Bluethroats,” and of the Nightingales. It is
said to have been observed at Westgate-on-Sea, but is not
yet admitted to the British List.

216 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Srpitous BusH-HopperR. A name for the GRASSHOPPER-
WARBLER.

SmpANGYNFFON. A Welsh name for the WAXWING.

SirFsaFF: The CHIFFCHAFF. (North Wales). Imitative of
its song.

Sietp1iewt. A name for the PIED WAGTAIL and WHITE
WAGTAIL in South Wales; lit. “ shake-tail.”

SIGLEN FELEN: The YELLOW WAGTAIL. (North Wales)
lit. “ yellow wagtail.”

SIGLEN LLwypD: The GREY WAGTAIL. (North Wales) lit.
“ grey wagtail.”

Sixx Tart: The WAXWING. It seems to occur first in the
“ Phil. Trans.” for 1685, p. 1161.

SILVER-EYED GUILLEMOT or SILVER-EYED Scout: The Ringed
Guillemot. The latter is a local name amoug the West of
Scotland fishermen (Gray), and is given as a Yorkshire
name by Nelson and Clarke.

SitvER GREBE: The RED-THROATED DIVER. (Kent.)
According to Swainson.

SILVER OwL: The BARN-OWL. (Forfar.)

SILvER PLtoveR: The GREY PLOVER. (Cheshire, Yorkshire,
and Scotland.)

SitveR PocHarD : The SCAUP-DUCK. (Yorkshire.)

SILVERY GuLL: The LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL
(Pennant); also the HERRING-GULL (Ireland).

Srmnerne Trr~arK. A name for the TREE-PIPIT.

SISKIN [No. 19]. The derivation is probably from the Dan.
Sidsken, or Swedish Siska, a chirper. The name “ Siskin ”
occurs in Turner (1544), also in Merrett and Willughby.

SITHE-BILL: The GLOSSY IBIS. (Willughby.)

SIT-YE-DOWN : The GREAT TITMOUSE. (Provincial.) Imi-
tative of its note.

SKAIT-BIRD: The ARCTIC SKUA. (Old Scots.) Perhaps
from skite—to mute.

SKEEL Duck or SkEEL GoosE: The SHELD-DUCK. (Scot-
land). Occurs in Sibbald as Skeeling Goose.

SKEER Devin or Skin Deviz: The SWIFT. (Devonshire,
Somersetshire. )

SKELDRAKE : The SHELD-DUCK (Bewick.) Also the OYSTER-
CATCHER. (Orkneys.) From the parti-coloured plumage.

ree Duck: The SHELD-DUCK. (Northumberland, York-
shire.)

SIBILOUS—SKY. 217

SkrP-HEGRIE. A name for the HERON. (Montagu.)
SkiRL or Skrrt Cock: The MISTLE-THRUSH. (Derbyshire.)

An equivalent of Shrill.
SkirL Crake: The TURNSTONE. (Shetlands.) From its
shrill ery.

Skier: The ARCTIC TERN, COMMON TERN and LITTLE
TERN. (Ireland.)

Skits: The YELLOW BUNTING. (Aberdeen.) Skite—to mute.

SKITTER-BROTTIE : The CORN-BUNTING. (Orkneys.) Swain-
son thinks it is from its resorting to corn-stacks in winter :
skite being to mute, and brothies, the cross-ropes of the roof
of a stack.

Sxirry Cock or Sxirry Coot: The WATER-RAIL. (Devonshire,
Cornwall, Somersetshire) : from “ skit ”’==to slide. Also the
SPOTTED CRAKE (Devonshire) and the MOORHEN
(Somersetshire).

Skootr or SHoor: The ARCTIC SKUA. (Shetlands.) Fromitscry.

Skour. See Scout.

SKRABE: The MANX SHEARWATER. (Bewick, Montagu.)
See also Scraber.

Sxvua or Skua Guitt: The GREAT SKUA. Also others of the
Skuas ; from the ery.

Skutrock or SkippAaw: The COMMON GUILLEMOT. (Kast
Lothian and Northumberland.) From skite=to mute.
SKY-LARK [No. 62]. Found in Willughby (1678) who terms
it ‘‘ Skie-Lark,” Turner (1544) merely calling it “ Lerk.”
Albin has Sky Lark : Pennant (1766) and later authors call
it Skylark. In Mid. Eng. the name lark occurs as larke
and laverock : from A.Sax. léwerce, laverce, most probably
for lewwerca=traitor or guileworker. The reason why
one of the most cherished of British birds should have
received so bad a name at the hands of our Saxon forefathers
seems somewhat obscure. It is considered an auspicious
token in Orkney, where it is known as “ Our Lady’s hen”
(Dalyell). It is a popular belief that if larks fly high and
sing long, fine weather may be expected (Inwards).
Chambers (‘‘ Popular Rhymes of Scotland”) gives a curious

rhyming version of the lark’s song as follows :-——
Up in the lift go we,
Tehee, tehee, tehee, tehee !
There’s not a shoemaker on the earth
Can make a shoe to me, to me!
Why so, why so, why so ?
Because my heel is as long as my toe.
The reference in the last line is to the bird’s long hind claw.

218 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Stas. A North Countryname forthe WRYNECK. (Swainson.)

SLATE-BACKED THROSTLE: The FIELDFARE. (Yorkshire.)

SLAVONIAN GREBE [No. 337]. Occurs as “Sclavonian
Grebe ” in Montagu’s “ Orn. Dict.” (1802) and the name is
often so spelt. Jt is the Horned Grebe of Latham and the
“* Black-and-white Dobchick ” of Edwards.

SLEIGHTHOLME THROSTLE: The SNOW-BUNTING. (Arken-
garthdale, Yorkshire.)

SLENDER-BILLED CURLEW [No. 407]. A West Siberian
species of which three examples were obtained in Kentin 1910.

SLENDER-BILLED NuTCRACKER. See NUTCRACKER.

Sticut Farcon. An old falconer’s name for the PEREGRINE
FALCON. (Sebright.)

Sty Goose: The SHELD-DUCK. (Orkneys.) From its crafti-
ness. Sly Duck is also a Yorkshire name for the species.

SMALL BarrED WooppPEcKER: The LESSER SPOTTED
WOODPECKER. (Provincial.)

SMALL Brown Gut: The immature COMMON TERN. (Pen-
nant.)

SMALL CuRLEW. A name for the BLACK-TAILED GODWIT;
also the ESKIMO-CURLEW.

SMALL Diver: The SLAVONIAN GREBE. (Humber.}

SMALL DovckEeR: The LITTLE GREBE. (East Lothian.)

SmaLL DuckER: The LITTLE GREBE. (Yorkshire.)

SMALLER ReEpport Linner: The LESSER REDPOLL.
(Macgilliviay.)

SmatL Grey GoosE: The BEAN-GOOSE. (Provincial.)
Occurs in Montagu.

Smatt Maa: The COMMON GULL. (Shetlands.) Maa=
Mew or Gull.

SmaLL Purt: The LITTLE TERN. (Norfolk.)

Smauy Sporrep WATER-HEN : The SPOTTED CRAKE. (Pen-
nant.)

Smatt-Straw. A Yorkshire name for the smaller warblers
which build nests of dried grass, etc.

SmaLt Woop-PicEon : TheSTOCK-DOVE. (Northumberland.)

SmatsteR: The WHITETHROAT. (Cheshire.) Perhaps a
corruption of “Small Straw.” (See below.)

SmasTRAY (=—SmaALL Straw): The GARDEN-WARBLER.
(Cheshire.) Small Straw is a name for this bird, as well
as the WHITETHROAT and other species, in Yorkshire.
From the materials used for the nest.

SLAB—SNORTER. 219

Smaton or SmatcHE: The WHEATEAR. Occurs in Turner
(1544) and Merrett. Newton says it is an equivalent of
Chat.

Smer Duck: The SMEW. (Norfolk.) Also applied in the same
county to the WIGEON and the COMMON POCHARD.

SmporacH. A Gaelic name for the SONG-THRUSH. Graham
thought it to be from smedr, to grease, “‘ probably from the
smoothness of its liquid notes.”

Smev, SmeutH, or SmootH: The WILLOW-WARBLER.
(Stirling.)

SMEW [No. 314]. In Willughby (1678) the name Smew occurs
in the text (p. 338), the species being described, however,
under the heading of ‘‘ White Nun,” which Newton thinks
is the male name, from the hooded appearance of its head,
Smew being the female. Pennant, however, gives Smew as
the male name, and “ Lough Diver” as the female. The
name Smew Merganser is also applied to this species.

Smoky: The HEDGE-SPARROW. (Northumberland.) ‘“‘ As
mild as a Smoky ” is a local proverb.

Smoot. A name for the HEDGE-SPARROW. (Hett.)

Smupan. A Gaelic name for the RING-DOVE.

SnaBBY: The CHAFFINCH. (Kirkcudbright.)

SnaitH or SnytH: The COOT. (Orkneys.) From Icel.

~ Snaud-ur=bare, in reference to the bare frontal plate.

SNAKE-BIRD: The WRYNECK. (Southern English counties.)
Perhaps from the hissing noise it makes when disturbed
while sitting, or else from its habit of twisting its head and
neck.

Snapper: The GREEN WOODPECKER. (Swainson.)

Snent. A Berwick name for the DUNLIN and other small
shore-birds : a corruption of Stint.

Snipe: The COMMON SNIPE. (Merrett and Willughby.)
Also the general colloquial name for the species.

SNIPE-BILLED SANDPIPER: The RED-BREASTED SAND-
PIPER.

Snipe Hawk: The MARSH-HARRIER. (South of Ireland.)

Snrpen : The COMMON SNIPE. (North Wales.) An equiva-
lent of “* Snipe.”

Snrppick or Snrppack: The COMMON SNIPE. (Orkney and
Shetland.)

SNorTER: The WHEATEAR. (Dorset.) Swainson thinks it

is from its cry.

220 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Snow-Birp. A name for the SNOW-BUNTING (North
England and Scotland); also the FIELDFARE (Shrop-
shire); and the IVORY GULL (Fleming).

SNOW-BUNTING [No. 56]. From its inhabiting the Polar
Regions and its white winter-plumage. Occurs in Sibbald
(1684) as “‘Snowfleck and Shoulfall,” and in Edwards as
** Snow-bird.”

Snow-cuick. A name for the PTARMIGAN. (Hett.)

SNOW-FINCH [No. 39]. An Alpine species which has lately
occurred in our Islands. The name is found in Latham
(‘‘Syn.,” 1, p. 264).

Snow-Fincu : The Snow Bunting (Dumfriesshire.)

SNOWFLAKE or SNAwW FowL: The SNOW-BUNTING. (Orkney
and Shetland.) The name occurs in Sibbald as Snowfleck.
Montagu gives Snow Fowl as a provincial name. Swainson
also gives “Snow Flight” as a name for the species. Saxby
gives “‘Snaa Fool” (Snow Fow]) for the Shetlands.

SNOW-GOOSE [No. 279, Snow-Gocse; No. 280, Greater
Snow-Goose]. So called from its inhabiting the Arctic
Regions and from its white plumage. It was described by
Pallas under the name Ayperboreus, which implies its Arctic
habitat. The smaller form is the one which has occurred
irregularly in small numbers in Ireland, but the Greater,
or Greenland, form has only been obtained once.

Snow Lark Buntine : The SNOW-BUNTING. (Macgillivray.)

SNOWY-OWL [No. 218]. This species, so called from its
Arctic habitat and its white plumage, occurs in Edwards
pl. 61) as the “ Great White Owl.” Snowy Owl occurs in
Pennant’s “ Arctic Zoology” and in Latham. Macgillivray
calls it Snowy Day-Owl.

SNUFF-HEADED WicEON. A name for the COMMON POCHARD.
(Swainson.)

SnytH: The COOT. (See Snaith.)

Socan ErRA: The FIELDFARE. (North Wales) lit. “snow
wallower.”

SOCIABLE PLOVER [No. 366]. A rare straggler from south
Russia and west Asia. The name is derived from the
name gregarius conferred on it by Pallas in 1771.

Sop. A Forfar name for the ROCK-DOVE. (Swainson.)

Sornrar. A Welsh name for the QUAIL; lit. “ stubble-hen.”

SoLan GoosE or SoLAND GoosE: The GANNET. Occurs in
Barlow (1655) and Merrett’s list as “‘ Soland Goose,” and
in Turner (1544) as “Solend Goose.” Willughby has

SNOW—SPADGE. 221

““Soland Goose.’ The derivation appears to be from the
Gaelic suilear, meaning quick-sighted, from Suil=eye, and
gheur—=sharp. Skeat, however, preferred Icel. Sula or
Sulan (the n being the definite article).

SOLITARY SANDPIPER [No. 391]. A North American
species, originally described by Wilson, who conferred on
it the name solitarius from its solitary habits.

Sotrrary SnrpE: The GREAT SNIPE. So called from its
being commonly met with in this country singly. The
name occurs in Bewick (1804).

Sonitary TorusH: The STARLING (immature). Occurs in
all old authors as a separate species, so called from its
greyish-brown plumage, somewhat resembling that of a
thrush, and its supposed solitary habits. It will be found
described as a British species in the Supp. to Montagu’s
“Orn. Dict.,” 1813.

Sone Linnet. A Yorkshire name for the LINNET.

SONG-THRUSH [No. 158, British Song-Thrush; No. 157,
Continental Song-Thrush]. So called from its pre-eminence
as a songster. The name was first used by Merrett and
also occurs in Willughby and in most modern authors.
Hartert has recently separated the resident British form
from the Continental form, which visits our coast on
migration. In “Science Gossip” (vol. mt, p. 141) a popu-
lar belief regarding this bird is referred to, to the effect that
it acquires new legs and casts the old ones when about ten
years old.

SOOTY SHEARWATER [No. 327]. This Petrel, a near ally
of the GREAT SHEARWATER, is so called from its
sombre plumage.

SOOTY TERN [No. 422}. The name, which originates in the
sooty-black of the upper-parts, is found in Jardine’s edition
of Wilson (vol. m1, 1832).

Sorze-HAwKs. A falconer’s term for hawks of the first year,
taken while still retaining immature-plumage. Said to be
from Fr. soret, signifying a dusky colour, but Newton
thinks it akin to “sorrel,” and properly applicable to
those with reddish plumage.

SOUTHERN SANDPIPER: The KNOT, when changing to summer
plumage. (Hett.)

SOUTH EUROPEAN GREY SHRIKE [No. 108]. A southern
form of the GREAT GREY SHRIKE.

SpaDGE or SpapGER: The HOUSE-SPARROW. (Northern
counties.) A vulgar corruption of Sparrow.

222 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Spar-Hawk or Spur-Hawk: The SPARROW-HAWK.
(Aberdeenshire.)

SPARLIN-FOWL or SPARKLING-FOWL : The GOOSANDER (female).
The first form occurs in Willughby and the second in
Pennant, Montagu, etc.

Sparrow: The HOUSE-SPARROW. From A.Sax. Spearwa, a
sparrow. Occursin Turner, and is the general English name
for the species, House-Sparrow being a book-name chiefly.

SPARROW-HAWK |[No. 249]. Probably from A.Sax. Spearwa
(Sparrow) and Hafoc (Hawk), Mid. Eng. Hauk. The
name ‘“ Sparrow-Hawk ”’ occurs in Merrett’s Pinax (1667),
where it is called Accipiter fringillarius et nisus, after Aldro-
vandus (pp. 345-7). Turner’s “sparhauc”’ is the GOS-
HAWK. In falconry the name Sparrow-Hawk was formerly
used to denote the female, the male being termed ‘‘ Musket ”
or Musquet Hawk (q.v.).

Sparrow Own. A name for the LITTLE OWL. (Hett.)

SparvE: The HEDGE-SPARROW. (West Cornwall.) From
A.Sax. spearwa, a sparrow.

SpeAR Sparrow. The female REED-BUNTING is so called
in Hampshire. (Swainson.)

Spear WicEon: The RED-BREASTED MERGANSER. (co.
Kerry.)

SPEASE or SPEETHE: The KNOT. (Holy Island.) Also applied
there to the BAR-TAILED GODWIT. It originates from
the bird’s wheezy note when on the ground.

Specut or WopspPEcHT. Turner gives this as the English name
of a Woodpecker, apparently the LESSER SPOTTED
WOODPECKER. (See Speicht.)

SPECKLED Dick: The GOLDFINCH. (Shropshire.)

SpecKLED Diver or Loon: The RED-THROATED DIVER.
Occurs in Pennant, Latham, etc. Given also as a pro-
vincial name for the BLACK-THROATED DIVER by
Montagu, who, however, misprints it ‘‘ Speckled Zoon.”

SpEcTACLED GoosE: The GANNET. (Provincial.) From the
bare circle of skin surrounding the eye.

SPEEL-THE-TREE. A name for the TREECREEPER. (Hett.)

SpPEICHT or SPEIGHT (corrupted also to Spite as in Wood-Spite) :
The GREEN WOODPECKER generally. From Ger.
Specht.

SPEIKINTARES : The COMMON TERN. (Ross-shire.)

SpriR sHE’AG. A Gaelic name for the SPARROW-HAWK.
The latter word is properly written seabhag (=a hawk).

SPAR—SPOONBILL. 220

Spence. A Shetland name for the STORM-PETREL. It is in
use in the Island of Yell. Swainson gives the name as
Spency for the Shetland Isles and the same spelling is given
by Montagu, while Saxby prints it Spencie.

Sprvue, Spruc, or Sprout. Names for the HOUSE-SPARROW.
See also Spug.

SprpER-caTcHER: The WALLCREEPER. Occurs in Wil-
lughby.

SprmpEer-piveER: The LITTLE GREBE. (Provincial.)

Spink. An English provincial name for the CHAFFINCH.
From its note. Occurs in Turner (1544). Also applied in
Yorkshire to the YELLOW BUNTING.

SprsneR: The NIGHTJAR. (Wexford.)

Spirit Duck: The BUFFEL-HEADED DUCK. From its
quickness in diving.

Sprit Straw: The WHITETHROAT. (Cheshire.)

Spoc-r1-Tom: The LITTLE GREBE. (Western Isles of
Scotland.)

SPOONBILL [No. 258]. Anciently called Popeler, Shovelard,
or Shovelar, and perhaps “Liver ” (q.v.), the name Spoon-
bill having been transferred to this species from the Shoveler
Duck, the bills of both birds being spatulate at the end.
Although now only a scarce and irregular visitor to our
shores, the Shovelar or Popeler is recorded as breeding in
several places in Norfolk about the year 1300, where it no
doubt continued to do so for two or three centuries, while
Mr. Harting has shown thatin 1523 it is recorded as breeding
on the Bishop of London’s property at Fulham (“‘ Zool.,”
1886, p. 81), and also in 1570 in West Sussex (ib., 1877,
p. 425). The latest record of its breeding in England
appears to be Sir Thomas Browne’s statement that it
“now” (ca. 1662) bred at Trimley in Suffolk. Turner, how-
ever, who calls it merely “ Shovelard,” says nothing about
its breeding with us in his day, and in fact says little about
it beyond repeating the legend of Aristotle and Pliny that
it devours biggish shell-fish and casts them up again when
dead and gaping to pick and eat them. He also repeats the
tradition of Hieronymus that when they find their young
killed by a serpent they ‘“‘ mourn and beat themselves upon
their sides, and with the blood discharged they bring back
to life the bodies of the dead,” which is one of the legends
later attributed to the Pelican, owing to the confusion of
names, the present species having formerly been so called
(see PELICAN.)

224 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

SPOONBILL or Spoon-BEAK: The SHOVELER. (Norfolk.)
Coward and Oldham give Spoonbill as a local Cheshire
name.

SPoONBILL Duck: The SCAUP-DUCK. (East Lothian.)

SPOTTED CRAKE [No. 455}. The name is found in Yarrell
(Ist ed.). It occurs as the Small Spotted Water Hen in
Pennant (fo. ed. 1766), and as Spotted Gallinule in the
later editions. It is the ‘‘ Wyn-kernel” of Willughby.
Bewick calls it the Water Crake, and it is also known as
“Spotted Rail” or “Lesser Spotted Water Rail.” The
names are derived from the small white spots sprinkled over
the plumage.

Spotrep Duck: The HARLEQUIN-DUCK. (Hett.)

SPOTTED EAGLE [No. 241]. This form (A. maculatus) occurs
under the name of ‘‘ Spotted Eagle ” in Latham’s “Synopsis”
(1, p. 13). It is sometimes called the Larger Spotted Eagle.
The name “spotted” arises from the buffish spots on the
plumage of the immature bird. The closely allied Lesser
Spotted Eagle does not appear to have occurred in the
British Islands.

SpotreD Fatcon: The PEREGRINE FALCON. Occurs in
Montagu. Spotted-winged Falcon is a name for the same
species found in Latham.

SPOTTED FLYCATCHER [No. 114]. The name Spotted
Flycatcher is first given by Pennant (1776) to this species ;
the word Flycatcher, as an Anglicization of Muscicapa
dates back, however, to Ray. The name “spotted”
originates in the numerous striations on head and under-
parts, giving it a spotted appearance.

Sporrep GuILLEMOoT: The BLACK GUILLEMOT (winter).

SpoTtreD Heron: The immature NIGHT-HERON. (Latham.)

SPOTTED REDSHANK [No. 395]. The name appears to
occur firstin Pennant’s “ British Zoology ” (8voed., No. 186) ;
in the folio edition he calls it Spotted Sandpiper. It is the
Spotted Snipe of Latham and Lewin, and the Dusky Sand-
piper of Selby. The names are derived from the general
spotted appearance of the plumage.

SPOTTED SANDPIPER [No. 388]. The name is found in
Pennant and succeeding authors to Yarrell, and originates
in the blackish spots on the under-parts, especially the
breast.

Sporrep Sxitty: The SPOTTED CRAKE. (Devonshire.)
Skitty is from skit=to slide: from its stealthy habits.

SPOONBILL—STANCHEL. 225

SporreD Snipe. The SPOTTED REDSHANK is so called by
many old authors.

Sporrep Srarrinc: The STARLING. (Macgillivray.)

Srpottep Warer-Hen: The SPOTTED CRAKE.

SpowE: The WHIMBREL. From Icel. Spdi. Stevenson
gives this as an ancient Norfolk name for the species.
Sprat Loon or SPRAT BORER: The RED-THROATED DIVER.
(Essex, Yorkshire.) Hett gives Sprat Lumme as a name
for the BLACK-THROATED DIVER. Swainson gives

Spratoon as a Norfolk name for the former species.

SpRATTER : The COMMON GUILLEMOT. (Hampshire.) From
its fondness for small fry (Swainson).

Sprie-raIL: The PINTAIL. (Provincial.)

Spring DorrerEL: The DOTTEREL. (Yorkshire.)

Spring Wactait: The YELLOW WAGTAIL. (Yorkshire.)
From its migratory nature.

Sprite: The GREEN WOODPECKER. (Suffolk.) Probably
a corruption of Specht (q.v.).

Spuc, Spruce, SprRonG, SPRIG, SPURDIE, Spyne: The HOUSE-
SPARROW. (Scotland.) Spug is also a Nottinghamshire
name for the species, Spuggy a Yorkshire, and Sprig and
Spug Northumberland names.

SpurRE: The COMMON TERN. (North eas From its
cry.

Spur-winged Goose. Examples of this tropical African species
are sometimes obtained in our islands, but as it has been
introduced here they can hardly be genuine visitors. The
name is found in Bewick, Yarrell and other authors.

SQUACCO HERON [No. 265]. The first mention of the name
is to be found in Willughby (1678) who calls it the Heron
which they call Sguacco in the Valleys of Malalbergo,”
and who derives the species from Aldrovandus. The modern
spelling Squacco dates from Latham and is perhaps a mis-
spelling of Sguacco. Montagu (“ Orn. Dict.,”’ Supp.) spells it

““ Sguacco.”

Squawkine TuRusH: The MISTLE-THRUSH. (Isle of Wight.)

Squeak TurusH: The MISTLE-THRUSH. (Wiltshire.)

SquEALER: The SWIFT. (Cheshire.)

Stac: A Norfolk name for the WREN ; also the male RUFF
until it acquires its wattles in the second year (Hett).

STaANCHEL: The KESTREL. (Sibbald.)

226 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

STANDGALL: The KESTREL. (Provincial.) An equivalent to
“ Stannel ” (q.v.), not a corruption of “ Stand-gale ” as has
been surmised.

STANDHAWK: The KESTREL. (Provincial) lit. “ stone-
hawk ” (A.Sax. stan—stone).

STANECHACKER: The WHEATEAR (Lancashire, Scotland, North
Ireland); also the STONECHAT (Craven, Scotland).
STANEPECKER: The TURNSTONE. (Shetlands.) From its
habit of turning over small stones in searching for its food.

The name is also applied to the PURPLE SANDPIPER.

STANK-HEN or STANKIE: The MOORHEN. (Scottish Borders.)
Bolam says Stank is almost an equivalent of moat and
cites “the Stanks ” at Berwick which are parts of the old
moat surrounding the town.

STANNEL, STANNEL-HAWK, STANCHEL or STANNYEL: The
KESTREL. (Provincial) lit. “ stone-yeller,” from A.Sax.
stan=stone and gellan (pron. yellan) to yell. There are
many forms of this name occurring in Elizabethan and
more recent literature and some are still in use provincially.
Probably the original word is “Staniel.” “Standgale ”
appears to be a corruption, as this word has no connexion
with the sense of the word “ Windhover.” (See also
Standgall, Steingall, Stonegall.)

Stannin (Standing?) Hawk: The SPARROW-HAWK.
(Halifax.)

Srarac. A Gaelic name for the HOODED CROW.

SraRE: The STARLING. (West and North of England ;
Ireland.) The original name of the bird, from A.Sax. ster,
Starling being a diminutive. Occurs in Willughby and
Merrett, while Pennant (ed. 1766) calls the bird by this
name.

STARLING [No. 13]. From A.Sax. Steer, Stearn and Sterlyng,
the latter being a diminutive. The name appears in Merrett
and Willughby. Turner (1544) has “Sterlyng.” (See also
‘“‘Stare.”) A provincial belief is that if Starlings congregate
in large numbers rain may be expected, but Swainson says
that in Brittany the belief is that it is a sign of impending
cold weather.

Starn. An old Norfolk name for the BLACK TERN. Also a
Shetland name for the STARLING.

STaRNEL: The STARLING. (Northants.)

Srarnit: The STARLING. (Notts.)

STEENIE PouTER: The COMMON SANDPIPER. (Orkneys.)

STANDGALL—STOCK. bar

SterncaLL: The KESTREL. An equivalent of “stannel”
(q.v.). Occurs in Turner (1544) as a name for this species.

STEINKLE: The WHEATEAR. (Shetlands.)

STELLER’S EIDER [No. 306]. The name is found in Yarrell
(1843) as Steller’s Western Duck. Itis the Western Pochard
of Selby.

Srenor. An old Cornish name for a Wagtail.

Srmrtm: The STARLING. (Orkney and Shetland.)

Stern: The BLACK TERN. Turner says that this species,
formerly a common bird with us, was so termed in local
dialect.

Srern Cock. A provincial name (quoted by Jesse) for the
MISTLE-THRUSH. Probably an equivalent of “Storm
Cock” (q.v.). The A.Sax. storm and German sturm come
from the same root as Lat. sternere (—to strew or prostrate)
and have the same significance.

Stitt Prover. A name for the BLACK-WINGED STILT.

Strinkury. A Shetland name for the WHEATEAR. It is a
corruption of “ stone-clink ” (q.v.).

Strvt or Snent. A local term on the coasts of our islands for
the DUNLIN, as well as the LITTLE STINT, SANDER-
LING and other small shore-birds. Wiilughby applies it
to the DUNLIN. It occurs as “ Stynte ” in the Northum-
berland Household Book, A.p. 1512.

Srrx. A Cornish name for a Screech Owl (? BARN-OWL).

Stock ANNET: TheSHELD-DUCK. (EastScotland.) Accord-
ing to Jamieson it signifies Stock ené (i.e. Stock Duck).

STOCK-DOVE [No. 346]. Said to be so called from its being
supposed to be the stock bird from which our domesticated
pigeons were derived: it is, however, doubtful whether
the narne may not refer to the bird’s habit of nesting in the
*“ stocks ” of trees. The name occurs in Turner (1544) as
““stocdove,” in Barlow (1655) as ‘‘ Stock-dove,” in Merrett
(1667) as “‘ Stock-Dove or Wood-Pidgeon,” and in Willughby
(1678) as ‘‘ Stock-Dove or Wood-Pigeon.” Pennant calls
it “Stock Pigeon, or Stock Dove,” while Montagu unites
it with the ROCK-DOVE and thinks they form one species.

Stock Duck: The MALLARD. (Orkney and Shetland.), because
it is considered to be the stock from which the tame varieties
have sprung.

STocK-EEKLE or STocK-EIKLE: The GREEN WOODPECKER.
(Staffordshire, Worcestershire.) The word stock (Dan. or
Norse stock, A.Sax. stoc) is in one sense synonymic with stuck

Q 2

228 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

or stick and is thus used (but rarely) to dencte a thrust ;
but more generally it means the trunk or stump of a tree,
which seems the correct meaning in this case. The deriva-
tion of eekle is said to be uncertain. It occurs also as
ecle and eagual, and is doubtless derived from the Teutonic
hekelen, to hack or tear asunder. It is, in fact, synonymic
with hackle and heckle, the latter word being more generally
heard in elections now, but properly denoting the combing
of flax. Stock-eekle therefore is literally stump-hacker.
Hickwall, another name for the species, appears to be
synonymic.

Stock Hawk: The PEREGRINE FALCON. (Shetlands.)

Srockre or StoaerE: The STOCK-DOVE. (Yorkshire.)

Stock OwL: The EAGLE-OWL. (Orkneys.) Swainson says
it is “from its habit of pressing against the stem (stock) of
a tree with unruffled feathers, so as to assimilate itself to
the stump, and elude notice.”

Srock WuHavp or Stock WHAAP: The CURLEW. (Provincial.)
Occurs in Montagu; Saxby gives the first form for the
Shetlands.

STONECHAT [No. 176, British Stonechat]. The bird occurs
in Turner and Merrett as “Stone-chatter”? and in
Willughby as ‘“‘Stone-smich or Stone-chatter,” the latter
form existing as late as Pennant (1766). The species is
rather inappropriately named, as it is found inhabiting
furze-covered land and neglected meadows. The name is
also applied, far more appropriately, to the WHEATEAR
(Northumberland, Yorkshire and Cheshire).

STONECHECK or STONE-CHECKER: The WHEATEAR. (Pro-
vincial.) The name occurs as Stonecheck in Merrett (1667)
and in Turner (1544) as “ Steinchek.” Dunn gives Stone-
checker as a local name in Orkney and Shetland, and Bolam
gives it as a Northumbrian name. Stone-check, Stone-chack
and Stone-chatter are Yorkshire forms.

STONE-cLINK: The STONECHAT. From its note resembling
the striking together of two pebbles.

STONE-CURLEW [No. 352]. The now accepted name of the
species generally styled by eighteenth century writers
““Thick-kneed Bustard.” Occurs in Merrett’s list as
“Stone Curliew ” and in Willughby as ‘‘ Stone-Curlew ” ;
the species being based on the @dicnemus of Belon. The
name arises from its frequenting stony upland localities.

Sronge Curtew: The BAR-TAILED GODWIT. (Cheshire.)
Also applied to the WHIMBREL (Montagu).

STOCK—STORM. 229

Stonr-Fatcon : The immature MERLIN. (Cheshire, Yorkshire,
North Wales, Scotland.) Occurs in Willughby.

STronEGALL: The KESTREL. An equivalent of “stannel”
(q.v.). Occurs in Merrett, who calls the species a “Stannel
or Stonegall.”

StonenatcH: The RINGED PLOVER. (Pfrovincial.) So
called because it lines the hollow it makes for its eggs
with small stones.

Srone-Hawk: The MERLIN (Cheshire, Yorkshire) ; also the
KESTREL (Cheshire).

Stone-Piover : The BAR-TAILED GODWIT. Occurs in Wil-
lughby. The Stone Plover of Ray’s “Synopsis Avium ”
(p. 105), however, appears to be the BLACK-TAILED
GODWIT. The name has also been used to denote both
the RINGED PLOVER and the STONE-CURLEW
(England), also the GREY PLOVER (Ireland).

STONEPRICK or STONEPRICKER: The STONECHAT. (Wirral,
Cheshire.)

Stone-RAw: The TURNSTONE. (Armagh.)

STONE-RUNNER: The RINGED PLOVER (Norfolk) and
the DOTTEREL (Norfolk).

StonE-sMicH or StonE-smita: The STONECHAT. The latter
form occurs in Bewick (1797) and the former in Willughby.

Stone Torusu: The MISTLE-THRUSH. (Cheshire, Dorset.)

Stork. See WHITE STORK.

StorM-Brrp : The MISTLE-THRUSH. (West Sussex.) Swain-
son also gives it as a Norfolk name for the FIELDFARE.
(See Storm Cock.)

Storm Cock: The MISTLE-THRUSH is known by this name
throughout the greater part of England (particularly the
Northern and Midland counties) but also locally in Hamp-
shire, Sussex and other Southern counties, because it usually
commences to sing in January and continues through the
rough weather of February and March; generally, more-
over, singing from the topmost wind-rocked branch of a

still-leafless tree. Swainson also gives it as a name for the
FIELDFARE in Shropshire and Scotland.

Storm-Fincnh: The STORM-PETREL. (Orkneys). Occurs in
Bewick.

Storm-GuLt. A name for the COMMON GULL. (Hett.)

STORM-PETREL [No. 319]. Occurs in Jenyns (1835) as
“‘Storm-Petrel.” Pennant in his folio edition (1766) calls
it Little Petrel, but in the later editions it is called Stormy

230 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Petrel, as also in Montagu. The name Storm or Stormy
arises from the belief that its appearance prognosticates
stormy weather. The name Petrel is said to be from
Fr. Peirel, a diminutive of Peter, and alludes to the Apostle
Peter walking on the Sea of Galilee. One belief is that if
the Storm-Petrel seeks the shore or the wake of a vessel,
a storm is imminent.

STRAND PLovER: The GREY PLOVER. (Cork). From its
frequenting the sea-shore.

Srrany. A name for the COMMON GUILLEMOT. (Bewick,
Montagu.)

Straw Mouse: The WHITETHROAT. (Cheshire.)

STRAW-SMALL: The WHITETHROAT. (West Riding, York-
shire.) From the nest being composed of dry grass, ete.

STRAW-SMEAR: The GARDEN-WARBLER and the WHITE-
THROAT. (Westmorland.) Montagu spells it ‘ Straw-
smeer.”’

STREAKED TUFTED-OwL. Macgillivray’s name for the SHORT-
EARED OWL.

StRiATED-WooDPECKER. Macgillivray’s name for the LESSER
SPOTTED WOODPECKER.

STUBBLE GoosE: The GREY LAG-GOOSE. (East Lothian.)

Stumpy Dick or Stumpy Toppy: The WREN. (Longden-
dale, Cheshire.)

SUB-ALPINE WARBLER [No. 150]. The name is derived
from Boneili’s name for the species (Sylvia subalpina).

SUELLAK. A Cornish name for the FIELDFARE.

Surterr. A Gaelic name for the GANNET. (St. Kilda.) From
suil=eye, and gheur=sharp. It is the original of Solan.

SumMMER Brrp : The WRYNECK. (Northumberland.)

SumMeER Duck: The GARGANEY. (See Summer Teal).

Summer SnipE: The COMMON SANDPIPER. (Northum-
berland, Yorks, Cheshire, Scotland.) Because seen com-
monly in summer in those districts to which the true Snipes
are chiefly winter-visitors. It is the name adopted by
Mr. Dresser for the species. 1t has also been applied to
the GREEN SANDPIPER and the DUNLIN.

SumMeER Trat.: The GARGANEY. (Somerset and Norfolk.)
It occurs in Albin. Newton says that it is the colloquial
name, Garganey being a book-name.

SumMER WactaiL: The YELLOW WAGTAIL. On cetgun
of its being a summer-visitor.

STRAND—SWALLOW. 231

SURF-SCOTER [No. 311]. The name occurs in Fleming (1828),
who recorded it from the Orkneys and Shetlands. Surf-
duck, a Scottish name for the COMMON SCOTER (from
its habit of diving for food among the breakers) is perhaps
the origin of this species’ name.

SwaBieE: The GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL. (Orkney
and Shetland.) Swainson spells it “‘ Swarbie.”

SWALLOW [No. 195]. From A.Sax. Swalewe. The name occurs
in Turner (1544) as “Swallowe”’ and in Barlow’s plates
(1655) as “Swallow.” Merrett and Willughby call it
the “‘ House-Swallow.” This is one of the birds held in
veneration in many parts of England, it being usually
considered unlucky to kill one, this belief prevailing in
Sussex, Hampshire, Yorkshire and other counties, as well as
in parts of Scotland, but in some parts of England and
more certainly in Ireland we do not find the belief prevailing,
in fact the bird is locally called “* devil’s bird,” the belief
being that ‘“‘ on everyone’s head there is a particular hair
which if the Swallow can pluck off dooms the wretched
individual to eternal perdition”’ (Dyer). In connexion
with its veneration the Magyar belief may be mentioned
that if one is killed the cows’ milk will turn to blood, a
precisely similar belief prevailing in this country regarding
the Robin (q.v.). A Cornish custom is to jump on seeing
the first Swallow in spring. In some parts of England,
April 15th is called “Swallow day,” because Swallows are
thought to appear at that date. The old saying “ One
Swallow does not make a Summer ”’ was originally a Greek
proverb but is found in most European languages. The
proverb appears to originate with Aristotle, who says,
“One Swallow does not make a Summer, nor one fine day.”
Willughby, however, uses the expression ‘“‘ One Swallow
makes not a Spring,” and says the origin appears to lie in
the bird being universally regarded as the herald of spring.
Swallow-songs to welcome the coming of March and _ the
Swallows still prevail among the children in Greece, where
they are of great antiquity. To Aristotle may also be
traced the belief, which was formerly very generally held,
that Swallows hibernated in hollow places in winter. A
Cornish belief of comparatively modern times was that they
spent the winter in disused tin mines and holes in the cliffs,
etc. Gilbert White of Selborne was a strong believer in the
hibernation of the Swallow tribe, and Col. Montagu a partial
believer. In the Introduction to his celebrated ‘‘ Ornith-
ological Dictionary” (p. xxvii) he says that “ torpidity

232

DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

is probably the state of those summer birds of passage
which accident may have detained with us during winter.”
Willughby says, ““ What becomes of Swallows in Winter-
time, whether they fly into other countries, or lie torpid
in hollow trees, and the like places, neither are natural
historians agreed, nor indeed can we certainly determine.”
The notion was actually entertained by Linneus, by Gilbert
White of Selborne, and many others. Pliny believed that
they retired at the approach of winter to the inmost recesses
of rocks and mountains, and there remained in a torpid
state till Spring (“‘ Hist. Nat.,” lib. xxx, cap.iv). Other ©
writers have conjectured that they lie torpid during winter
at the bottom of ponds or rivers, and it has been argued
that Linneus was of this opinion, although his reference
is not quite lucid. Gilbert White was of opinion that
“though they may not retire into that element, yet they
may conceal themselves in the banks of pools and rivers
during the uncomfortable months of winter.” Elsewhere
he suggests that during the severe winds that often prevail
late in the spring they may retire and sleep away these
uncomfortable periods as bats do. Forster, writing in
1808, thinks that “Swallows may have occasionally been
found under water,” and suggests their presence there may
be due to their having lain in a torpid state at night among
the reeds or rushes. He, in fact, credits the occasional
records of this kind, as well as their having been found
torpid in hollow trees, rocks and under the thatch of houses ;
but nevertheless he argues that the bulk of the species
migrates in the winter. The bird was formerly greatly
esteemed for its reputed medicinal value, being considered
a remedy for the “falling sickness,” ‘‘dimness of sight,”
‘“blear eyes,” etc., their ashes in this latter case being
mingled with honey and applied. A Swallow’s heart was
also eaten to strengthen the memory, or as a cure for the
ague, while the blood, particularly when drawn from under
the left wing, was thought a specific for the eyes. A stone,
called Chelidonius, sometimes found in ‘the stomach of
young Swallows, was also used as a remedy for the “ falling
sickness ” in children, being hung from the neck or bound
to the arm. A popular belief is that when Swallows skim
the water, in flying over it, rain is coming. Virgil
(*‘Georgics”’) alluding to the signs of coming rain, writes :
“The Swallow skims the river’s watr’y face.” Dr. Jenner,
also, alluding to the low flight before rain, says: “ Low
o’er the grass the Swallow wings.” On the contrary a high

SWALLOW—SWINEPIPE. 233

flight signified fine weather. Thus Gay in his first
“Pastoral”? writes :—

When Swallows fleet soar high and sport in air,
He told us that the welkin would be clear.

Itis related in “‘ Notes and Queries ” that a Swallow alighting -
upon one’s shoulder has been regarded as a sign of death.
Parker, writing in 1632, in his poem “The Nightingale,”
relates that it is counted ominous for one to die in one’s
hand, a belief held also of the Robin.

Swattow. A Shetland name for the STORM PETREL; the
MARTIN is also sometimes called Swallow.

Swallow-tailed Kite. An American species which has been said
to have strayed to our shores. So called from its tail
being deeply forked, with the outer feathers somewhat
elongated, like the tail of a swallow. The name is found
in Yarrell (1843). It is the Swallow-tailed Falcon of
Catesby and the Swallow-tailed Hawk of Wilson and
Audubon.

SwWALLOW-TAILED SHELDRAKE: The LONG-TAILED DUCK.
(Willughby.) Also occurs as Swallow-tailed Shieldrake.

Swan. See MUTE SWAN.

Swart-sack: The GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL.
(Orkneys.)

Swat: The REDSHANK. (Teesmouth.)

Sweet Briry: The CHIFFCHAFF and also the WILLOW-
WARBLER. (Nottinghamshire.)

Sweet Witt1AmM: The GOLDFINCH. From its melodious cry.
(Swainson.)

SWIFT [No. 200]. The name Swift appears first in Willughby
and originated in the swiftness of its flight. In the
fourth edition of Pennant it is called Swift Swallow. The
legend that this bird was unable to use its feet is of remote
antiquity, and no doubt arose from the small size of these
members, although they are neither weak nor useless.
Pliny says these birds, because they cannot use their feet,
are called Apodes and live chiefly on the wing, and Aristotle
says much the same of the species. In Hampshire it is
considered unlucky to kill this bird. A farmer, the owner
of seventeen cows, is said to have shot seventeen Swifts in
one day, and to have had every one of his cows die within
seven weeks (‘ Folklore Jnl.,” Dec., 1883).

Swirt Swattow: The SWIFT. (Pennant.)

Swineprer. An old English name for the REDWING.
(Willughby.) Newton thinks it refers to “the soft inward

234 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

whistle which the bird often utters, resembling the sound
of the pipe used by the swineherds of old when collecting
the animals under their charge.”

Swine-DEvIL: The SWIFT. (Northumberland.)

Swiss SanpPrpER: The GREY PLOVER. Swainson says it
was so called because Reaumur first received specimens
from Switzerland.

Sycock: The MISTLE-THRUSH. (Notts., Derbyshire.)

SYKES’S WAGTAIL [No. 75]. A West Siberian species first
recorded for Britain by Butterfield in the ‘‘ Zoologist”’ for
1902, p. 232.

SywipER. A Welsh name for the WILLOW-WARBLER.

TABBERER, TAPPERER, or TAPPER: The LESSER SPOTTED
WOODPECKER. (Leicestershire.)

TaEL DUIK (=Teal duck): The TEAL. (Scotland.)

TaceyFincH: The CHAFFINCH. (Upton-on-Severn.)

Tame Swan: The MUTE SWAN.

TamMiE Hert: The COMMON HERON. (Perth.)

TamMiE Norte: The PUFFIN. (Orkney and Shetland.)

TANGLE-PickER: The TURNSTONE. (Norfolk.) Tangle is
a kind of seaweed.

Tana Sparrow: The ROCK-PIPIT. (Shetlands.) ‘“‘ Tang”
signifies seaweed.

Tanc-WuHaap or Tang WHaup: The WHIMBREL. (Orkney
and Shetland) lit. ‘“‘ seaweed curlew.”

TaRAD-Y-KoEpD. A Cornish name for a WOODPECKER.

TaRMACHAN. The Gaelic name for the PTARMIGAN.

TaRROcK, TARRET, TaRrnG : The COMMON TERN. (Shetlands.)

TaRROocK GULL or TARROCK. Properly the immature KITTI-
WAKE GULL, but also applied to the young of the
COMMON GULL and also to the COMMON GUILLEMOT.
It occurs in Willughby for the first-named species. The
bird described under this name was formerly considered
a distinct species from the Kittiwake Gull.

Tarry : The COMMON and ARCTIC TERNS. (Northumber-
land.)

TARTAN-BACK. A name for the BRAMBLING. (Hett.)

Taster : The BLACK GUILLEMOT. (Sibbald.) See Tystie.

TaTLER: The COMMON SANDPIPER.

Tawny: The BULLFINCH. (Somerset.)

SWING—TERMAGANT. 235

Tawny Bunting: The SNOW-BUNTING. (Young males or
females in winter-plumage.) Described as a_ separate
species by the older writers from Pennant to Montagu.

TAWNY OWL [No. 229]. So called from its reddish-brown,
or tawny colour. The name first occurs in Pennant (1766).
Willughby and Ray call it the “Common Brown, or
Ivy Owl.”

TAWNY PIPIT [No. 66]. So called from its buffish-brown,
or tawny, plumage.

TEAL [No. 289]. Occurs in Merrett, and in Willughby and
Ray. Turner (1544) has “Tele” and Barlow (1655)
“Teale.” ;

TEAL-DRAKE: The SCAUP-DUCK is so called by gunners in
the North. (Hawker.)

TEARY-EERIE. Bolam gives this as a Northumbrian name for
the CORN-BUNTING; but is uncertain whether it is
derived from its song, or is a corruption of “‘ weary-weary ”
in allusion to its heavy flight.

TeasEeR: The ARCTIC SKUA. (Provincial.) From its habit
of harassing the Gulls and Terns until they disgorge their
prey.

TrEETAN or TEETING: The MEADOW-PIPIT. (Orkneys and
Shetlands.) Also the ROCK-PIPIT (Shetlands).

TEETicK or TEETUCK: The ROCK-PIPIT. (Orkneys and Shet-
land.)

TrEEucK: The LAPWING. (Provincial.) From its cry.

TEE-wHAAP. A name for the LAPWING. (Hett.)

TELL-PIE, TELL-PIET, TELL-PIENOT : The MAGPIE (N. Yorks.).

TEMMINCK’S STINT [No. 377]. The name occurs as Tem-
minck’s Tringa in Selby and Temminck’s Stint in Jenyns ;
as Temminck’s Sandpiper in Eyton. The species was named
by Leisler in 1812 in honour of the celebrated ornithologist
Temminck.

TENGMALM’S OWL [No. 221]. The name appears in Jenyns
(1825). This little species was named by Gmelin in honour
of Tengmalm, hence its English name.

TEeRcEL: The male GOSHAWK. See Tiercel.

TERMAGANT, or TeRmMIGANT. An old English spelling of the
name PTARMIGAN. Newton has shown that the former
spelling was used by Taylor (the “ water” poet) in 1630,
and the latter by James I in 1617.

'

236 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Tern: The SANDWICH TERN. (Northumberland.) Dis-
tinguished locally by its larger size than other species as
“the Tern ” or “‘ Large Tern ” (Bolam).

Trevcuet, Teuvcuit, Tewuit, Tewer, TEAFIT, or TEwrrr: The
LAPWING: (North country and Scotland.) So called
from its cry.

TEuK: The REDSHANK. (Essex.) From its cry.

TuHack or THATCH SPARROW: The HOUSE-SPARROW. (Nor-
thants., Shropshire.)

TuHicK-BILL: The BULLFINCH. (Lancashire, Yorks.)

THICK-BILLED GuILLEMoT: BRUNNICH’S GUILLEMOT.
(Provincial.)

THICK-BILLED NUTCRACKER. See NUTCRACKER.

THICK-KNEED Bustarp: The STONE-CURLEW. From the
thick swollen appearance of the knees when young. Occurs
in Pennant (1766) and other writers to Montagu. Also found
as Thick-knee.

Tuin-NECK: The PINTAIL. (Holy Island.)

TuHrn-THRESHER. A name for the MISTLE-THRUSH. (Hett.)

TuirsTLE: The SONG-THRUSH. (Devonshire, Cornwall, Shrop-
shire.) A corruption of Throstle.

THISTLE-cock : The CORN-BUNTING. (Orkneys.)

THISTLE FINCH, THISTLE-BIRD, or THISTLE-wARP: The GOLD-
FINCH. (Provincial.) The first name occursin Willughby.

Tuomas GiERDET. Hett gives this as a name for the RED-
BREAST.

THORN-GREY: The LINNET. (Ireland.) THorn LINNET is a
Yorks. name for the same species. Hett gives Thorney-
grey asa name for the LESSER REDPOLL.

THORN WARBLER: The SEDGE WARBLER. (E. Cleveland.)

THREE-TOED Quart: The Andalusian Hemipode.

THREE-TOED SAND-GROUSE: PALLAS’S SAND-GROUSE.

THRESHER : TheSONG-THRUSH. (Provincial.)

TuricEk Cock. A Midland and North of England name for the
MISTLE-THRUSH. In use in Cheshire and Shropshire,
and Jesse (“ Gleanings,” 2nd ser.) gives it as a Staf-
fordshire name. The literal meaning is “ thrush cock,”
thrice being from A.Sax. thrysce=thrush.

Turoc, TuHroccy, or THRoLLIE: The SONG-THRUSH.
(Cheshire.) The third form also occurs in North Yorkshire.
A corruption of ‘ Throstle ” (q.v.).

TERN—TIERCEL. 237

THROSTLE: The SONG-THRUSH (chiefly in English literature
and poetry). Still, however, used provincially (Lancashire,
Staffordshire, and other northern counties, also Ireland).
Thrustle is a Shropshire form. From A.Sax. throsle, appa-
rently a diminutive of A.Sax. thrysce, a thrush. Shake-
speare has “‘ The throstle with his note so true.” It occurs
in Merrett and in Willughby, while Turner (1544) has
‘“‘ Throssel,” and Skelton spells it Threstill. Pennant (1766)
gives Throstle as the name for the species.

THROSTLE Cock: The MISTLE-THRUSH. (Roxburgh.)

THRUSFIELD: The SONG-THRUSH. (Shropshire.)

THRusH. Properly the SONG-THRUSH, although Turner
(1544) gives “‘Thrushe”’ as the particular name of the
MISTLE-THRUSH. From A.Sax. thrysce, a thrush. Some
authorities refer to Greek otpixew=to twitter; Lat. strix
=a screeching or twittering owl is from the same root. The
literal significance would therefore be a singing or
twittering bird.

THRUSHEL or THRUSTLE: The SONG-THRUSH. (Shrop-
shire.) A corruption of Throstle.

THRUSHER: The SONG-THRUSH (Sussex, Berks., Bucks.), er
being a Saxon terminal.

THRUSH-LIKE WARBLER: The GREAT REED-WARBLER.
(Yarrell.)

THRUSH-NIGHTINGALE [No. 181]. This Scandinavian and
east European species has been recently added to the
British List.

THuMB-BIRD: The GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN. (Hamp-
shire.). From its size, being about that of athumb. Thum-
mie is also a name for the CHIFFCHAFF.

TEE or Tipire. Old English names for a TITMOUSE
(see Tydif).

TrpLtey GotprincH: The GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN is so
called in Devonshire. (Montagu.)

TIpLEY or Tippy WREN: The WREN. (Essex.)

TIERCEL, TERCEL, or TassaL: The male GOSHAWK, and also
the male PEREGRINE FALCON. Mr. Harting says the
term is derived from the male being supposed to be about
a third smaller than the female; some authorities state,
however, that of the three young birds usually found in the
nest two are females and the third a male, hence the
term tercel. The correct term for the male Peregrine
is Tiercel-gentle, in the same way as the female is calied

238 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Falcon-gentle (q.v.), the term tercel or tiercel alone properly
signifying the male Goshawk. In Merrett’s list (1667)
the Goshawk is called ‘“‘ Tassal.”

TIERCEL-GENTLE: The male PEREGRINE FALCON (see
Tiercel). Sibbald gives it as a Ross and Orkneys name,
but it was in very general’use in falconry, frequently also
being spelt Tercel-gentle.

TreT1icK : The MEADOW-PIPIT. (Shetlands.)

TIEVES’ NICKET or TrEVES GEIT: The LAPWING. (Shetlands.)

TrceR Own. A name for the SHORT-EARED OWL. (Hett.)

TitE Swattow: The SWIFT (Yorks.)

Trimmer Doo: The RING-DOVE in Scots dialect. 'Timmer=
timber, doo—dove.

TinkEeR: The PURPLE SANDPIPER. (Northumberland.)

TINKERSHERE (Tinker’s hue): The COMMON GUILLEMOT.
(Provincial.) From its sombre upper-plumage. Hett
also gives it for the BLACK GUILLEMOT.

TrinneER: The PIED WAGTAIL. (Cornwall.)

Tinnock: The BLUE TITMOUSE. (Provincial.) Swainson
thinks it is from its shrill note.

TinsiGL or TinsiGL y Gwys. Welsh names for the PIED
WAGTAIL: the first signifies Wagtail, while the second
(which is given to the WHITE WAGTAIL in North Wales
by Coward and Oldham) signifies “‘ Wagtail of the furrow.”

TINSIGL FELEN: The YELLOW WAGTAIL. (North Wales)
lit. “ yellow wagtail.”

TINsIGL Lwyp: The GREY WAGTAIL. (North Wales)
lit. “‘ grey wagtail.”

TintrE: The WREN. (Notts.)

TINWEN Y GARN or TINWEN Y GARREG. Welsh names for the
WHEATEAR: the first signifies “white rump of the
stone-heap,” the second “‘ white rump of the crag.”

TrppeT GREBE: The GREAT CRESTED GREBE. (Bewick.)
From the breast-plumage being used for tippets by furriers.

Trrma: The OYSTERCATCHER. (Martin’s “ Voy. St. Kilda.’’)

Tir. A term applied to individuals of the family Paride.
Equivalent to “titmouse.” From Icel. tittr, a small bird;
lit. anything small.

TitrHys Repstart: The BLACK REDSTART. Tithys (also
the specific name) is from Sansk. ttha, fire, or Lat. Titan,
the Sun-god, both capable of allusion to the red tail and
tail-coverts. See also REDSTART.

TIERCEL—TOM. 239

TirLarK. A common provincial name for the MEADOW-
PIPIT. Occurs in Merrett, Willughby and many later
authors. Has also been applied sometimes to the TREE-
PIPIT and the ROCK-PIPIT.

TitLENE. A North Country name for the HEDGE-SPARROW.
(Swainson. )

Tittinc. A provincial name for the HEDGE-SPARROW.
Occurs in Montagu (1802). Turner’s “ Titling,” which
he wrongly identifies with the “Curuca” of Aristotle,
does not appear to be the Hedge-Sparrow, although
Aristotle’s Curuca no doubt is. The name has been some-
times applied to the MEADOW-PIPIT, for which, however ,
the more general term is Titlark.

TitmaL: The BLUE TITMOUSE. (Provincial.)

Titmec, TITEREEN : The WREN. (Hett.)

TirmousE. Any species of Titmouse. Mid. Eng. titmose or
Titmase, from “tit” (q.v.) and A.Sax. mase, a small bird of no
particular species: not equivalent to “mouse.” Plural
*‘titmice ” is therefore incorrect and should be titmouses.
It usually occurs in old authors as Titmouse, but Mac-
gillivray and Yarrellset the fashion of abbreviating to “Tit.”

TitTEREL: The WHIMBREL. (Sussex.) Hawker also gives
it as a local Dorsetshire name.

Tirtimaw or Tirmaups. Cheshire names for any species of
Titmouse, of which name it is a corruption.

Tirty Topcer: The WREN. (Devonshire.) See Titty Wren.

Tirry Wren: The WREN. (Wilts.) “Titty” is from the
Icelandic tittr—a small bird, or anything small. “Tit”
(q.v.) is an equivalent.

Toad SnatcHER. A name for the REED-BUNTING.
(Yorks.)

Top Brrp: The GREAT SKUA. (Yorks.)

Tom Harry: The GREAT SKUA. (Cornwall.)

Tommy Loos. A nickname for species of Divers.

Tom Nowe: The BLUE TITMOUSE. (Cheshire.) Swainson
also gives Tom Novp as a Shropshire name for the GREAT
TITMOUSE. Nowp or Noup seems the same as Nope,
a name for the BULLFINCH.

Tom Pupprne: The LITTLE GREBE. (Shropshire, Yorks.,
Antrim.)

Tom Purrin: The LITTLE GREBE. (Yorks.)

Tom Tuums : The WILLOW-WARBLER. (Roxburgh.) From
its small size.

240 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Tomtit. <A general provincial name for the BLUE TITMOUSE.
Swainson also gives it as a Norfolk and Craven name for
the WREN, and an Irish name for the TREECREEPER.

TonevE Brrp or Lone TonevEe: The WRYNECK. (Pro-
vincial.) From its long projectile tongue.

Tony Hoop: The BULLFINCH. (Somersetshire.) Probably
from its whistling note, but Swainson thinks it is from the
tawny breast of the female.

Took: The REDSHANK. From its note.

Tore: The WREN. (Cornwall.)

Tor OvuzeL: The RING-OUZEL. (Devonshire.)

ToRTOISE-SHELL GOOSE: The WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE.
(Ireland.) From the mottled markings on the abdomen
(Swainson. )

Tot-o'ER-SEAS. Newton gives this as a local East Coast name
for the GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN, in allusion to its
arrival from overseas on the autumnal migration. It
seems to be a Suffolk and perhaps a Norfolk name.

Tounac. A Gaelic name for the MALLARD. (Western Isles.)
From town, a wave.

Towitty or Towwrtty: The SANDERLING. (Cornwall.)
From its cry. Occurs as Towiller in Borlase.

TrRANILLYS: The RING-PLOVER. (Hett.)

TREE-CLIMBER: The TREECREEPER. (Provincial.) Tree-
clipper is an Oxfordshire name.

TREECREEPER |[No. 83, British ‘Treecreeper; No. 84,
Northern ‘Treecreeper]. Occurs in most of our
older authors as “Common Creeper.” It is the Certhia of
Willughby and Ray. Pennant (1766) calls it “ Creeper ”
simply. Ridgway has separated the resident British
form from the North European form, examples of which
have been identified in Scotland.

TREE Fatcon: The HOBBY. (Willughby.)

TREE Finco: The TREE-SPARROW. (Hett.)

TREE GoosrE: The BARNACLE-GOOSE. (Bewick.) In refer-
ence to the old legend. (See BARNACLE-GOOSE.)

Tree Huckx-muck : The LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE. (Hett.)

TREE LarK: The TREE-PIPIT. (Notts, Yorks.)

TrEE Macrre. A supposed variety of the MAGPIE.

TREE-PIPIT [No. 67]. The name occurs in Selby (1825) and
arises from its more arboreal habits than the MEADOQW-

PIPIT. It is the “Pipit Lark” of Pennant, and the
“Wield Lark ” of Montagu.

TOMTIT—TRUMPIE. 241

TREE-SPARROW [No. 41]. So called from its habit of nesting
chiefly in boles of trees. The name appears to be first
found in Montagu (1802). It is the Mountain Sparrow or
Finch of many older authors from Albin to Bewick, probably
so called from the name Passer montana, under which it
appears in Willughby and Ray. It appears to be the
Hamburg Grosbeak of Latham, and the Hamburg Tree-
Creeper and Red-headed Sparrow of Albin.

TREE-SPEILER or BARK-SPEILER: The TREENCREEPER.
(Scotland.) Speiler signifies climber.

TREE-WIDDLE. Occurs in Albin for a species of Stint or
Sanderling.

TRESGLEN. A Welsh name for the MISTLE-THRUSH ; lit.
** screech,” from its loud song.

TRESGLEN GocH: The REDWING. (North Wales) lit. “red
thrush.”

TREUN RE TREUN. A Gaelic name for the LAND-RAIL.

TrRIcKER: The WREN. (Thirsk, Yorks.)

TRILLACHAN: The OYSTERCATCHER. (Hebrides.) Occurs
in Martin’s “ Voyage to St. Kilda.”

Tringa: The PURPLE SANDPIPER. (Northumberland.)
Bolam gives it as a local name at Boulmer.

TrincA CURLEW: The CURLEW-SANDPIPER.

TRIOLLACHAN TRAIGH. A Gaelic name for any of the smaller
shore birds (lit. “little quaverers of the shore ’’).

TROCHWR Y LLYN. A Welsh name for the DIPPER.

TROCHYDD BRONGOCH (Y): The RED-BREASTED MER-
GANSER. (North Wales) lit. “the red-breasted plunger.”

TRocHYDD G@wppGFocH: The RED-THROATED DIVER.
(North Wales) lit. “‘red-throated diver.”

TRocHYDD MAwR: The GREAT NORTHERN DIVER (North
Wales) lit. “‘ great diver.”

TRODZHEN or EpHNOW-TRopzHAN. Cornish names for the
STARLING.

TROELLWR: The NIGHTJAR. (North Wales) lit. “‘ spinner,”
from its churring note.

TROELLWR BACH (yy): The GRASSHOPPER-WARBLER.
(North Wales) lit. “‘ the little spinner,” from its song.
Troet. A Cornish name for the TURTLE-DOVE; also a

Plover.
TRUMPETER Swan. See American Trumpeter Swan.
Trumei1E: The ARCTIC SKUA. (Orkneys.)

249 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

TsHauHa. A Cornish name for the CHOUGH ; also the JACK-
DAW (?).

Ts1-kuK. A Cornish name for the SWALLOW;; lit. “ house-
cuckoo.”

TsKEKKER Erruin. A Cornish name for a Titmouse, or
Furzechat.

Tuer or Turr: The LAPWING. (West Yorkshire, Lancashire
and Westmorland.) From its cry.

TUFTED DUCK [No. 300]. The name occurs in Willughby
(1678) and in all succeeding authors, and is derived from the
bird’s pendant crest of narrow feathers. Selby calls it
“Tufted Pochard,” and it also occurs as “ Tufted Wigeon.”

Turtep Sxart: The SHAG. (Provincial.) From its tuft or
crest on the head.

TuLiac: The GREAT SKUA. (Provincial.)

TuLLeT: The RINGED PLOVER. (Cheshire.)

TumBLEeR: The BLACK-HEADED GULL (Redcar, Yorks.)
TurkEy Birp: The WRYNECK. Because it ruffles the neck-
feathers when disturbed. |
TURNSTONE [No. 368]. The name occurs in Edwards (pl. 141)
as the “'Turnstone from Hudson’s Bay.” Pennant (1766)
has ‘‘ Turnstone”’ only. The name arises from the bird’s
habit of turning over small stones, etc., in seeking its food.

TurtTLeE. Albin gives this as a Bass Rock name for the BLACK
GUILLEMOT, and says it is on account of its laying two
eggs,

TURTLE-DOVE [No. 348]. From Fr. towrterelle, der. from Lat.
Turtur. The name is found in Chaucer, who speaks of
“the wedded turtil with her hearté trewe.” It occurs in
Turner (1544) as “turtel duve,” in Merrett (1667) as
“Turtle Dove,” and in Willughby as “ Turtle-dove.”
Pennant (1766 ed.) has ‘‘ The Turtle,” while later writers
call it the “Common Turtle,” but Bewick (1797) and
succeeding authors revert to the name Turtle-Dove.

TurtLe-poveE. A Holy Island (Northumberland) name for the
BLACK GUILLEMOT.

Turtur: The TURTLE-DOVE. (North Wales.)

Twink: The CHAFFINCH. From its note. Occurs in
Montagu.

TWITE [No. 20]. This name, derived irom its call-note, is
first found in Albin (1738). Willughby, Pennant and other
old authors call it the Mountain Linnet. It is sometimes
also called Twite Finch (North Yorkshire).

TSHAUHA—VIRGINIAN. 243

TWO-BARRED CROSSBILL [No. 36]. First found in Latham
(“Syn.” mm, p. 108) as White-winged Crossbill. Yarrell
calls it European White-winged Crossbill.

Typir, TrpIFE, TIDEE, or TypimE. Ancient names for a Tit-
mouse (see Tit). The first occurs in Chaucer, and may apply
to the COAL-TITMOUSE (cf. Newton ‘Dict. Birds,”
p- 962, note). Newton also gives Tytyfr.

Tystie or TarstEy : The BLACK GUILLEMOT. (Orkneys and
Shetlands.) Newton says it is from Icel. peista. Also
occurs as Teiste and Taiste.

UIsEacG (pron. ooshak). A Gaelic name for the SKY-LARK.

Uuiat: The BARN-OWL and the TAWNY OWL. (Yorkshire.)

UmpBer GuLL: The immature COMMON GULL. (Hett.)

UsseL: The BLACKBIRD. (North Yorkshire.) See Ouzel.

Uruace: The WHINCHAT. (Shropshire.) Swainson thinks
it is the same as Utick.

Utick: The WHINCHAT is so called in Middlesex, Notting-
hamshire, Shropshire and elsewhere. From its note wu-tick.
Swainson also gives “ Tick” simply.

VanneR Hawk: The KESTREL. An equivalent of ‘ fanner.”

VAN-WINGED Hawk: The HOBBY. (Hants.)

VARE-HEADED WIGEON: The COMMON POCHARD. See
““Vare Wigeon.”

VarE WIGEON: The female or young male of the SMEW.
(North Devonshire.) Montagu says it is from their heads
resembling a weasel’s, locally called “ vare.”

VARIEGATED THRusH: WHITE’S THRUSH. So called by
Macgillivray from Horsfield’s name, 7’. varius.

VetverD: The FIELDFARE. (Wiltshire.) A corruption of
Fieldfare.

VeLvET Duck: The VELVET SCOTER.

VELVET RunnER: The WATER-RAIL. (Willughby.)

VELVET SCOTER [No. 310]. The name is derived from
Willughby and Ray, who, describing it under the name of
Aldrovandus’s Black Duck, remark that it might be not
undeservedly called the Velvet Duck, on account of the
softness and delicateness of its feathers. The name Velvet
Duck was used by successive writers from Pennant to Mon-
tagu. Velvet Scoter seems to occur first in Fleming (1828).

Virginian Colin. An introduced species, not entitled to a place
on the British List. The name is found in Macgillivray
and Yarrell. It is first recorded in Montagu (Supp.) as
American Quail.

Bo

244 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

VirGIntian Cuckoo: The YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO.
(Eyton.)

VIRGINIAN PARTRIDGE: The Virginian Colin. (Jenyns.)

WazcG: The KITTIWAKE GULL. (Shetlands.) “ Diminutive
of (Kitti)wake ” (Swainson).

WaGEL or Cornish Wacet: The ARCTIC SKUA or the
GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL. Newton remarks that
Ray and Willughby got it in 1662 on Godreve Island, near
St. Ives. The Arctic Skua seems to have been meant,
but they took it to be the young of the Great Black-
backed Gull, for which Wagel is still a Yorkshire name.

Waerait: The PIED WAGTAIL generally. The name occurs
in the fifteenth century, according to Wright, as Wagsterd
and Wagstyrt (from steort=tail). Montagu gives it as a
provincial name for the DUNLIN.

Watt Brrp: The SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. (South and
east England.)

Watt-cHat: The STONECHAT (Provincial); the SPOTTED
FLYCATCHER (N. Yorks.).

WALLCREEPER [No. 85]. A south Kuropean species, which
is known to have been taken four times in England. The
name occurs first in Merrett’s list (1667) as a British species,
and also in Willughby, who observes that the bird is said
to be found in England.

Watt Rosin: The SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. (Cheshire.)

WARBLER. The name was first used by Pennant (“ Gen. Birds,”
1773, p. 35) for the birds removed to genus Sylvia by
Scopoli, from Linneeus’s genus Motacilla.

WaRkE-GoosE: The BRENT GOOSE. (Durham.) So called
from its feeding on “‘ ware,”’ which is coarse seaweed thrown
up on the beach (A.Sax. Sewar, lit. sea-weed).

WasHpDISsSH, WASHTAIL, or WASHERWOMAN: The PIED WAG-
TAIL is locally so called (see Dishwasher). ‘“‘ War-
winckle” in Latham’s “ Falconry ” (1633, vol. m1, p. 144)
is thought by Newton to apply to the same bird.

WaTER BiAckBIRD: The DIPPER. (Yorks., Scotland and
Treland.)

WateER-CoLtty: The DIPPER. (Somersetshire) lit. “‘ water-
blackbird ” (see Colly).

WATER CRAKE: The DIPPER. (Willughby.) The name is
also applied to the SPOTTED CRAKE.

VIRGINIAN—WATER. 245

WaTER cRAW: The DIPPER. Equivalent of Water-Crow.
Occurs in Turner (1544) as the name at Morpeth, Northum-
berland. Evans says the name is still used in the North of
England.

WarteErR-Crow. A local name for the DIPPER (occurring in
Bewick). It is in use in Yorkshire, and Bolam says it is a
Border name for the species, and in Scotland often becomes
‘“* Wetter-craw.” Water-crow is also a Dumfries name for
the COOT.

WarterR-Eacite. An old Scots name for the OSPREY.

WATER-HEN. An alternative name for the MOORHEN. Occurs
in Turner, Willughby, and numerous subsequent writers,
sometimes as Common Water-hen. According to Rutty,
it was used in co. Dublin for the WATER-RAIL.

WatTERIE: The PIED WAGTAIL. (Forfar.)

WaterRIz-Wacrain. A popular Border name for the PIED
WAGTAIL. (Bolam.)

WaTER JUNKET. A name for the COMMON SANDPIPER.
(Swainson. )

Warter-Larrock (Water Lark) : The COMMON SANDPIPER.
(Swainson. ) ;

WateER-Linnet: The MEADOW-PIPIT. (Hett.)

WateR-OvuzEL: The DIPPER. Occurs under this name in
Willughby, and it was the general name for the bird for
long after, occurring in Albin, Pennant, Latham, Lewin,
Walcott, Donovan and Bewick.

WaTER Peacy: The DIPPER. (Dumfries.)

WATER-PIET, WATER PYET, WATER Pyort, or WATER Prot.
Local names for the DIPPER. Literally the “little water
pie.” So called from its black-and-white plumage, “ piet ”
being an equivalent to (or diminutive of) “pie” (q.v.).
In South-west Scotland the name occurs as ‘ Water-
pyat.” Bewick gives Water-Piot.

WATER-PIPIT [No. 70]. This is a close ally of the ROCK-
PIPIT, but is an Alpine or mountain species, in place of
marine.

WATER-RAIL [No. 459]. The name, from its aquatic pre-
dilections, occurs in Willughby (1678) the species being
based on the Rallus aquaticus of Aldrovandus, of which the
name would be a literal translation.

WaTER-SpARROW : The REED-BUNTING. (Shropshire.) Occurs
in Montagu as a provincial name.

WaterR-Turuso: The DIPPER. (Cornwall.)

246 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Water Tit: The PIED WAGTAIL. (Provincial.)

Water WacTaiL: The PIED WAGTAIL. Occurs first in
Merrett’s list; Turner calls it simply “a wagtale.”

WatTeER WitcH : The STORM-PETREL. (Provincial.)

WaTERY PLEEPS: The COMMON SANDPIPER. (Orkneys.)

Watitry : The PIED WAGTAIL. (Cheshire.)

Wartiz or Wattie Wactait: The PIED WAGTAIL. (West-
morland.) Wattie is no doubt a form of “‘ Waterie.”

WAXEN CHATTERER: The WAXWING. Occurs in Pennant
and most other eighteenth century writers to Donovan.

WAXWING [No. 113]. So called from the shafts of some of the
wing-feathers being terminated by what looks like a flattened
tip of red sealing-wax. It was originally called by Wil
lughby the Bohemian Chatterer and by Pennant Chatterer
in the folio edition (1766), and Waxen Chatterer in the
later editions. Selby (1825) calls it Bohemian Waxwing,
as also most of the succeeding authors.

WeasE AtLtAN: The ARCTIC SKUA. (Orkneys.) Wease is
from A.Sax. was, moisture.

WEASEL Duck: The female or immature SMEW. (Northum-
berland.) From the chestnut and white colour and fur-
like texture of the feathers (Bolam). Weasel Duck or
Weasel Coot are also Norfolk names.

WEATHER-CocK: The GREEN WOODPECKER. Perhaps
eqivalent of Rain-fowl.

WEDGE-TAILED GULL [No. 424]. So called from its cuneate
tail. Formerly known as Ross’s Gull, or Ross’s Rosy Gull,
after the discoverer, Sir J. C. Ross.

Wee Diver or Wee Dovuxer: The LITTLE GREBE.
(Dumfriesshire. )

Weep: The LAPWING. (Provincial.) From its cry.

WeeEpPiIne GuiIttEMoT. A local name for the Ringed or Bridled
Guillemot (a variety of the COMMON GUILLEMOT)
among the West of Scotland fishermen. (Gray.)

WeeEtT Brrp: The WRYNECK. (Hampshire.) From its cry.

WEKEEN: The MEADOW-PIPIT. (Kerry.)

WELE: The GREEN WOODPECKER. (Hett.)

WELL Prum: The COMMON POCHARD. (Provincial.)

WetsH AmBassapor. The CUCKOO appears to have been
formerly sometimes so called. The allusion is in Middleton’s
“A Trick to Catch the Old One ” (act Iv, sc. 5): “This:
sound is like the Cuckoo, the Welsh Ambassador.” It is
supposed that this name is an allusion to the annual arrival

WATER—WHEATEAR. 247

of Welshmen in search of summer employment, which
probably took place about the time of the Cuckoo’s
appearance. According to Dyer, however, the Cuckoo is
still called ‘“‘ Welsh Ambassador ” in Wales.

WEsTERN Duck: STELLER’S EIDER. (Gould.)

WESTERN LARGE-BILLED REED-BUNTING [No. 54].
A south-west European species first recorded for the
British islands by Mr. Nicoll in 1908.

WEsTERN PocHarD: STELLER’S EIDER. (Selby.)

Wet Birp: The CHAFFINCH. (Rutland and Scotland.)
Chambers says it is because its cry syllabled “ weet, weet,”
is thought to foretell rain.

WET-My-Lip or WET-MyY-FEET. Local names for the QUAIL;
the first is a Norfolk and the second a Scots and Irish name.

WezeEL Coot. The female or young of the SMEW. (Albin.)
From the head resembling that of a weasel. Also spelt
Weesel Coot by Pennant. See Vare Wigeon.

WuatticeE or WHISHIE: The WHITETHROAT. (East
Lothian.)

Wuavue: The COMMON CURLEW. (Scotland and North
England). From its cry. It occurs as Whaap in the
Orkneys and Shetlands.

WHEATEAR [No. 166, Wheatear; No. 167, Greenland
Wheatear]. Generally derived from A.Sax. hwit=
white, and ers—=rump. Newton, however, was inclined to
reject this derivation “ until it be shewn that such a name
ever existed.”” The name first occurs in the works of Taylor,
the “‘ Water Poet” (1654); and in Merrett’s list (1667)
as ‘‘ Wheat-ear or White-tail.” Willughby, who calls it the
** Fallow-Smich,” says that in Sussex it is called the Wheat-
ear ‘‘ because at the time of Wheat harvest they wax very
fat,” and also White-tail from the colour of the rump. He
is possibly in error as to the derivation of the word wheatear,
as its significance (vide swpra) is considered to be similar to
the other name of White-tail. The name Wheatear is not
used by Turner (1544), who gives the names “ clot-burd,
smatche, arlyng, and steinchek :” the first indicating the
bird’s habit of sitting upon clods, the second being an
equivalent no doubt of “‘ Chat,” the third being a reference
to the white rump (from @rs—=rump and ling, a diminutive)
and the fourth being an equivalent to Stonechat. The
Greenland Wheatear, a sub-species breeding in Greenland
and North-east America, is now known to be a passage-
migrant through our islands in spring and autumn.

248 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

WHEATSEL Brrp: The male CHAFFINCH. (Norfolk.) So
called, according to Gurney, from their congregating in
autumn about the season of wheat sowing.

WHEEL-BIRD: The NIGHTJAR. Montagu gives it as a
provincial name, and Swainson says it is a Stirling name.
From its jarring noise resembling that made by a spinning
wheel.

WHEELIEVE: The WILLOW-WARBLER. (Hett.)

WuHEETY WHEYBEARD, WHEETIE Wuy, WHEYBEARD, WHITTIE
BEARD. Provincial names for the WHITETHROAT,
because its light-coloured head and neck-feathers stand
out so thickly.

WHET-ILE: The GREEN WOODPECKER. (Essex, Herts.)
From A.Sax. thwitan, to cut.

WHEWER: The female WIGEON. (Willughby). Bewick also
gives Whim and Pandled Whew, while Pandle Whew is a
Norfolk name according to Swainson. Whew is a Northum-
berland name for the species, said to be derived from the
whistling-call of the male.

Wuitk : The COMMON SCOTER. (Provincial.)

Wuim: The WIGEON. (See under Whewer.)

WHIMBREL [No. 405]. The name occurs in Willughby (1678).
Skeat says it is derived from the bird’s cry, resembling
** whim.”

WHIMBREL CurLEW: The WHIMBREL. (Pennant.)

WHINCHACKER, WHINCHECK, WHIN CLocHARET. North Country
names for the WHINCHAT, of which name they are
equivalents.

WHINCHAT [No. 83]. So called from its habit of perching on
whinbushes, and uttering its monotonous note, syllabled
“ y-tick.”” Occursin Willughby (1678) and most subsequent
authors. Macgillivray calls it Whin Bushchat.

WHINDLE and WHEENERD. Two old names for the REDWING,
perhaps from the local German Weindrusile and Winsel
(Newton).

Wuin-GREY: The LINNET. (North Ireland.)

Wutn-Lintizr. A Border name for the LINNET. (Lintie=
Linnet). Whin-Linnet is also a Scots name.

Wutn Sparrow: The HEDGE-SPARROW. (East Lothian.)

Wuinyarp: The SHOVELER. (Waterford.) The COMMON
POCHARD. (Wexford.) Swainson says whinyard is a
name for a knife resembling a Shoveler’s bill in shape.

WHEATSEL—WHITE. 249

Wure: The SWIFT. (West Riding, Yorkshire.)

WHISHEY-WHEY-BEARD: The WHITETHROAT. So called
in many parts of Scotland. (Gray.)

WuHisHIE: The WHITETHROAT. (Kast Lothian.)

WHISKER-BIRD : The CORN-BUNTING. (Hett.)

WHISKERED TERN [No. 413]. So called from the white
stripe running backward from the gape. The name is
found in Yarrell. It is the Moustached Tern of Gould
(“‘ Birds of Europe,” pt. xv).

WuisttER: The GOLDENEYE and the WIGEON. Also
applied to the RING-OUZEL. (Wicklow).

Wuistitinc Duck: The COOT. (Renfrew.)

WHIsTLING PLoveR: The GOLDEN PLOVER. (Norfolk,
Renfrew.) From its clear whistle. Occurs in Merrett, and
Montagu gives it as a provincial name. Swainson also
applies it to the GREY PLOVER.

WuistLine SANDPIPER: The GREEN SANDPIPER.

Wuisttingc Swan: The WHOOPER SWAN. (Selby, Jenyns,
Gould.) Used locally in Northumberland.

WuistLInec THrusH or Wuistiinc Dick. A Thames Valley
name for the SONG-THRUSH. (Swainson.)

WHITE-AND-Dusky GREBE: The SLAVONIAN GREBE.
(Pennant.)

WHITE-BACKED DovE: The ROCK-DOVE. (Macgillivray.)

Waitt Baker: The SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. (Provincial.)

WHITE-BELLIED Swirt: The ALPINE SWIFT. (Gould.)

WHITE-BILLED NORTHERN DIVER [No. 342]. A close
ally of the GREAT NORTHERN DIVER, but with the
bill yellowish-white at all seasons.

WHITE-BREASTED BiLackBiRD: The RING-OUZEL.

WHITE-BREASTED WARBLER. Macgillivray’s name for the
LESSER WHITETHROAT.

WHITE-BREASTED WEET-WEET. Macgillivray’s name for the
SPOTTED SANDPIPER.

Wuitt-caP: The male REDSTART. (Salop., Yorks.) From its
white forehead ; also a name for the WHITETHROAT.

WuitE Crow: The BLACK-HEADED GULL.

WHITE-EYED Duck: The FERRUGINOUS DUCK is so called
by some authors.

Wuits-FAcED Crow: The ROOK. From the bare whitish skin
on the face.

WHITE-FACED Diver: The COOT. (Ireland.)

250 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

WHITE-FACED Duck: The SCAUP-DUCK. From the broad
white band round the base of the bill.

WHITE-FACED Goose: The WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE.
White-faced Barnacle is also a name for the BARNACLE-
GOOSE.

WHITE FINcH or WHITE-WING : The CHAFFINCH.

WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE [No. 275]. The name is first used
by Pennant (‘‘ Brit. Zoology,” fo. ed., 1766) and is derived
from the white feathers round the base of the bill and on
the forehead. It is the “ Laughing Goose ” of Edwards.

WHITE-FRONTED ReEpsTart. Macgillivray’s name for the
REDSTART.

Wuitrt GAME or WHITE ParTRIDGE: The PTARMIGAN.
(Willughby.)

WuitEe Grouse: The PTARMIGAN. (Bewick.)

Wuitr Hawks. A falconer’s term for Hawks of the third year.

WHITE-HEADED CoRMORANT: The CORMORANT. (Spring.)

WHITE-HEADED GOOSANDER: The SMEW. (Fleming.) From
its white crest.

WHITE-HEADED GULL: The LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL.
(Northumberland.)

WHITE-HEADED Harpy. A name for the MARSH-HARRIER.
From its whitish crown.

WHITE-HEADED LONG-TAILED TirmousE. See NORTHERN
LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE.

WuttE Hoorine Owt, or OwLEtT or HowLeEtT: The TAWNY
OWL. (Merrett.) Based on the Ulula aluco of Aldro-
vandus (p. 538).

WuiTE JERFALCON : The ICELAND FALCON. (Pennant.)

Waite Kite or Wuirt Hawk: ‘The HEN-HARRIER.
(Donegal.)

WuitEe Lark or WHITE Buntrnc: The SNOW-BUNTING.
(Cheshire.) White Lark or White-winged Lark are also
Norfolk names for the species.

WHITE-LEGGED GoLpFINcH : The GOLDFINCH. After second
moult. (Hett.)

Waite LintieE: The WHITETHROAT. (Forfar.)

WuitE Maa: The HERRING-GULL. (Shetlands.)

Waitt MerGAnsEeR: The SMEW. (Devonshire.)

Wuitt Nun: The SMEW. (lIreland.) Occurs in Willughby-
From the white crest with the black nape suggesting a
hood.

WHITE—WHITE. 251

Waite Owt: The BARN-OWL. (Provincial.) Occurs in
Sibbald, also Pennant and many later authors. Also called
White Hoolet or Howlet.

WuitE Parrriper. A name for the PTARMIGAN.

Whitr-RuMP: The WHEATEAR is so called by Bewick (1797).
Still used in Northumberland (Bolam), Cheshire (Coward
and Oldham) and Norfolk.

WHITE-RUMPED STONECHAT: The WHEATEAR. (Macgillivray.)

WHITE-RUMPED SwaLLow : The MARTIN... (Macgillivray.)

WHiITE-sIDE: The GOLDENEYE. (Westmorland.)

WuitE-sipEpD Duck or Diver: The TUFTED DUCK.
(Armagh.)

WHITE SPOONBILL : The SPOONBILL. (Montagu.)

WHITE-SPOTTED BLUETHROAT [No. 183]. This species gets
its name from the white central patch on the blue throat.

WHITE’S THRUSH [No. 154]. The name, given in honour of
Gilbert White, of Selborne, occurs in Eyton’s “ Rarer British
Birds ” (1836).

WHITE STORK [No. 256]. Occurs as “Stork” in Turner
(1544), also in Merrett, who notes it as rare, while the
name ‘‘ White Stork” occurs first in Willughby (1678),
who calls it the “common or white Stork.” Turner says
it is “‘nowhere to be seen, save as a captive, in our island.”

_ This was, however, an error, as the bird has long been
known as an irregular visitor in spring to Hast Anglia, and
presumably was, if anything, of more frequent occurrence
in Turner’s day than at the present time. Turner notes
the bird’s habit of building upon roofs, or even chimney
tops at times in Germany, a habit which, as is well known,
prevails at the present day, a Stork building upon the house
being regarded in most parts as an honour to the house,
and no doubt this explains the former legend that Storks
bring the new-born babies to the houses. The Magyars
also hold the Stork in great reverence, and say that it must
not be hurt. Both in Hungary and Germany old cart
wheels are sometimes placed on the chimneys for them to
build their nests on. It is said that when this is done the
grateful bird leaves as rent a feather the first year, an egg
the second year, and a young bird the third. This belief
was held by Drayton, who cites :—

The careful Stork, since Adam wondered at
For thankfulness to those where he doth breed.

In some parts it was believed that a Stork deserting a home-
stead was a portent of death. Willughby remarks that

252 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Storks “are said to live only in republics and free States ;
but this we found by experience to be false, observing them
in the Territories of some Princes in Germany. There is a
tradition also that they feed and nourish their parents in
their old age, when they are unable to seek their own food.”
The latter belief, it may be remarked, is taken from Pliny.

Wuaite-Tait: The WHEATEAR. (Provincial.) Cotgrave (1611)
has “* Whittaile.”

WHITE-TAILED EAGLE [No. 244]. The name occurs in Wil-
lughby, who quotes Gaza’s name albicilla for it (on account
of its white tail), which was retained by Linnzeus and modern
authors. The white tail, however, is only to be found in
the adult bird, and does not appear until it is six or seven
years old. The immature bird in uniform dark plumage
was originally described as a separate species under the
name of Sea Hagle (Falco ossifragus of Linneeus). This is
the “‘Sea Eagle or Osprey” of Willughby, the Sea Eagle
of Pennant (fo. ed., 1766), and of Lewin, Latham,
Montagu, etc.

WHITETHROAT [No. 147]. This name, which occurs in
Willughby (1678) and most subsequent authors, is derived
from the white chin and throat.

WHITE-THROATED BLACKBIRD: The RING-OUZEL.

WHITETHROAT WARBLER: The WHITETHROAT.

WHITE-TOPPED Heron: The NIGHT-HERON. (Hett.)

WHITE WAGTAIL [No. 82]. The name White Wagtail first
occurs in Willughby, who also names the species Motacilla
alba, the distinctness of the PIED WAGTAIL not being
recognised until 1832, by Gould. It seems probable that
Willughby described an example of the true M. alba and
not of M. lugubris, for he states that the middle of the back
“inclines to cinereous ” and the white extends on the side
of the neck “almost to the wings.” The name White
Wagtail is of course used by all old British authors for the
species now known as the Pied Wagtail. This bird
seems to have been regarded as of medicinal value in former
times, for Willughby gravely states that “One or two
ounces of the powder of this bird put in a pot close-stopt
and bak’d in an oven together with the feathers, taken in
Saxifrage water, or strong White wine, is said to be good
against the Stone, especially that of the kidneys.”

WHITE-wALL: The SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. (Northants.)
Waite Water Wactait: The PIED WAGTAIL. (Pennant.)

— —

WHITE—WHOOPER. 26a

Waitt WuiskEy Joun: The GREAT GREY SHRIKE.
From the pure white under-plumage and ashen-grey head
and back, and wavering character of its flight (Swainson).

Waite Wicrton: The SMEW. (Devonshire.)

WHITE-WINGED BLACK TERN [No. 414]. The name,
arising from the white “shoulder,” is found in Yarrell
(‘« Brit. Birds,” Supp., 1845). Itis the White-winged Tern
of Gould.

WHITE-WINGED CrossBitL. See American White-winged
Crosshill.

WHITE WINGED LARK [No. 57]. So called from the white
wing-patch formed by the inner primaries and secondaries
being white.

Waite Wren : The WILLOW-WARBLER. (Cheshire, Scotland.)

WaHiITTERICK : The COMMON CURLEW. (East Lothian.)

WHITWALL. See WITWOLL.

WHOLE Snipe: The COMMON SNIPE. So called in distinction
from the “ Half” or JACK SNIPE.

Wuoor: The BULLFINCH. An equivalent of Hoop.

WHOOPER SWAN [No. 271]. This species, so called from
its whooping cry, is the common wild Swan of the northern
portions of Europe and Asia, which breeds far north and
migrates southwards in cold weather. It is first described
by Willughby (1678) who terms it “a wild Swan, called
also an Elk, and in some places a Hooper.”

The folk-lore and mythology of northern Europe are rich
in legends of the Swan. De Kay (‘ Bird Gods”) has shown
to what an extent swan-worship prevailed in ancient times.
The extent to which it has figured in heraldry alone shows
the regard in which it was held in rather later times. The
ancient oath on the Swan, still sometimes surviving as
“T swan” or “I swanny ” is obviously a survival of the
ancient swan-worship. It is recorded that Edward I in
1304, on his investiture as a knight, swore an oath on two
Swans decorated with gold nets. De Kay says that the
expression ‘‘ J swan ”’ or “‘it swans to me ” meant originally
that the speaker had a prophetic feeling that something
was going to happen, and that the swan has from time
immemorial been a bird of prophecy. The same expression
exists in German, ‘‘ Es schwanet mir,” and the literature
and folk-lore of Germany are rich in allusions to or legends
of the Swan. In fact, the cradle of the ancient Swan-
worship and the surviving legends of the bird, as evinced
in names of places, stories of swan-maidens, etc., lies in

254

DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Central Germany. Frederick I] of Brandenburg instituted
an Order of the Swan in 1440, and another Order existed
at Cleves. The name is a royal one in Bohemia, and the
name of the great river Elbe that flows from the confines
of that ancient kingdom to the North Sea is itself probably
a ‘swan river,” elbschwan being a German name for a kind
of Swan, while edb itself is an equivalent of fairy. In the
Norse we find elptr, elftr, for these birds, which are obviously
connected names, while on our eastern coasts “elk” is the
name given to a wild Swan. At the mouth of the Elbe
are the states of Schleswig-Holstein, formerly a part of the
Kingdom of Denmark; and a province in the ancient
state of Holsatia was named Stormaria and had for its
arms a Swan with its neck encircled by a ducal coronet,
which also figures in the ancient arms of the Kings of
Denmark (Jonae ab Elvervelt, “De MHolsatia,” 1592).
This province of Stormaria includes among other towns
the great modern city of Hamburg, and it appears to have
been from this portion of Europe that the invasion of
England by the Angles under Ida sailed, landing on the
north-east coast of England. For an account of the “‘swan-
coins ” of ancient Germany, a curious old work by Christian
Schlegel, “De Nummis antiquis Gothanis et Cygneis
Dissertatis,”” may be consulted. An ancient belief was that
it was lucky to meet a Swan atsea. On the Island of Rigen
in the Baltic it is said to have been credited with bringing
the newly-born babies, an office assigned in most parts of
Germany to the Stork. The Swan appears several times
in the story of the Irish legendary hero Cuchullaind. On
one occasion the rescued Princess and her servant follow
the hero in the shape of Swans, a story which recalls the tales
of Swan-maidensin Danish and German folk-lore. According
to a correspondent in the “‘ Athenzeum ” (vol. m1, p. 229),
if the Swan flies against the wind, it is a certain indication
of a hurricane within twenty-four hours, generally within |
twelve. A Scottish saying is ‘““ When the white Swan visits
the Orkneys expect a continued severe winter” (Inwards).
A Hampshire superstition is that Swans are generally
hatched during a thunderstorm. The same belief is contra-
dicted by Lord Northampton in his “ Defensative against
the Poyson of Supposed Prophecies ” (1583), who says :
“Tt chaunceth sometimes to thunder about that time and
season of the yeare when Swannes hatch their young:
and yet no doubt it is a paradox of simple men to think
that a Swanne cannot hatch without a crack of thunder.”

WHOOPER—WHOOPER. 255

In co. Mayo it is believed, according to Swainson, that the
souls of virgins remarkable for the purity of their lives
were after death enshrined in the form of Swans.

The ancient superstition that Swans sing before their
death is alluded to by Pliny among other writers, who tells
us he proved it false through his own observation. It may
be that this idea originates in the classical belief that
Orpheus became a Swan after death, the Swan being,
moreover, the bird of Apollo, the god of Music among the
Greeks. Chaucer, referring to the legend, says :—

But as the Swan, I have herd seyd ful yore
Ageyns his dethe shall singen his penaunce.
Shakespeare has many allusions to the supposed swan-
song :—
I will play the Swan, and die in music.
OTHELLO, act V, Sc. 2.
A Swan-like end, fading in music.
MERCHANT OF VENICE, act III, sc. 2.
And now this pale Swan in her watery nest,
Begins the sad dirge of her certain ending.
Rare oF LUCRECE.

Although this “death-song” of the Swan has often
been deemed to refer to the Mute Swan, there is no
doubt that if it were true of any species it would be of
the Whooper Swan. As regards the Mute Swan, it
has long been considered an erroneous belief, yet the bird
in life has in the breeding-season a note which Harting
describes as “a soft and rather plaintive note, monotonous
but not disagreeable. I have often heard it in the spring,
when swimming about with its young.” There is, how-
ever, nothing to show that the Mute Swan was the
one to which the swan-song was attributed, and there is
much support for the supposition that the wild Whooper
Swan is intended. This, although a northern species,
comes south in winter, and undoubtedly has a loud and
musical note. It has been urged that sometimes when
they have delayed their southern journey too long and
have been reduced by lack of food, they have been frozen
fast to the ice and so have clanged their lives out. Pallas
likens the notes of this species to silver bells, and Olafsson
says that in the long Polar night it is delightful to hear
a flock passing overhead, the mixture of sounds resembling
trumpets and viclins. Willughby and Ray, who relate,
on the authority of Wormius, a similar story of the sweet
singing of a flock of wild Swans, remark that the windpipe,
reflected in the form of a trumpet, seems to be so contrived
by nature for mcdulating the voice. Colonel Hawker

256 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

(“ Instructions to Young Sportsmen,”’ 8th ed., 1838, p. 261)
has set the ‘‘ Melody of “the Wild Swan” (as heard in cap-
tivity however) to music as follows:

Allegro, or by Maelzel’s metronome, =| =126.

WIERANGEL or WIERANGLE : ee GRE AT GREY SHRIKE.
Willughby gives it as a North of England name (about the
Peak of Der rby shire), and says, on the authority of Gesner,
that it is from the German “ Wurchangel,” literally a suf-
focating angel. Swainson applies it to the RED-BACKED
SHRIKE while Nelson and Clarke give Weirangle,
Wariangle, Wiirger, or Worrier, as old Yorks. names for
that species.

WIGEON [No. 293]. Occurs in Turner (1544) as “ Wigene,”
and in Merrett (1667) as “‘ Widgeon.”« Willughby and Ray
call it the ““Common Wigeon or Whewer,” and observe
that “the males in this kind at Cambridge are called
Wigeons, the females Whewers.” Derivation is from
Fr. Vigeon, from Lat. Vipio, according to Newton, but
“Vipio ” of Pliny is a small Crane.

WicEon Diver: The COMMON POCHARD. (Cork Harbour.)

WILD DUCK : The female of the MALLARD. Also an alter
native name for the species. Occurs in Merrett’s list (1667).
Willughby and Ray call it the ‘Common Wild Duck and ~
Mallard.”’ Most British authors from Pennant onward call
it the “ Wild Duck.” Albin has “ Wild Mallard and Wild
Duck,” which would be the most correct name. It is a
saying in the north that—

When ducks are driving through the burn,
That night the weather takes a turn.

Wiper Lerc or Hers LerK (Turner). Probably the MEADOW-
PIPIT, which is still known locally as “ Heather Lintie,” -
and frequents such places as Turner describes.

Witp Goosr. Properly the GREY LAG-GOOSE, but applied
to most of the species which visit this country. Fleming’s
Wild Goose is the BEAN-GOOSE. Barlow (1655) figures
a “ Wilde Goose,” probably the Grey Lag-Goose.

Wirp Pickton: The STOCK-DOVE (Bewick); also the
ROCK-DOVE (Shetlands).

WIERANGEL—WILSON’S. 257

Witp Swan: The WHOOPER SWAN. (Pennant.)

Witure Murtie: The WILLOW-WARBLER. (Scotland.)

Wittock: The COMMON GUILLEMOT (Northumberland,
Norfolk, Orkneys); the RAZORBILL (Shetlands); the
PUFFIN (Kent).

WILLow BITER: The BLUE TITMOUSE. From its nesting-
holes being sometimes made in the willow. Newton thinks
Billy-biter is a corruption of thisname. Also the MARSH-
TITMOUSE (Notts.)

Wittow Lark: The SEDGE-WARBLER. (Pennant.)

Wittow Sparrow : The WILLOW-WARBLER. (West Riding,
Yorkshire.)

WILLOW-TITMOUSE [No. 98, British Willow-Titmouse ;
No. 99, Northern Willow-Titmouse]. A close ally of the
MARSH-TITMOUSE, first identified as a British bird by
Mr. Hellmayr in 1900, although the Continental form
(which has been identified once in our own islands) was
distinguished as long ago as 1843 by De Selys-Longchamps.
In Scotland, the British Willow-Titmouse appears quite
to replace the Marsh-Titmouse.

WILLOW-WARBLER [No. 122, WILLOW-WARBLER ;
No. 123, Northern Willow-Warbler]. Willow-Warbler ap-
pears in Yarrell (1843). It occurs in Pennant (1766) as
Willow Wren, but by most authors from Edwards to Fleming
(1842) it is termed Yellow Wren. Macgillivray calls it the
“ Willow Woodwren.” It is the “ Regulus non cristatus”
of Willughby. The Siberian form has been identified in
our islands on migration.

Witty : The COMMON GUILLEMOT. (Norfolk.)

Witty Fisher: The COMMON TERN (Forfar) ; the DIPPER
(Teesdale).

Witty Gow: The HERRING-GULL. (Scotland.)

Witty Hawkie: The LITTLE GREBE. (Clough, Antrim.)

Witty Warp THE Wind: The KESTREL. Given by Gray as
found in Don’s “ Fauna of Forfarshire.”’

Willy-wickeT: The COMMON SANDPIPER. (North
England.) From its note.

WILSON’S PETREL [No. 322]. The name is found in Jenyns
and in Yarrell (Ist ed.) and subsequent authors. Itisnamed
in honour of Wilson the American ornithologist, who first
figured it, but without being aware of its distinctness from
the STORM-PETREL.

Ss

258 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

WIiL-y-pDwRk: The DIPPER. (North Wales.) From its fre-
quenting streams; lit. ““ Water Willy.”

Wixc. A Welsh name for the CHAFFINCH. From its note.
Winn: The DOTTEREL. (South of England.)

WinpER. A gunner’s name for the WIGEON on many parts
of our eastern coast. (Hawker.)

WinDHOvER. A very frequent name for the KESTREL (found
in Willughby) and arising from its habit of hovering in the
air while on the watch forits prey. Pron. “ wind-huver.”
Other names are Windcuffer (Orkneys), Windsucker (Kent),
Windbibber (Kent), and Wind-fanner.

WINDLE: The REDWING. (Devonshire.) Rutty gives Windles
for co. Dublin. See Wind-Thrush.

WINDLESTRAW or WINNELL STRAW]: The WHITETHROAT.
(Provincial.) The latter form is a Shropshire name.

Winpow Swattow: The MARTIN. (Bewick.) Also called
Window Martin.

Winp-TurusH: The REDWING. An earlier name for this
species found in Merrett and Willughby, and in some
later authors to Bewick (1797). It occurs as Wyngthrushe
in Turner (1544), the name Redwing being first applied
by Willughby, who informs us that “‘ According to Charleton
itis called Windthrush because it arrives about the beginning
of winter when strong winds blow, by which it is strongly
assisted in its passage.” Willughby, however, considered
the name should be Wine-thrush, being probably borrowed
from the German name “ Wyntrostel” (or “ Vineyard-
Thrush ’’), and in this he is borne out by Turner, who gives
‘“ Weingaerdsvogel ” as the German name for the species.
Swainson gives Wind-Thrush as a Somerset name.

Winnarpd: The REDWING. (Cornwall.) See Wind-Thrush.
WINTER BonneT: The COMMON GULL. (Provincial.)
WINTER Crow: The HOODED CROW. (Turner.)

WinTER Duck: The PINTAIL.

WINTER FavveTTE: The HEDGE-SPARROW is so called by
Bewick (1797).

Winter Mew or Winter Guit: The COMMON GULL.
(Provincial.) The former name occurs in Pennant.

WINTER UticK: The STONECHAT. (Cheshire.)

Winter Wactait: The GREY WAGTAIL. Because found
in the South of England in winter.

Witcu: The STORM-PETREL. (Provincial.)

WIL—WOODCOCK. 259

Witcnuck: The SAND-MARTIN. (Orkneys.)

WitwoLt WitTwaLL, or WiTwaLE: The GREAT SPOTTED
WOODPECKER is called Witwoll by Willughby. Turner’s
** Witwol,” however, is the GOLDEN ORIOLE. Bewick
(1797) gives ““ Witwall” for the Great Spotted Woodpecker,
and Witwale (corruptly Whetile and Woodwale) seems
to be properly the GREEN WOODPECKER.

Wos Snatcu (—Wall Snatch): The REDSTART. (Longden-
dale, Cheshire.)

WOODCHAT SHRIKE [No. 109]. First appears in Ray’s
“Synopsis Meth. Av.” (1713). Newton thinks it may be an
erroneous rendering of the German name Wald-Kaize,
lit. ““ Wood-Cat.”” Occurs in Pennant (1766) and succeeding
authors as “ Woodchat” simply. Yarrell (Ist ed., 1843)
calls it Woodchat Shrike. It is the “another sort of
Butcher bird” of Willughby and Ray (p. 89) and the
Red-headed Butcher-bird of Albin.

Woopcuuck: The GREEN WOODPECKER. (Shropshire.)

WOODCOCK [No. 411]. The name is from A.Sax. Waude-coco,
Wudu-coc and Wudu-snite. “Woodcock” appears in
Merrett’s list (1667): he remarks that it migrates out of
Ireland. Turner (1544) spells it “ Wod-cok.” Willughby,
who calls it “‘ Woodcock,” says “ these are birds of passage
coming over into England in Autumn, and departing again
in the beginning of the Spring; yet they pair before they
go, flying two together, a male and a female,” and he adds
that ‘‘ They are said both to come and fly away in a mist.”
The Woodcock has always been highly esteemed for the
delicate flavour of its flesh. The leg especially was com-
mended, in contradistinction to the Partridge’s tit-bit,
which with epicureans- was the wing, hence the origin of the
old couplet—

If the Partridge had the Woodcock’s thigh,

>Twould be the best bird that ever did fly.
Willughby says that in England it is “infamous ”’ for its
simplicity or folly, so that the term ‘“ Woodcock” is
proverbially used for a simple, foolish person.

Woopcock Owu. A provincial name for the SHORT-EARED
OWL. (England and Ireland.) Because it comes to us
in October, about the time the Woodcock makes its appear-
ance, and departs at the same time as the latter in March.
(Montagu). In use in Nottinghamshire and elsewhere.

Woopoock Pitot: The GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN.
(Yorkshire coast.)

$2

260 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Woopcock SnipE: The GREAT SNIPE. (Treland.)

Woopcock TurusH: WHITE’S THRUSH is known by this
name in Hampshire and elsewhere, partly on account of
its frequenting the ground in woodlands, and partly on
account of its variegated plumage and fair size.

Woop-cRAcKER: The NUTHATCH. Occurs in Plot’s “Ox-
fordshire ” (1677), who says it is an undescribed species,
yet it occurs in Turner (1544) under the name of “ Nut-
jobber,” and as Sitia was described by Aristotle.

Woop Dove: The STOCK-DOVE. (Scotland.)

Woop Grouse: The CAPERCAILLIE occurs under this name
in many older authors (Pennant, Bewick, Montagu, etc.).
Woop-HAack: The GREEN WOODPECKER. (Lincoln.)

Woob-KNACKER (== Wood-Knocker): The GREEN WOOD-
PECKER. (Hampshire.)

WOOD-LARK [No. 61]. The name ocews in Turner (1544) as
‘** Wodlerck,” and in Merrett as ‘‘ Wood-Lark,” also in
Willughby as ‘ Woodlark.” Bolam states that Woodlark
is also a Scots Border and Cheshire name for the TREE-
PIPrTr:

‘Woop Ow.: The common TAWNY OWL isfrequently known
by this name.

WooprEcKER: The TREECREEPER. (Ireland, Scotland.)

WoopprrE: The GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER. (Hamp-
shire, Staffordshire.) So called from its pied plumage (see
“Pie ”’). It is also a Somersetshire name for the GREEN
WOODPECKER, according to Swainson.

Woop-Picron. An alternative name for the RING-DOVE;
in fact, in rather more general use than the latter, which is
rather the written than the spoken name. The name is
appropriate, from the bird’s partiality to woods, but it is
not infrequently used also to denote the STOCK-DOVE,
hence tending to confusion, and for this reason the name
Ring-Dove is to be preferred, although the authors of
the ‘‘Hand-List’? have chosen Wood-Pigeon. Montagu
gives it as a provincial name. Pigeon is from Fr. Pigeon.
A Dorsetshire superstition is that pigeons’ feathers should
never be used for beds: folks die hard on them. In Cornwall
it is believed that one cannot die easily on a pillow stuffed
with wild-birds’ feathers.

Woop QvueEst. An old name _ for the RING-DOVE.
(Staffs., Dorsetshire, Ireland). There are several variations—
Lyly has Wood Quist: “‘ Methought I saw a stock-dove

WOODCOCK—WREN. 261

or wood quist” (‘‘Sapho and Phaon”’). In Wiltshire it
becomes Quisty, and elsewhere it is Queest (q.v.).

WOOD-SANDPIPER [No. 389]. The name is found in Pennant
and succeeding authors to Yarrell.

Woop Surike: The WOODCHAT SHRIKE. (Fleming.)

Woop-spiTE or Woop-spack: The GREEN WOODPECKER.
(Norfolk, Suffolk.) Occurs in Willughby (1678). The
original form of the word seems to be Woodspeight.

Woop-suckER : The GREEN WOODPECKER. (New Forest.)

Woop Turusu: The MISTLE-THRUSH. (Dumfries.)

Woop Tirmovuse: The GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN. Mon-
tagu says that this species was so-called in Cornwall. The
name also occurs in Willughby, who says it is the GOLDEN-
CRESTED WREN.

WoopwatL: The GREEN WOODPECKER. (Somersetshire.)

WOOD-WARBLER [No. 125]. The name is first found as
Wood Wren in the Linnean “ Trans.,” 11, p. 245. Up to
Fleming (1842) it was generally called Wood Wren, but
Yarrell (1843) inserted it under the name of Wood Warbler.
It is the Green Wren of Albin, the Yellow Willow Wren
of Bewick, the Yellow Woodwren of Macgillivray, and the
East Woodhay Warbler of Rennie’s ed. (1833) of White’s
Selborne.

Woop Wren. See WOOD-WARBLER.

WooreL: The BLACKBIRD. (Drayton’s “ Polyolbion.’’)

Wootert : The BARN-OWL. (Salop.) A corruption of Howlet.

Wran: The WREN. (In parts of Ireland and Scotland.)

Wrannock: The WREN. (Orkneys.)

Wranny: The WREN. (Cornwall.)

WREN [No. 189, WREN; No. 190, St. Kilda Wren;
No. 191, Shetland Wren]. The name “Wren”
occurs in Turner (1544), and in Merrett’s list (1667). It
is from A.Sax. wrenna, from wrene=lascivious, in Dan.
vrinsk=proud, Swedish vrensk=uncastrated. How it came
to be popularly supposed more recently to be peculiarly
feminine is not readily appacent :—

The Robin and the Wren

Are God’s cock and hen.
is an old and widely-accepted belief, and the idea that the
two mate is still seriously held by some uninformed indi-
viduals. The same idea is apparent in such names as
“ Kitty Wren.”

262

DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

An old Irish custom on St. Stephen’s Day, and one
which has not quite died out, was the “hunting of the
Wren” by boys. When captured, it was tied, alive but
maimed, to a pole (or, according to Vallancey—‘‘ De Reb.
Hib.,” 1v, 13—tied by the leg in the centre of two hoops
placed at right angles with one another) and paraded around
the neighbourhood, a few doggerel verses being repeated
at each house, while a donation was requested, one version
being :—

The wran, the wran, the King of all birds,

St. Stephen’s Day was caught in the furze:

Come, give us a bumper, or give us a cake,

Or give us a copper, for Charity’s sake.
The proceeding is supposed to have originated through a
Wren having at some former time betrayed the Irish to
their enemies by tapping on a drum. Yarrell records a
somewhat similar practice in Kerry, where the peasantry,
on Christmas Day, used to hunt the bird with two sticks,
‘one to beat the bushes, the other to fling at the bird.”
Bullock also mentions it as prevalent in the Isle of Man,
both on Christmas Eve and St. Stephen’s Day, and tells us
it was founded on a tradition of a beautiful fairy who lured
the male inhabitants to a watery grave in the sea, and who
to escape subsequent destruction took the form of a Wren,
which form she was supposed to be doomed by a spell to
re-assume each succeeding New Year’s Day, ultimately
perishing by human hands. Waldron records a different
custom in the Isle of Man of the killing of a Wren on
Christmas Day, which was laid on a bier, carried to the
church and buried with the singing of dirges. To my
own knowledge this custom of a ‘‘ Wren hunt ”’ existed in
Nottinghamshire also within recent times, the bird
being hunted along the hedgerows by boys armed with
stones, but I do not recollect that anything definite was
done with the bird when killed or maimed.

The before-mentioned allusion to the Wren as the “ King
of all birds” is perhaps explained by the legend of the
birds having agreed to choose as King the one who should
soar highest, the place of honour being gained by the Wren,
through it having remained on the Eagle’s back until the
latter had soared to the limit of its power. The Germans,
it may be remarked, call the Wren “ Zaunkonig” or
“ hedge-king :” the Latin regulus however is the GOLDEN-
CRESTED WREN. In connexion with this belief in the
kingship over other birds, a Twelfth Day custom of parading
a caged Wren in Pembrokeshire, with the lines recited, is

WREN—YAPPINGALE. 263

described in Swainson’s ‘ Folklore of British Birds,” pp. 36-43
(see also “ Notes and Queries,” 3rd ser., vol. v, p. 109).
O’Curry has recorded that the Wren, like the Raven, was
kept domesticated on account of the auguries derived
from it, which were employed by the Druids.

An Irish proverb asserts that, “‘ The fox is the cunningest
beast in the world barring the Wren.”

According to Dalyell the Wren is considered an unlucky
token in Scotland, but the Robin a lucky one. That the
Wren was formerly considered of medicinal value is shown
by Willughby, who writes: “It perfectly cures the stone of
the kidneys or bladder (as Aetius writes) being salted and
eaten raw, or being burnt in a pot close covered, and the
ashes of one whole bird taken at once, either by itself, or with
alittle Phyllon (a kind of mercury) and Pepper, or lastly being
roasted whole, only the feathers plucked off and cast away.”

The St. Kilda Wren is a large pale form of the Wren
which is confined to the island of St. Kilda. It was first
described by Seebohm in the “ Zoologist,” 1884, p. 333. Mr.
Hartert has also separated the race inhabiting the Shetland
Islands from the typical British Wren.

WritHE-NECK: The WRYNECK. An equivalent name.

Writing Lark: The YELLOW BUNTING. (Notts., Yorks.,
Northants. )

Writine Linne1: The YELLOW BUNTING. (Longdendaie,
Cheshire.)

Writine Master: The YELLOW-BUNTING. (Salop.)

WRYNECK [No. 213]. So called from its peculiar habit of
writhing its head and neck. The name occurs in Merrett
and in Willughby. Turner (1544) describes the bird under
the ancient names of Jynx and Torquilla (now its generic
and specific names) but gives itno English name, considering
it to be a form of Woodpecker.

Wyre: The LAPWING. Occurs in the Northumberland
Household Book, a.p. 1512. Akin to Swed. Wipa, a name
for the species.

YAFFLE, YAFFLER, or YAFFIL: The GREEN WOODPECKER.
So called in Surrey, Sussex, Yorks, and other counties on
account of its note, which has been likened to a laugh.

YAPPINGALE or YAPPINGAL: The GREEN WOODPECKER ;
lit. Bawling singer, from its cry. Yaup in Staffordshire
means to bawl, while yap is in fairly general use as indi-
cating a discordant cry, such as that of a puppy. Gal or
Gale is probably from A.Sax. gale=a singer.

264 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

Yarn or YERN: The COMMON HERON. (Cheshire.) Prob-
ably a corruption cf heron.

YARRELL. The adult male RED-BREASTED MERGANSER.
(Northumberland.)

YARWHELP, YARDKEEP, or YARWIP: The BAR-TAILED
GODWIT. Fromitsecry. Occursin Willughby. Yarwhelp
is also a Norfolk name for the AVOCET ; and is apparently
applied to denote a point of resemblance to the true
Yarwhelp.

Yaur or WHaup: The AVOCET. (Norfolk). A term equiva-
lent to Curlew. Swainson also gives it as a Renfrew name
for the BLUE TITMOUSE.

YopFRAN. The Welsh name for the ROOK; lit. ‘ corn-crow.”’
YELDRIN : The YELLOW BUNTING in some parts of Scotland.

YELDROcK: The YELLOW BUNTING. (Northumberland,
Yorks.)

YELLOw AmMER: The YELLOW BUNTING. (Provincial.)
Also Yellow amber or Yellow omber (Salop). Ammer
seems to be cognate with Germ. Ammer, a Bunting. Swain-
son thinks it is from A.Sax. Amore, a small bird, the prefix
“Yellow” referring to the general yellow tint of the
plumage. He gives Yellow Amber or Yellow Omber as a
Shropshire name.

YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO [No. 215 American Yellow-billed
Cuckoo]. Occurs in Yarrell (Ist ed.) as Yellow-billed
American Cuckoo. This is a North American species
recorded as a straggler to the British Islands.

YELLOW-BREASTED BUNTING [No. 46]. A Siberian
species having the breast bright yellow, with a chestnut
band.

YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER |[No. 127]. A _ Siberian
species of Willow Warbler, so called from its pronounced
yellowish-white superciliary stripe. It is the Dalmatian
Regulus of Gould and Yarrell.

YELLOW BUNTING [No. 43]. Usually known as the Yellow-
hammer. The name occurs in Merrett and Willughby as
*Yellow-hammer:” Turner (1544) has “ Yelow ham.”
Pennant (1766) calls it Yellow hammer, but in the later
editions it appears as Yellow Bunting, as also in the works
of most of his successors, Yellow hammer being specified by
Montagu as a provincial name. Yarrell (1st ed.) renders it
“Yellow Bunting or Yellow Ammer.”

YARN—YELLOW. 265

In Aberdeenshire, according to ‘“ Folklore Journal,”
there exists the following saying—
Yallow, yallow, yarlin’
Drinks a drap o’ deevil’s-bleed
Tika Monday mornin’.
In the West of Scotland (Aird’s ‘‘ Old Bachelor in the Old
Scottish Village”’) it becomes—
Half a puddock, half a toad, half a yellow yorling,
Cries for a drap o’ the deil’s bluid every Monday morning.
In Yorkshire I believe the saying runs—
A brock, a toad and a yellow yeorling
Drink a drop o’ the deil’s blood
Every May morning.
Chambers gives another Scottish version as—
Half a puddock, half a toad,
Half a yellow yorling ;
Drink a drop o’ the de’il’s bluid
Every May morning.

YELLOW-HAMMER. Theoldername of the YELLOW BUNTING.
Synonymous with Yellow Ammer (q.v.).

YELLOW-LEGGED GuLL: The LESSER BLACK-BACKED
GULL. (Fleming.)

YELLOW-LEGGED HERRING-GULL [No. 432]. A Mediter-
ranean species, distinguished by the bright yellow of its
tarsi and feet.

YeELLtow Motty: The YELLOW WAGTAIL. (Hampshire.)

YELLOW OwL: The BARN-OWL. (Provincial.)

YELLOW PLovER: The GOLDEN PLOVER. (Bewick.)

YELLOW Pott or GOLDEN Heap: The male WIGEON. (East
Treland.)

YELLOWSHANK [No. 392]. So called from its bright yellow
tarsi and feet.

YELLOW-SHANKED SANDPIPER: The immature RUFF. Found
in Yarrell (Ist ed.). It is the Yellowshanks of Pennant.

YELLOW THROATED BexE-Eater. Macgillivray’s name for the
BEE-EATER.

YELLOW WAGTAIL [No. 79]. This species, sometimes called
Ray’s Wagtail, and named by Bonaparte in 1838 in honour
of Ray, was for long considered the same as the Continental
BLUE-HEADED WAGTAIL. The Yellow Water-Wagtail
of Willughby, Pennant, etc., may therefore be taken as
the name of this species. The GREY WAGTAIL is also
mis-called the Yellow Wagtail by country people. Thompson
gives it as a popular name for this species in Ireland.

266 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS.

YELLOW WILLOow WreEN: The WOOD-WARBLER. (Bewick.)
It is also found in White’s Selborne as Yellowish Willow-
Wren.

YELLOW WrREN: The WILLOW-WARBLER. So called from
the prevailing tint of its plumage by many old authors.
The name is also applied to the WOOD-WARBLER.

YELLOW YALE or YITE, YELLOW YELDRIN, YELLOW YOWLEY :
The YELLOW BUNTING is so called in some parts of
Scotland. Yellow Yowley is also a Yorks. name.

YELLOW YOWLING, YELLOW YITE, YORLIN, YIRLIN, YELDROCK,
or YELDRIN. Northumberland names for the YELLOW
BUNTING.

YELPER: The AVOCET. From its cry. Montagu gives it as
a provincial name.

YEORLING : The YELLOW BUNTING. (Berwick.)

YOKEL or YUKEL: The GREEN WOODPECKER. (Provincial.)

YOULRING or YOWLRYNG : The YELLOW BUNTING. Turner
(1544) has ‘‘ Yowlrying,” while Sibbald (1684) calls it
“Yellow Youlring.” Yellow Yoldring or Yoldring is a
Yorkshire name.

YSGRAELL, YSGRECHEN. Welshnames for the COMMON TERN.
The first signifies “rattle? and the second “screamer,”
from its harsh cry.

YseutHan. A Welsh name for the RING-DOVE; lit. “ cooing
bird.” Also applied to the STOCK-DOVE and ROCK-
DOVE.

Ysniten. A Welsh name for the COMMON SNIPE; lit.
““ snipe.”

Yswipw LAs FAcH: The BLUE TITMOUSE. (North Wales) lit.
“little blue tit.”

Yswipw Liuwyp FACcCH: The MARSH-TITMOUSE. (North
Wales) ; lit. “little grey tit.”

Yswipw’k co—ED: The GREAT TITMOUSE. (North Wales)
lit. ‘‘ wood titmouse.”’

YuUCKEL or YocKkEL: The GREEN WOODPECKER. The
former is a Wiltshire and the latter a Shropshire name.
ZetTHaR. A Cornish name for the ‘Sea Mew or Gull.”

(Harting.) Perhaps the COMMON GULL.

FINIS.

!

a

A HAND-LIST OF
BRITISH BIRDS

By ERNST HARTERT, F. C. R. JOURDAIN,
fe, LICEHURST,.and H.-F. WITHERBY.

Giving a detailed account of the distribution
of each species in the British Isles and
a general account of its range abroad.
coos
Full details of Rare Visitors. Full Index.

Nz eee

The Nomenclature is revised strictly in
accordance with the International Rules
of Zoological Nomenclature.

ee

Demy 8vo-~ - - 7s. 6d. net.
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rovided for the reader’s own notes —

MEMORANDA OF ADDITIONAL NAMES.

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