7 he Scottish Natm-alist. 9 



that, but is only automatic, we of course could never have 

 surmised that the action of animals was aught else than free and 

 self-determined, whatever might have been the difficulties and 

 even impracticabilities of such a conclusion. But there is such 

 action in man ; and the fact at once suggests a new line of 

 investigation, and, as probable, a new and different conclusion. 



V 



Bird-names in Orkney.— As local names are of interest to not a few, 

 and as they are probably doomed to extinction in their native localities in 

 no long time, I subjoin some of those that I was accustomed to hear and to 

 use in Orkney, a few years ago. If they have been published elsewhere 

 I have not met in with any list of Orkney names, which may serve as my 

 excuse for their publication here. It will be seen that a good many 

 of them are also in common use in other parts of Scotland, probably owing 

 to the Scotch settlers in the islands of Orkney having introduced with 

 themselves the names to which they were accustomed. 



Owl, Cataface; Raven, Corbie; Sparrow, Spurdie; Waterwagtail, Willy- 

 wagtail, or Watery-wagtail ; Common Bunting, Skitterbroltie ; vSnow- 

 bunting, Snowfleck; Wren, Wranock ; Lark, Lavrie or Lavrock ; Meadow 

 Pipit, Teetan, Titock, Titlark, or Hillsparrow ; Rock Pipit, Gutterteetan 

 or Shoreteetan ; Linnet, Lintie, Lintwhite, Lintock, Rose Lintie ; Mountain 

 Linnet, same as Linnet, and also Hill Lintie ; Wheatear, Chack ; Ring- 

 ouzel, Hillchack, or Flittingchack ; Red-grouse, Muirfowl, or Muirhen ; 

 Lapwing, Teeuck, or Teeou ; Ringed Plover, Sand-lark, Sanlou, Sand- 

 lavrock, or Stoneplover ; Dunlin, Bundle or Ploverpage ; Sandpiper, 

 Steeniepouter, Watery-pleeps, or Bundie; Snipe, Horse-gowk; Redshank, 

 Watery-pleeps ; Curlew, Wliaup ; Wild-duck, Stock-duck ; Tern, (Arctic, 

 Common, &c. ), Rittock, Pickatarney, or Sheartail ; Goosander, Rantock ; 

 Northern Diver, Immer, or Emmer-goose, Kittywake, Kitty weeack; Gull, 

 (Common, Herring, and Black-backed), Whitemaw, the young birds before 

 assuming the adult plumage are called Scories ; Skua, Scutiallan ; 

 Cormorant, Scart or Scarf; Little Auk, Rotch ; Common Guillemot, 

 Auk ; Black Guillemot, Tyst, or Tystie ; Puffin, Coulterneb, or Tammie- 

 norie ; Red-necked Phalarope, Haf-wel. The Ring-ouzel has received the 

 name of Hillchack from its note, and from its frequenting hilly places. 

 The name Flittingchack has been given to it from a belief, current in some 

 places, that when one is seen near a house, it betokens the speedy death of 

 one of the occupants, or else that the family will soon ''flit ' to some other 

 locality. The bird is rare in Orkney. The Wheatear also has received the 

 name ' chdck ' from its harsh note. It is very abundant in Orkney, and is 

 persecuted by herds and other boys, because toads (called in Orkney 

 Huppous) are believed by them to sit on the Wheatear's eggs and to hatch 

 the young birds. As toads in Orkney, as well as elsewhere, are believed 

 to be very poisonous, the birds share the character of being ' uncanny ' 

 animals. The story has probably originated in the fact of toads being 

 sometimes found under the same stones as the nests. 



