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 Diet., 2nd ed., 

 1715) ; the bird being a frequenter of barn-yards, etc. 

 Other derivations are, however, possible, i.e. from Mid.-Eng. 

 chaufen, to Avarm, indicating the I'eddish or " warm " 

 breast of the male. Finch is A. Sax. finc^Hnch ; Modem 

 German fifik. Old High German fincho. From the same 

 root as the Welsh pincz^fmch, but also applied to anything 

 smart or gay. Newton tliinks it is from the spink or pink 

 note of the Chaffinch originally. The Welsh name for the 

 Chaffinch is Wine, also from the note. Jesse says that in 

 Scotland it is kno'W'n as " drimken sow " because the song 

 has been construed into " Drink, drink till you're fou, wee 

 drunken soA^ie." 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 ]\Iarch this bird always cries " Pay your 

 rent — ^pay your rent — pay your rent." 



Chait: The SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. (Worcestershire.) 

 From its note. 



Chalder, Chaldrick, Choldrick: The OYSTERCATCHER. 

 (Orkneys.) 



Chanchider: The SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. (Montagu.) 

 SAvainson renders it Chancider, and also gives Chamcider 

 as a Hampsliire name for the SEDGE-WARBLER. 



Changeless Swan. Macgillivi-ay's name for the Polish Sivan. 



Channel Goose : The GANNET. (North Devon.) 



Charbob : The CHAFFINCH. (Derbyshire.) 



Charlie Muftie. A common Scots name for the WHITE- 

 THROAT, from its habit of puffing out the feathers of 

 the throat. 



Chaser : The ARCTIC SKUA. (Redcar, Yorkshh-e.) From its 

 habit of pursuing other species. 



Chat : The SEDGE-WARBLER (Thames Vallev) ; also the 

 WHEATEAR (Northants.) 



Chatterer : The WAX WING. Occurs in Pennant (fo. ed., 

 1766), but in the later editions it is called Waxen Chatterer. 



