170 DICTIONARY OF XAMES 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 hammei'ing at 

 nuts whioh 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 Jackdaw. A name for the JAY. (Hett.) 

 Oat-e,\r: 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, who saj^s 

 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. Saxbv gives this as a Shetland name for the 

 GOLDEN PLOVER. 



Oke : The RAZORBILL. A corruption of Auk (Icel. dlka). 



Old Hard weather. A name for the male GOLDENEYE, 

 Also the Tufted Duck. 



Old Maid : 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. iii, vol. x, p. 49. 



Old Man : The SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. (Cheshire.) 



Olf, Olp, or Olph : The BULLFINCH. (Suffolk and Norfolk.) 

 A form of " Alp." 



Olivaceous Gallinule : The LITTLE CRAKE. (Montagu.) 



Olive: The OYSTERCATCHER. (Essex.) Mr. Miller 

 Christ}'^ thinks it is a corruption of Olaf (or Olave), the name 

 of the Danish King. It is foimd 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. 



