WATER — WHEATEAB. 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-Avest European species first recorded for the 



British islands by Mr. Nicoll in 1908. 

 Western Pochard : STELLER'S EIDER. (Selby.) 

 Wet Bird : The CHAFFINCH. (Rutland and Scotland.) 



Chambers saj^s it is because its cry syllabled " weet, Aveet," 



is thought to foretell rain. 

 Wet-my-lip or Wet-my-feet. Local names for the QL'AIL ; 



the first is a Norfolk and the second a Scots and Irish name. 

 Wezel 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. 

 Whattie or Whishie: The WHITETHROAT. (East 



Lothian.) 

 Whaup: 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 

 WTieatear]. Generally derived from A.Sax. hwit^ 

 white, and cp/'5=rump. Newton, however, was inclined to 

 reject this derivation " vmtil it be shewn that such a name 

 ever existed." The name first occurs in the works of Tavlor, 

 the "Water Poet" (1654); and in Merrett's list (1667) 

 as " WTieat-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 WTiite-tail from the colour of the rump. He 

 is possibly in error as to the derivation of the Avord wheatear, 

 as its significance [vide supra) is considered to be similar to 

 the other name of White-tail. The name Wlieatear 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 Avhite rump (from cers=run\]) and ling, a diminutiA^e) 

 and the fourth being an equivalent to Stonechat. The 

 Greenland Wheatear, a sub-species breeding in Greenland 

 and North-east America, is noAv knoAAH to Ijb a passage- 

 migrant through our islands in spring and autumn. 



