260 DICTIONAKY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



Woodcock Snipe : The GREAT SNIPE. (Ireland.) 



Woodcock Thrush : WHITE'S THRUSH is known by this 

 name in Hampshire and elsewhere, partly on account of 

 its frequenting the groimd in woodlands, and partly on 

 accoimt of its variegated plumage and fair size. 



W^ood-cracker : The NUTHATCH. Occurs in Plot's "Ox- 

 fordshire " (1677), who saj^s it is an undescribed species, 

 yet it occurs in Turner (1544) imder the name of "Nut- 

 jobber," and as Siti/i was described by Aristotle. 



Wood Dove: The STOCK-DOVE. '(Scotland.) 



Wood Grouse : The CAPERCAILLIE occurs under this name 

 in many older authors (Pennant, Bewick, Montagu, etc.). 



Wood-hack : The GREEN WOODPECKER. (Lmcoln.) 



Wood-knacker (= Wood-Knocker) : The GREEN WOOD- 

 PECKER. (Hampshire.) 



WOOD-LARK [No. 61]. The name occuis in Turner (1544) as 

 " Wodlerck," and in Merrett as " Wooa-Lark," also in 

 Willughby as " Woodlark." Bolam states that Woodlark 

 is also a Scots Border and Cheshire name for the TREE- 

 PIPIT. 



'Wood Owl : The common TAWNY OWL is frequently known 

 by this name. 



Woodpecker : The TREECREEPER. (Ireland, Scotland.) 



WooDPiE : 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. 



Wood-Pigeon. 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-Do ve 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 Dorsetshu'e superstition is that pipjeons' feathers should 

 never be used for beds : folks die hard on them. In Cornwall 

 it is believed that one cannot die easil}^ on a pillow stuffed 

 with wild- birds' feathers. 



Wood Quest. An old name for the RING-DOVE. 

 (Staffs. , Dorsetshire, Ireland) . There are several variations — 

 Lyly has Wood Quist : " Methought I saw a stock-dove 



