WREN — YAPPINGALE. 263 



described in Swainson's " Folklore of British Birds," pp. 36-43 

 (see also " Notes and Queries," 3rd ser., vol. v, p. 109). 

 O'Curry has recorded that the Wren, like the Raven, was 

 kept domesticated on account of the auguries derived 

 from it, which were employed by the Druids. 



An Irish proverb asserts that, " The fox is the cunningest 

 beast in the world barring the Wren." 



According to Dalyell the Wren is considered an imlucky 

 token in Scotland, but the Robin a lucky one. That the 

 Wren was formerly considered of medicinal value is sho'wn 

 by Willughby, who writes : " It perfectly cures the stone of 

 the kidneys or bladder (as Aetius writes) being salted and 

 eaten raw, or being burnt in a pot close covered, and the 

 ashes of one whole bird taken at once, either by itself, or with 

 a little Phyllon (a kind of mercury) and Pepper, or lastly being 

 roasted whole, only the feathers plucked off and cast away." 

 The St. Kilda Wren is a large pale form of the Wren 

 which is confined to the island of St. Kilda. It was first 

 described by Seebohm in the " Zoologist," 1884, p. 333. Mr. 

 Hartert has also separated the race inhabiting the Shetland 

 Islands from the typical British Wren. 



Wkithe-neck : The WRYNECK. An equivalent name. 



Writing Lark: The YELLOW BUNTING. (Notts., Yorks., 

 Northants.) 



Writing Linnet : The YELLOW BUNTING. (Longdendale, 

 Cheshire.) 



Writing Master : The YELLOW-BUNTING. (Salop.) 



WRYNECK [No. 213]. So called from its peculiar habit of 

 writhing its head and neck. The name occurs in Merrett 

 and in Willughby. Turner (1544) describes the bird imder 

 the ancient names of lynx and Torquilla (now its generic 

 and specific names) but gives it no English name, considering 

 it to be a form of Woodpecker. 



Wype : The LAPWING. Occurs in the Northumberland 

 Household Book, a.d. 1512. Akin to Swed. Wipa, a name 

 for the species. 



Yaffle. Yaffler, or Yaffil : The GREEN WOODPECKER. 

 So called in Surrey, Sussex, Yorks, and other counties on 

 accoimt of its note, which has been likened to a laugh. 



Yappingale or Yappingal : The GREEN WOODPECKER ; 

 lit. Bawling singer, from its cry. Yaup in Staffordshire 

 means to bawl, while yap is in fairly general use as indi- 

 cating a discoi'dant cry, such as that of a pupp^^. Gal or 

 Gale is probably from A. Sax. gale=Sb smger. 



