WHITWALL—WIGEON 1039 



remarkably loud song, and in consequence are highly valued on the 

 continent of Europe, where two species at least spend the summer. 

 One of them, H. iderina, has occurred more than once in the 

 British Islands, and their absence as regular visitors is to be re- 

 gretted. Among the minor characteristics of this little group is 

 one afforded by their eggs, which are of a deeper or paler brownish- 

 pink, spotted with purplish - black. Their nests are beautiful 

 structures, combining warmth with lightness in a way that cannot 

 be fully appreciated by any description. 



A great number of other more or less allied forms, interesting 

 as they are in various ways, cannot for want of space be here 

 mentioned. 



AVHITWALL (spelling various), see Woodpecker. 



WHOOP, a local name for the Bullfinch : WHOOPER, the 

 ordinary Wild SwAN. 



WHYDAH-BIRD, by mistake for Widow-bird {see Weaver- 

 bird). 



WIDE-AWAKE, a seamen's name for certain Terns (page 957) 

 differing a good deal from the rest in habit and appearance — laying 

 but a single egg in their nest and being of a sooty colour above. 

 By some writers they have been placed in a distinct genus, Ony- 

 choprion, which Mr. Saunders (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1876, p. 666 ; Cat. B. 

 Br. Mus. XXV. p. 110) refuses to recognize, especially in view of 

 the connecting link afforded by the Sterna aleutica. They form, how- 

 ever, an easily recognized group — S. lunata, hitherto found only in the 

 Pacific Ocean, and aS'. ansestheta and S. fuliginosa having a very wide 

 distribution within and near the tropics. These crowd at certain 

 seasons in innumerable multitude to certain suitable islands, where 

 they breed, and the wonderful assemblage at present known as 

 " Wide-awake fair " on the island of Ascension has been more 

 or less fully described from very ancient times. Dampier in his 

 voyage to New Holland in 1699 particularly described and figured 

 the Sooty Tern {Voyages, iii. p. 142), discriminating it from the 

 Noddy, from which it had not before been distinguished. 



WIDOW-BIRD, see Weaver-bird (p. 1030). 



WIGEON (Fr. Vigeon, Lat. Vipio ^), the Mareca peneJope of modern 

 ornithology, one of the most abundant species of Ducks throughout 

 the greater part of Europe and northern Asia, reaching northern 

 Africa and India in winter. A good many pairs breed in the north 

 of Scotland ; but the nurseries of the vast numbers which resort in 



^ Just as Pigeon is from Pipio. Other French names, more or less local, are, 

 according to M. RoUand, Vignon, Vingeon, Wagne, Woinge, Wignet, Wuiot, 

 Vioux and Bigeon. In some parts of England the small teasing flies, generally 

 called midges, are known as "wigeons." 



