CAPERCAILZIE— CHIFFCHAFF 251 



is introduced. Cabar also means an eminence, or the mountain, 

 which may have led writers astray in talking of the capercaillie 

 as specially "inhabiting mountains " (Burt, Ray, etc.). .fenyns gets 

 out of the difficulty by saying "mountain forests" (it is presumed 

 he uses "forests" in the usual sense, and not that of a "forest 

 or chase "). 



We are not yet done with combinations, as we have " capuU- 

 caolach/' horse-cock ; and Yarrel, British Birds, 1st edition, seems 

 inclined to entertain this view, and finds parallels in "horse- 

 mackerel, horse-fly (?), horse-leech (?)." 



The Lochnell Bard sung : "Bu tu capullcoille na giubhsaich." 

 The capercailzie is of wide distribution in continental Europe, 

 and reintroduced only lately on a small scale to North Britain 

 from Scandinavian stock. A full-grown male bird is nearly three 

 feet in length — with wings expanded, four feet ; the weight, ten 

 to fifteen pounds ; the bill a light colour, and very strong ; on each 

 eye there is a naked skin of bright red — bright scarlet at pairing 

 season ; the feathers on the head and throat are darker than 

 those on the body, having, as well as the back and wings, elegant 

 transverse dark markings ; the breast is black, with a tinge of 

 glossy green. The hen is much smaller, much lighter, and almost 

 totally different. (See also Lays of the Deer Forest, by the Sobieski 

 Stuarts, Vol. II., p. 467, et seq.) 



CAPON. — Caban, cabon, coileach-spodhta, cuUach-coilich. 



Long-tailed capon ; tailed farmer, tailed mag. Etymology is 

 from " cap " or " skap," to cut. 



CHAFFINCH (see also Finch). 



Breacan-beatha or beithe, breac-an t-sil, bricean, bricein ; 

 Uiseag-a-chath. 



Apple-bird, apple-sheely ; Beech-finch, boldie, brichtie, brisk- 

 finch, briskie, buck-finch, bully, bullspink ; Caffincher, chaffie, 

 charbob, chawdy, chic (Banff), chink, chink-chink, chink-chaffey, 

 chivy, copperfinch ; Dad-finch, daffinch, dap-finch ; Horse finch ; 

 Maze finch ; Pea finch, pied finch, pine finch, pink, pinkety, 

 pink-twink ; Roberd, robinet ; Scobby, sheelfa, sheely, shelldapple, 

 shilfa, shilfaw, shilfey, shilfy, shoulfall, snabby, spink ; Tree lintie ; 

 Wet bird, wheated bird, white finch, whitewing. 



So called, it is supposed, from its delight in chaff. Cowper 

 devotes no less than twenty-nine verses to a pair that built their 

 nest in a ship's block. 



CHICKEN (see Hen). 



CHIFFCHAFF.— Caifean, caifein, caifin. 



Bank-bottle, bank-jug; Chatterer, chip-chop, choice-an'-cheap 



