254 CORNCRAIK— CRANE 



simulates death in this position admirably, and is most difficult 

 even to see, let alone catch. The present compiler has been 

 twice fortunate enough to catch one. The following letter as to 

 the Carolina crake in Tiree is worth recording : — 



SiK, — It may interest your readers to know that when out snipe-shooting 

 in Tiree — one of the Inner Hebrides — with my brother-in-law, Mr F. Guinnis, 

 on 25th October last, I shot a specimen of " Porzana Carolina." The bird is 

 apparently a young one, having fully completed its first autumn moult, and 

 was extremely fat. As far as I can determine, this is the third authentic 

 record of the occurrence of the Carolina crake within the British Islands. 

 The first was killed near Newbury in 1864, and was exhibited by Professor 

 Newton at a meeting of the Zoological Society, on February 14, 186.5. 



In Tha Birds of Glamorgan {\i. 113), a second specimen is mentioned as 

 having been caught alive by a boy at the Low Water Pier, Cardiff, in the 

 spring of 1888. A third specimen of the Carolina crake was recorded in the 

 Field of December 4, 1897. Two birds came on board the yacht Varnpa in 

 long. 55° W., lat. 20° N. ; one of them taking food, finally reached England 

 alivfe. As the last-mentioned bird was captured near the American coast 

 and brought by the vessel to England, it can hardly be considered a true 

 British example of the species. 



The Carolina crake is a near relative of the porizana maruetta of Great 

 Britain, but it is easily distinguished from that species at all ages by the 

 absence of the buff colour on the inner secondaries, which is a very 

 conspicuous feature in the spotted crake. 



I see no reason why the Carolina crake should not occasionally occur in 

 the British Islands, and the Tiree individual was doubtless blown out of its 

 line of migration by one of the heavy gales of last October. — I am, etc., 



1902. E. L. Philii»s. 



If heard frequently uttering its rasping note, rain may shortly 

 be expected. In the North it is considered a blessed bird, and 

 supposed to lie torpid in winter, even to live under the water ! 

 Another belief being that after it begins to sing (?), all danger of 

 frost injuring crops thought to be past. 



COULTERNEB (see also Puffin). 



Albanaich ; Buthaigear, buthraigear ; Calcach, colcach, colcair, 

 colcair-cheannach, colgach, colgaire, conntrachan, conntraigh- 

 eachan, comhdachan ; Fachach, faobach ; Gob-a-choltair ; 

 Seumas-ruadh. 



CRANE (see also Heron.) 



Bonnan-buidhe, bonnan-liona ; Corr, coireisg (Ir.), corra, curr ; 

 Garan, guis, gru (Old Etr. Celt.) — Cran (A. S.) ; Pipion (young— 

 Hulcet). 



Said to be from the call, " gair," of the bird gar or gair-aon ; 

 a far root being gra, gera, cry. " Gar," a word said to signify 

 "shank," is adduced as a good root for "garan." 



It is often known as the long-craigit heron or crane, longie- 

 crane or creke, also Jenny-crane. 



In the appendix to Celtic Alban, an interesting instance in the 

 life of St Columba, where the verses occur in which the crane 



