182 PROVINCIAL NAMES OF BIRDS. 



wild duck. The morillons* are called douckers in 

 Scotland, and gingling curres in the West. The 

 tufted ducks are blue-billed curres on the Western, and 

 dowers on the Eastern Coast, in many parts round 

 which the wigeon are only known by the name of 

 winder. The golden-eye is commonly called pied curre ; 

 and the scaup duck is known by the name of gray-back 

 curre in the South and West, and that of teal-drake 

 in the North. For these, and all the various tribes of 

 smaller wildfowl, the decoymen and poulterers have a 

 sort of sweepstakes appellation, by putting them down 

 as dunbirds and divers. Again, there are many absurd 

 names for other birds, such as Tommy Loos for the 

 divers, Isle of Wight parsons for the cormorants, and 

 so on. 



On the French coast, the same. We here find the 

 dunbirds, and others of their kind, provincially called 

 vignons; the wigeon, sarcelles; and coots, marcareux, 

 &c. &c. In short, it would be a waste of time to ex- 

 plain the nonsensical terms by which only birds are 

 known in many places ; and more particularly as the 

 naturalist or sportsman should be provided with " Be- 

 wick," which has not only the advantage of being 

 portable as a pocket-companion, but will answer his 

 purpose far better than any other work, during his 

 pursuit in sport, or search of natural history. 



The birds marked thus ( * ) are those of the Anas 

 kind fit to be eaten, and which are usually considered 

 as wildfowl. For the general pursuit of these specific 

 directions shall be given in another part of the work, 



* Or young golden-eyes., according to Leadbeater. 



