4 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



ALK: The RAZORBILL; literally signifying auk, being no 

 doubt from Icelandic alka, auk (q.v.). 



ALT, AN. A Scots name for a Skua ; generally the ARCTIC 

 SKUA, which in East Scotland is called Dirty Allan or Aulin ; 

 in Orkney, Scouty Allan or Aulin, and Weese Allan; 

 Macgillivray spells it " Allen." 



ALLECAMPAGNE. The BLUE TITMOUSE is so-called in Corn- 

 wall (Swainson). 



Allen's Gallinule. A single example, captured off Yarmouth, is 

 thought to have escaped from captivity. 



ALP: The BULLFINCH. (Obsolete.) Synonymic with Alph, 

 Awbe, Olp, Olph, Olf and Ulf, but the derivation is un- 

 known. Occurs in Chaucer (" Romaunt of the Rose ") and 

 Willughby. Possibly from Alb (Mid. Eng. albe) a derivate 

 of Lat. albus (white), the rump being very conspicuously pure 

 white. Gael. " Alp " signifies a high mountain, and does 

 not seem to have any connexion with the present word, 

 although, according to Skeat, connected with Lat. albus. 

 Olph appears to be still in local use for the Bullfinch 

 (" Blood-Olph ") and Greenfinch (" Green-Olph "). Swain- 

 son seems to be in error in supposing Hoop or Hope to be 

 derived from Alp, as Hoop seems to be clearly from the 

 bird's note. Nope and Mwope, however, may be from Alp. 



ALPINE ACCENTOR [No. 186]. So-called from its inhabiting 

 the Alps and other mountain ranges of South Europe. The 

 name first appears in Fleming's " Hist, of Brit. Animals " 

 (1828), probably as a translation of Temminck's " Accenteur 

 des Alpes " (1820). Its former generic name of Accentor, 

 Lat. accentum, Fr. ad, to, and cantus, singing, was bestowed 

 on account of its song. Also sometimes rendered Alpine 

 Chanter and Alpine Warbler. 



Alpine Chough. An accidental visitor of doubtful status on the 

 British List. The name occurs in Latham as " Alpine Crow." 



ALPINE RING-OUZEL [No. 163]. An Alpine form of the 



RING-OUZEL. 

 ALPINE SWIFT [No. 199]. A native, as its name implies, of 



the Alps, and other parts of South Europe. The name is 



found in Selby (1825). It is the White-bellied Swift of 



Gould. 



ALPINE VULTURE : The EGYPTIAN VULTURE. (Bewick.) 

 AMADAN MOINTICH or AN TAMADAN MOINTICH. A Gaelic name 



for the DOTTEREL; lit. "the fool of the moor" or 



peat-bog. 



