BENLOYN-FWYAF BITING TOM 17 



BIG PEGGY, or BIG PEGGY WHITETHROAT : The WHITE- 

 THROAT. (Nidderdale.) 

 BIG THROSTLE : The MISTLE-THRUSH. (Provincial.) Occurs 



in Willughby ; also still a north country provincial name. 

 BIG TIT : The GREAT TITMOUSE. (Notts.) 

 BILCOCK : The OYSTERCATCHER. (Criccieth, North Wales) 



lit. " red bill." 



BILCOCK : The WATER-RAIL. (Yorkshire.) Apparently so 

 called from its colour, bil being possibly akin to the north 

 country blae (Icel. blar, Dan. blaa) signifying livid or dark 

 blue. Swainson also gives Bilcock or Bilter as a north 

 country name for the MOORHEN. 



BILL : The PUFFIN. (Galway.) From its bill being a pro- 

 minent feature. 

 BILLY, or BILLY HEDGE-SPARROW : The HEDGE-SPARROW. 



(Doncaster.) 



BILLY-BITER: The BLUE TITMOUSE. (Provincial.) Pro- 

 bably from its habit of pecking at the fingers of intruders 

 when sitting on its eggs, but Newton thinks it is a corruption 

 of " Willow-biter." Nelson and Clarke also give it as a 

 Yorkshire name for the GREAT TITMOUSE. 

 BILLY OWL : The BARN-OWL. Swainson also gives BILLY 

 HOOTER as a Shropshire name for the TAWNY OWL, but 

 this is perhaps a corruption of Gilly Hooter. 

 BILLY WHITETHROAT : The GARDEN- WARBLER. (East 



Lothian.) 



BILLY Wix : The BARN-OWL. (Norfolk.) 

 Bimaculated Duck. A bird described by Pennant (" Brit. 

 Zool.," II, No. 287) as a separate species, but by later 

 authors considered to be a hybrid bird. Pennant stated 

 that his example was taken in a decoy in 1771, while Vigors 

 claimed to have had a pair sent up from a decoy near 

 Maldon, Essex, in the winter of 1812-13. It retained for 

 nearly a century its place in the British List. 

 BINC (Y) : The CHAFFINCH. (North Wales.) From its 



note. 



BIRCH-HEN. The female of the BLACK GROUSE. 

 BIRRL-BIRD : The GRASSHOPPER-WARBLER. (Provincial.) 



From its curious song. 



BISTARD : The GREAT BUSTARD. (Gesner.) 

 BITING TOM or BITTER TOM. A local name for the BLUE 

 TITMOUSE among boys, from its habit when sitting on 

 its eggs of pecking at their ringers. 



