54 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



striving to draw the nails that held Christ to the Cross is 

 familiar to many. Longfellow, in his " Legend of the 

 Crossbill," from the German of Julius Mosen, alludes not 

 to the twisted bill but to the plumage " covered all with 

 blood so clear." This supposed origin of a ruddy plumage 

 is elsewhere attributed to the Robin (q.v.). Hartert has 

 separated the form inhabiting Scotland from that inhabiting 

 England and Wales under the name of Scottish Crossbill. 



COMMON CROW : The CARRION-CROW. (Merrett, Willughby.) 



COMMON CUCKOO : The CUCKOO. Most of our older authors 

 use the prefix " Common " for this species. 



COMMON CURLEW [No. 404]. The name is imitative of its 

 whistling note resembling cur-lew. In Fr. Courlis or Corlieu. 

 Occurs in Barlow's plates (1655) as " Curlew " and in 

 Merrett 's list as " Curliew." Willughby and many later 

 writers down to Montagu call it the Common Curlew, whilst 

 others of the nineteenth century drop the prefix " Common." 

 It has always been esteemed for the delicate flavour of its 

 flesh. Willughby gives the following as an old Suffolk 

 saying : 



A Curlew, be she white, be she black, 

 She carries twelve pence on her back. 



COMMON DIPPER : The DIPPER, (Yarrell.) 

 COMMON DUCK : The MALLARD. (Montagu.) 

 COMMON EIDER [No. 307]. From the Norweg. Ejdar, Icel. 

 Mdur. WiJlughby calls it " Cuthbert-Duck ; Anas S. 

 Cuthberti seu Farnensis," and also Wormius's Eider. 

 The Cuthbert is an allusion to St. Cuthbert, who lived 

 on Fame Island, where the birds breed. Pennant (1766) 

 calls it " Eider Duck," while Montagu terms it the " Eider 

 Duck or Edder." It is the "Great Black and White 

 Duck " of Edwards. 



COMMON EUROPEAN CROSSBILL. Macgillivray's name for the 



COMMON CROSSBILL. 

 COMMON GALLINULE : The MOORHEN. (Pennant, Montagu, 



etc.) 



COMMON GANNET. See GANNET. 

 COMMON GODWIT : The BAR-TAILED GOD WIT. (Pennant, 



Montagu.) 



COMMON GROSBEAK : The HAWFINCH. (Albin.) 

 COMMON GUILLEMOT [No. 4451. The name occurs in 



Yarrell (1st ed.) as Common Guillemot. Derived from Fr. 



Guillemot. Willughby describes it as " The Bird called by 



