96 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



edition. It is the Burgomaster of many authors and the 

 Great Grey Gull of Albin. The name Glaucous is from 

 the white frosted appearance of its feathers. 



GLEAD or GLED : The KITE (formerly). Also a Border name 

 for the HEN-HARRIER, while Swainson says it is applied 

 in north Scotland to the BUZZARD. 



GLEAD HAWK : The KITE. (Cheshire.) 



GLEG HAWK : The SPARROW-HAWK. (Renfrew.) " Gleg " 

 signifies quick -eyed. 



GLIMMER GOWK : An Owl. 



GLOSSY IBIS [No. 259]. Apparently in former times a not 

 uncommon visitor to our islands. The name " Ibis " 

 occurs in Willughby (1678), who speaks of them in the 

 plural as " Ibes." Glossy Ibis seems to occur in most 

 authors, from Pennant to Yarrell. 



GNAT, GNAT SNAP, KNAT, or KNET. Names for the KNOT. 

 Gnat is the same as Knot according to Sir Thomas Browne 

 (see Newton, " Diet.," pp. 364-5). 



GNAT HAWK: The NIGHTJAR. (Hants.) 



GNAT SNAPPER : The BEE-EATER. 



GOAT CHAFFER : The NIGHTJAR. (Scotland.) 



GOAT OWL: The NIGHTJAR (Montagu). Swainson says it 

 is a Gloucestershire name. 



GOATSUCKER. A common provincial name for the NIGHT- 

 JAR. The name occurs in Merrett (1667) and in Wil- 

 lughby. Turner (1544) calls it by the Latin equivalent 

 Caprimulgus, and says on hearsay evidence that it sucks 

 the milk of the goats, making them go blind, a tale which 

 occurs in Aristotle, who says that " flying to the udders 

 of she-goats, it sucks them and thus gets its name. They 

 say that the udder withers when it has sucked at it, and 

 that the goat goes blind." Needless to say the story has 

 long been refuted. 



GOBHA DHUBH NAN ALLT. A Gaelic name for the DIPPER, 

 signifying " blacksmith of the stream " (Bolam). 



GOBHA TJISGE or GOBHCHAN UISGE. A Gaelic name for the 

 DIPPER : " uisge " signifies water. From its haunts. 



GOBHLAN GAINBHICH. A Gaelic name for the SAND-MARTIN. 



GOBHLAN-GAOITHE. A Gaelic name for the SWALLOW. 



GODWIT, GODWIT SNIPE, GODWIN, GOODWIN, or GODWYN : The 

 BAR-TAILED and BLACK-TAILED GODW1TS. The 

 name Godwit is from A.Sax. god=good and wihta=a,n 

 animal, lit. " good eating." Godwit occurs in Turner (1544) 



