122 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



HERN, HERNSHAW, HERNSEUGH, HERNSEW, HARN, HARNSER, 

 HARNSEY : The COMMON HERON. Vulgar contractions 

 of Heronseugh. " Hern or Hernshaw " occurs in Merrett 

 (1667). The first four are North Country, and the last three 

 East Anglian names. Whitaker gives Herring Sue for 

 Nottinghamshire, and Nelson and Clarke give Heron- 

 sew, Herring-sew, Heronseugh, Heron-sue, Heronshaw, and 

 Heronshew for the Yorkshire districts. 



HERON. See COMMON HERON. 



HERONSEUGH. An old English name for the HERON, the 

 precise meaning and derivation of which is doubtful. Some 

 authorities derive it from the Sanskrit hansa. It occurs 

 as Heron-sewe in Chaucer, which has led to the supposition 

 that the "sewe" is derived from Old Eng. sewe, a dish, 

 in reference to the bird as a table dainty. 



HERRING GANT : The GANNET. (Norfolk.) 



HERRING-GULL [No. 431]. The name occurs in Willughby, 



also in Pennant and succeeding writers. 

 HERRING SPINK : The GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN. (East 



Suffolk.) So called from being often caught in the rigging 



of the boats during the North Sea fishing when on migration 



(" East Anglian," iv, p. 115). 

 HEW-HOLE : The GREEN WOODPECKER (see Hickwall.) 



The name occurs in Turner (1544) and in Willughby. 



HICKMALL. A provincial name for the BLUE TITMOUSE (see 

 Heckymal.) 



HICKWALL: The GREEN WOODPECKER, according to 

 Merrett, but Willughby applies the name to the LESSER 

 SPOTTED WOODPECKER, as do also Yarrell, Bewick, 

 and other authors. Newton derives the name from A.Sax 

 higera or higere, lit. a laugher ; in which case the GREEN 

 WOODPECKER would appear to be the species intended. 

 Another form of the word is Hickway, from which Newton 

 thinks the names Highaw and Hewhole may be corrupted. 



HIGH-HOE : The GREEN WOODPECKER. (Shropshire.) Occurs 

 in Willughby (1678). Heigh-hawe and Hayhoe are other 

 forms of the word, which Newton thinks comes from 

 A.Sax higera or higere (see Hickwall), but it has been 

 thought to refer to the height at which the bird makes 

 its nesting-holes. 



HILLAN PIET: The MISTLE-THRUSH. (Aberdeen.) Pro- 

 bably " Highland Pie." 



HILL BIRD : The FIELDFARE. (Scotland.) 



