MEADOW MISTLE. 157 



MICHAELMAS BLACKBIRD : The RING-OUZEL. (Dorset.) From 



the time of its autumnal appearance in flocks at Portland. 



MIDDEN CROW : The CARRION-CROW (Bewick) : midden 



=refuse. " Midden Daup " is a Craven form of the name. 



MIDDLE SPOTTED WOODPECKER : The young of the GREAT 



SPOTTED WOODPECKER, described by Linnaeus as 



a separate species, and called Middle Spotted Woodpecker 



by Pennant and other writers up to Montagu. 



MIGRATORY PIGEON : The Passenger- Pigeon. (Eyton.) 



MILFRAN: The CARRION-CROW. (North Wales) lit. 



" carrion crow." 



MILLER. An old name for the HEN-HARRIER. The name 

 was applied only to the grey male birds. It appears also 

 to be a local name for the WHITETHROAT, and Swainson 

 says it is a Shropshire name for the young SPOTTED 

 FLYCATCHER. 



MILLER'S THUMB or TOM THUMB : The GOLDEN -CRESTED 

 WREN and the WILLOW- WARBLER (Roxburgh); 

 the CHIFFCHAFF, WILLOW- WARBLER and WOOD- 

 WARBLER (Yorkshire). From their small size. 

 MINUTE TRINGA : The LITTLE STINT. (Selby.) 

 MIRE-CROW: The BLACK-HEADED GULL. (Willughby.) 

 MIRE-DRUM : The BITTERN. (Montagu and others.) Probably 



now obsolete. 



MIRE DRUMBLE : The GREAT WHITE HERON. The name 

 occurs in Merrett (1667) who applies it to Ardea alba. The 

 name " Mire Drum " has also been used for the COMMON 

 BITTERN, while Turner's Mire Drumble appears to be 

 the LITTLE EGRET. 

 MIRE DUCK : The MALLARD. (Forfar.) 

 MIRE SNIPE : The COMMON SNIPE. (Aberdeen.) 

 MIRET: The COMMON TERN. (Cornwall.) 

 MISSEL-BIRD or MISSEL THRUSH : The MISTLE-THRUSH. 

 MISSELTOE-THRUSH i The MISTLE-THRUSH. (Charleton.) 

 MISTLE-THRUSH [No. 156]. There seems no doubt that 

 the name of this bird is a contraction of Mistletoe Thrush, 

 and should be spelled " Mistle " in place of " Missel." It 

 is mentioned by Turner, who says it is particularly known 

 as " Thrushe," as distinguished from the Song-thrush, 

 which he calls " Throssel, or Mavis." The name " Mistletoe 

 Thrush " occurs first in Merrett (1667) ; Charleton (1668) 

 has " Misseltoe-thrush or Shreitch," while Willughby 

 calls it the "Missel-bird or Shrite." That "Missel" 



