256 



DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



(" Insinuations to Young Sportsmen," 8th ed., 1838, p. 261) 

 has set the " Melody of the Wild Swan " (as heard in cap- 

 tivity however) to music as follows : 



Allegro, or by Maelzel's metronome, =| 126* 



p 



m 



s 



WIERANGEL or WIERANGLE : The GREAT GREY SHRIKE. 

 Willughby gives it as a North of England name (about the 

 Peak of Derbyshire), and says, on the authority of Gesner, 

 that it is from the German " Wurchangd" literally a suf- 

 focating angel. Swainson applies it to the RED- BACKED 

 SHRIKE while Nelson and Clarke give Weirangle, 

 Wariangle, Wiirger, or Worrier, as old Yorks. names for 

 that species. 



WIGEON [No. 293]. Occurs in Turner (1544) as " Wigene," 

 and in Merrett (1667) as " Widgeon." Willughby and Ray 

 call it the "Common Wigeon or Whewer," and observe 

 that "the males in this kind at Cambridge are called 

 Wigeons, the females Whewers." Derivation is from 

 Fr. Vigeon, from Lat. Vipio, according to Newton, but 

 " Vipio " of Pliny is a small Crane. 



WIGEON DIVER : The COMMON POCHARD. (Cork Harbour.) 



WILD DUCK : The female of the MALLARD. Also an alter 

 native name for the species. Occurs inMerrett's list (1667). 

 Willughby and Ray call it the " Common Wild Duck and 

 Mallard." Most British authors from Pennant onward call 

 it the " Wild Duck." Albin has " Wild Mallard and Wild 

 Duck," which would be the most correct name. It is a 

 saying in the north that 



When ducks are driving through the burn, 

 That night the weather takes a turn. 



WILDE LERC or HETH LERK (Turner). Probably the MEADOW- 

 PIPIT, which is still known locally as " Heather Lin tie," 

 and frequents such places as Turner describes. 



WILD GOOSE. Properly the GREY LAG-GOOSE, but applied 

 to most of the species which visit this country. Fleming's 

 Wild Goose is the BEAN-GOOSE. Barlow (1655) figures 

 a " Wilde Goose," probably the Grey Lag-Goose. 



WILD PIGEON: The STOCK-DOVE (Bewick); also the 

 ROCK-DOVE (Shetlands). 



