270 BIRD-LIFE OF THE BORDERS. 



tenanted by that strange usurper the hermit-crab 



But our investigations are suddenly cut short. " Look out, 

 sir ! " shouts our puntsman ; "here come the Geese ! " and 

 in one moment we are aboard, and lying as flat as any 

 oyster. 



The following list of the local names by which the dif- 

 ferent wildfowl are known on parts of the north-east coast 

 may perhaps be interesting to the etymologist : 



Grey Geese (generally) . " Grey-lags/' 



Brent Geese . . . " Ware Geese." 



Mallard .... " Mallart." 



Wigeon .... "Whews." 



Golden-eyes . . . " Wigeon." 



Scaup Duck . . . . " Covie." 



Longtailed Duck . . " Jacky Forster." 



Eider Duck . . . . " Culver." 



Scoter (Black Duck) . . " Sea-hens." 



Merganser .... " Yarrell." 



Northern Diver . . . " Nauk." 



Red-throat Diver . . . "Lion." 



Grebes . . . . " Tommy Aliens." 



Coots "Belpoots." 



Guillemot .... "Willock." 



Black Guillemot . . " Sea-pigeon." 



Cormorant . . . " Gormer." 



Whimbrel .... "Curlew-Jack." 



Godwit " Speethe." 



Oyster-catcher . . " Sea-pyot." 



Turnstone ... . . " Brackett." 



Purple Sandpiper (&c.) . . " Tinkers." 



The pronunciation of the word Yarrell, when subjected to 

 the Northumbrian " burr," is well illustrated by the manner 

 in which my puntsman constantly writes the name thus : 

 "Yee-arle," an admirable example of phonetic orthography. 

 Curiously, the Geese are never spoken of except in the 

 plural. The word Goose is barred, and a single bird will be 

 described as " a lame Geese " ! 



