252 OUH NATIVE SONGSTERS. 



As might be supposed of so common a bird, it 

 has many rustic names. In countr}' places it is 

 known as the Yoit, Yellow Yoldrin, Yellow 

 Yowley, and Yellow Yeldrick ; and in Cambridge- 

 shire the author heard it called the ^\Titing lark, 

 from the tracings on its Q^(;^, which are fancied to 

 resemble manuscript. Yarrell makes the following 

 remarks on the spelling of the word : " I have ven- 

 tured to restore to this bird, what I believe to 

 have been its first English name, Yellow Ammer, 

 althougli it appears to have been printed Yellow 

 Ham, and Yellow Hammer, from the days of Dr. 

 William Turner and Merrett, to the present time. 

 The word Ammer is a well-known ( Jerman term 

 for Bunting in very common use : thus Bechstein 

 employs the names Scltnee-amuier, (rrnii-anuner, 

 Rohr-ammer^ Garten-ammer^ for our Snow Bunt- 

 ing, Com Bunting, Reed Bunting, Ortolan, or 

 Garden Bunting, and Yellow Bunting. Prefixing 

 the letter II to the word appears to be unnecessary 

 and even erroneous, as suggesting a notion which 

 has no reference to any kno^vn habit or quality in 

 the bird." The Germans call our bird also Gold- 

 ammer, Ammering, and Gold-ammering, and it is 

 the Goldspink and Groning of the Swedes. The 



