54 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS. 
striving to draw the nails that held Christ to the Cross is 
familiar to many. Longfellow, in his “‘ Legend of the 
Crossbill,’’ from the German of Julius Mosen, alludes not 
to the twisted bill but to the plumage “covered all with 
blood so clear.” This supposed origin of a ruddy plumage 
is elsewhere attributed to the Robin (q.v.). Hartert has 
separated the form inhabiting Scotland from that inhabiting 
England and Wales under the name of Scottish Crossbill. 
Common Crow: The CARRION-CROW. (Merrett, Willughby.) 
Common Cuckoo: The CUCKOO. Most of our older authors 
use the prefix ‘‘Common ” for this species. 
COMMON CURLEW [No. 404]. The name is imitative of its 
whistling note resembling cur-lew. In Fr. Courlis or Corlieu. 
Occurs in Barlow’s plates (1655): as “Curlew” and in 
Merrett’s list as “Curliew.” Willughby and many later 
writers down to Montagu call it the Common Curlew, whilst 
others of the nineteenth century drop the prefix ““ Common.” 
It has always been esteemed for the delicate flavour of its 
flesh. Willughby gives the following as an old Suffolk 
saying :-— 
A Curlew, be she white, be she black, 
She carries twelve pence on her back. 
Common Dipper: The DIPPER. (Yarrell.) 
Common Duck: The MALLARD. (Montagu.) 
COMMON EIDER [No. 307]. From the Norweg. Ejdar, Icel. 
Aidur. Willughby calls it “ Cuthbert-Duck; Anas S. 
Cuthberti seu Farnensis,” and also Wormius’s Hider. 
The Cuthbert is an allusion to St. Cuthbert, who lived 
on Farne Island, where the birds breed. Pennant (1766) 
calls it “‘ Hider Duck,” while Montagu terms it the “ Eider 
Duck or Edder.” It is the ‘‘Great Black and White 
Duck ” of Edwards. 
Common EvropeaN CrossBitu. Macgillivray’s name for the 
COMMON CROSSBILL. 
CoMMON GALLINULE: The MOORHEN. (Pennant, Montagu, 
etc.) 
Common Gannet. See GANNET. 
Common Gopwit: The BAR-TAILED GODWIT. (Pennant, 
Montagu.) 
Common GRosBEAK: The HAWFINCH. (Albin.) 
COMMON GUILLEMOT [No. 445]. The name occurs in 
Yarrell (lst ed.) as Common Guillemot. Derived from Fr. 
Guillemot. Witlughby describes it as “The Bird called by 
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