156 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS. 
Merapow Tittinc¢: The MEADOW-PIPIT. (Provincial.) 
Meaty Biep: The young LONG-TAILED DUCK. (Norfolk.) 
Meaty Minuer’s THums or Minier’s THums: The LONG- 
TAILED TITMOUSE. (Yorkshire.) From its small size. 
Meaty-mMoutTH. A Craven name for the WILLOW-WARBLER ; 
also the LESSER WHITETHROAT (North Yorkshire). 
MEALY REDPOLL [No. 21]. The name is found in Gould’s 
‘“ Birds of Europe ” (pt. x1). It also occurs as Mealy Redpole, 
an incorrect spelling, as the name arises from its red head 
(or poll). 
MEDITERRANEAN BLACK-HEADED GULL [No. 428]. 
A Mediterranean species of much the same size as the 
BLACK-HEADED GULIJ, but with a really black head. 
MEDITERRANEAN GREAT SHEARWATER [No. 326]. 
A species of Petrel confined to the Mediterranean, but 
of which a single example was picked up at Pevensey 
Beach, Sussex, in 1906. 
Mrcey: The WHITETHROAT. (North Country.) An 
abbreviation of Margaret (?). Also occurs as Muggy. 
Metuvuez. A Cornish name for the SKY-LARK. Mr. Harting 
thinks it the same as Pelhudz—“ high-flight.” 
MELODIOUS WARBLER [No. 142]. First recorded as 
British by Saunders (‘‘Man. Br. Birds,’ 1899, p. 77). 
MELopi0us WiILLOw-WARBLER: The ICTERINE WARBLER. 
(Hewitson.) Gould calls it Melodious Willow Wren. 
MerLteE: The BLACKBIRD. Anglicization of Old. F. merle 
“a mearle, owsell, blackbird” (Cotgrave), from Lat. 
merula. Probably obsolete except in poetry, although 
Swainson gives it as a Scots and Irish provincial name. 
Canon Atkinson gives it as a Shakespearean name, but 
probably erroneously, as I find only “ ouzel-cock”’ (Mid- 
summer Night’s Dream ’’) and “ black ouzel” (Henry IV). 
MERLIN [No. 236]. In Old. Eng. Marlin and Marlion, frem 
Oid Fr. Esmerillon or Smirlon. The name occurs in Turner 
(1544) and in Willughby. Sibbald gives Merlin as the 
name of the female and Jack as the name of the male, 
and among falconers formerly the latter was generally 
called Jack-Merlin, Merlin being properly the term for the 
female bird (see ‘‘ Jack.’’) 
Mrrwys. A poetical Welsh name for the BLACKBIRD. 
Mew. An old English name for any species of Gul! (see 
“Maw’”’). Also occurs as “ Mell.” 
