246 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS. 
Water Tit: The PIED WAGTAIL. (Provincial.) 
Water WacTaiL: The PIED WAGTAIL. Occurs first in 
Merrett’s list; Turner calls it simply “a wagtale.” 
WatTeER WitcH : The STORM-PETREL. (Provincial.) 
WaTERY PLEEPS: The COMMON SANDPIPER. (Orkneys.) 
Watitry : The PIED WAGTAIL. (Cheshire.) 
Wartiz or Wattie Wactait: The PIED WAGTAIL. (West- 
morland.) Wattie is no doubt a form of “‘ Waterie.” 
WAXEN CHATTERER: The WAXWING. Occurs in Pennant 
and most other eighteenth century writers to Donovan. 
WAXWING [No. 113]. So called from the shafts of some of the 
wing-feathers being terminated by what looks like a flattened 
tip of red sealing-wax. It was originally called by Wil 
lughby the Bohemian Chatterer and by Pennant Chatterer 
in the folio edition (1766), and Waxen Chatterer in the 
later editions. Selby (1825) calls it Bohemian Waxwing, 
as also most of the succeeding authors. 
WeasE AtLtAN: The ARCTIC SKUA. (Orkneys.) Wease is 
from A.Sax. was, moisture. 
WEASEL Duck: The female or immature SMEW. (Northum- 
berland.) From the chestnut and white colour and fur- 
like texture of the feathers (Bolam). Weasel Duck or 
Weasel Coot are also Norfolk names. 
WEATHER-CocK: The GREEN WOODPECKER. Perhaps 
eqivalent of Rain-fowl. 
WEDGE-TAILED GULL [No. 424]. So called from its cuneate 
tail. Formerly known as Ross’s Gull, or Ross’s Rosy Gull, 
after the discoverer, Sir J. C. Ross. 
Wee Diver or Wee Dovuxer: The LITTLE GREBE. 
(Dumfriesshire. ) 
Weep: The LAPWING. (Provincial.) From its cry. 
WeeEpPiIne GuiIttEMoT. A local name for the Ringed or Bridled 
Guillemot (a variety of the COMMON GUILLEMOT) 
among the West of Scotland fishermen. (Gray.) 
WeeEtT Brrp: The WRYNECK. (Hampshire.) From its cry. 
WEKEEN: The MEADOW-PIPIT. (Kerry.) 
WELE: The GREEN WOODPECKER. (Hett.) 
WELL Prum: The COMMON POCHARD. (Provincial.) 
WetsH AmBassapor. The CUCKOO appears to have been 
formerly sometimes so called. The allusion is in Middleton’s 
“A Trick to Catch the Old One ” (act Iv, sc. 5): “This: 
sound is like the Cuckoo, the Welsh Ambassador.” It is 
supposed that this name is an allusion to the annual arrival 
