WATER—WHEATEAR. 247 
of Welshmen in search of summer employment, which 
probably took place about the time of the Cuckoo’s 
appearance. According to Dyer, however, the Cuckoo is 
still called ‘“‘ Welsh Ambassador ” in Wales. 
WEsTERN Duck: STELLER’S EIDER. (Gould.) 
WESTERN LARGE-BILLED REED-BUNTING [No. 54]. 
A south-west European species first recorded for the 
British islands by Mr. Nicoll in 1908. 
WEsTERN PocHarD: STELLER’S EIDER. (Selby.) 
Wet Birp: The CHAFFINCH. (Rutland and Scotland.) 
Chambers says it is because its cry syllabled “ weet, weet,” 
is thought to foretell rain. 
WET-My-Lip or WET-MyY-FEET. Local names for the QUAIL; 
the first is a Norfolk and the second a Scots and Irish name. 
WezeEL Coot. The female or young of the SMEW. (Albin.) 
From the head resembling that of a weasel. Also spelt 
Weesel Coot by Pennant. See Vare Wigeon. 
WuatticeE or WHISHIE: The WHITETHROAT. (East 
Lothian.) 
Wuavue: The COMMON CURLEW. (Scotland and North 
England). From its cry. It occurs as Whaap in the 
Orkneys and Shetlands. 
WHEATEAR [No. 166, Wheatear; No. 167, Greenland 
Wheatear]. Generally derived from A.Sax. hwit= 
white, and ers—=rump. Newton, however, was inclined to 
reject this derivation “ until it be shewn that such a name 
ever existed.”” The name first occurs in the works of Taylor, 
the “‘ Water Poet” (1654); and in Merrett’s list (1667) 
as ‘‘ Wheat-ear or White-tail.” Willughby, who calls it the 
** Fallow-Smich,” says that in Sussex it is called the Wheat- 
ear ‘‘ because at the time of Wheat harvest they wax very 
fat,” and also White-tail from the colour of the rump. He 
is possibly in error as to the derivation of the word wheatear, 
as its significance (vide swpra) is considered to be similar to 
the other name of White-tail. The name Wheatear is not 
used by Turner (1544), who gives the names “ clot-burd, 
smatche, arlyng, and steinchek :” the first indicating the 
bird’s habit of sitting upon clods, the second being an 
equivalent no doubt of “‘ Chat,” the third being a reference 
to the white rump (from @rs—=rump and ling, a diminutive) 
and the fourth being an equivalent to Stonechat. The 
Greenland Wheatear, a sub-species breeding in Greenland 
and North-east America, is now known to be a passage- 
migrant through our islands in spring and autumn. 
