1 908-1909.] Bird-Life in Early Scottish Literature. 147 



whereabouts may not be detected. So this shy and rare 

 songster was most likely the blackcap or Scottish nightingale. 

 It is curious the persistency with which it is mentioned. 

 There is a beautiful little poem called " Tayis Bank," believed 

 to have been composed by James IV. when wooing Margaret 

 Drummond. One of the verses runs as follows : — 



" Eaising the birdis fra thair nest 



The reid sone raiss with rawis, 

 The lark sang loud, quhill lycht mycht lest 



A lay of liivis lawis. 

 The nychtingall walk of hir nest 



Singing the day updawis, 

 The mirthful maveiss merriest 



Schill schowttit throw the schawis." ^ 



This representation of the song-bird as greeting the dawn 

 is more truly descriptive of the blackcap than of the English 

 songster of the night. 



In a strange old poem, whose title is " The Promise to King 

 James the Sext," we obtain an addition to our bird list. The 

 poem is full of beautiful pictures from nature and of allusions 

 interesting to a naturalist. It refers to our old friends the 

 merle and the mavis, and then speaks of the "gladsome gold 

 spinkis." This is the old Scottish name for that bird of lovely 

 plumage and sweet voice, the goldfinch. The allusion is of 

 such a character as to indicate that this fine songster was 

 once abundant in our land. This we can very well believe. 

 Bird-lime and the hooligan then were not, and everywhere 

 there were large tracts of uncultivated land where thistles 

 were rampant, and the natural food of the goldfinch thereby 

 plenteous. 



But the largest, the most interesting, and the most com- 

 plete list of bird-life we know of in early Scottish literature 

 has yet to be noted and described. It is to be found in a 



^ " Rousing the birdies frae their nest 



The red sun rose wi' rays, 

 The lark sang loud, while daylight was 



A lay of love's laws. 

 The nightingale woke off her nest 



Singing the day updaws. 

 The mirthful mavis merriest 



Shrill shoutit through the shaws. " 



