2258 Birds, 



Provincial Names of Birds, Nottinghamshire. — I have forwarded to you a list of the 

 names which are given to the commoner birds in this neighbourhood : most of the 

 names were the only ones by which I knew the birds in my bird-nesting boy's days. 

 The long-eared owl is called the ' long-horned owl,' ' wood owl.' The barn or white 

 owl is called a ' padge owl,' ' screech owl.' The red-backed shrike is a ' butcher 

 bird.' The crow (Corvus corone, Linn.) is called the ' carrion crow.' The hooded 

 crow is the ' Norway crow.' The rook is generally called a ' crow.' The missel 

 thrush is the ' storm-cock.' The redwing is a ' pop.' The wryneck is a ' cuckoo's 

 maiden,' ' cuckoo's mate.' The green woodpecker is a * nick-a-pecker.' The green- 

 finch is known only by the name of ' green linnet.' The bunting is called a ' bunting 

 lark.' The yellow bunting is the ' yellow hammer.' The black -headed bunting is a 

 ' reed sparrow.' The chaffinch is the ' spink,' sometimes ' pink.' The goldfinch is 

 called a * red-cap,' a ' sweet William,' a ' proud tailor,' all the names equally com- 

 mon. The linnet is a ' gorse linnet,' a * gray linnet.' The lesser redpole is known 

 only by the name of ' French linnet,' or ' averdevine.' The lark is a ' sky-lark.' The 

 tree pipit is a ' ground-lark.' The meadow pipit is a ' pipit lark.' The redstart is 

 always a ' fire-tail.' The sedge warbler is called a ' reed wren.' Our summer war- 

 blers go by the name of * peggies ; ' for instance, the whitethroat is known by the 

 name of * peggy whitethroat : ' the black-capped warbler is a ' black-headed peggy : ' 

 the willow wren or warbler is a ' bank peggy,' from its building in banks. The com- 

 mon wren is a 'jenny wren.' The hedge warbler is a ' hedge sparrow.' The whin- 

 chat is never anything else than an * utick.' The great titmouse is a ' black-cap.' 

 The blue titmouse is a ' blue-cap,' or more commonly still a ' willow-biter.' The 

 long-tailed titmouse is a ' featherpoke.' The swift is here also a ' deviling.' The 

 ring dove is a ' wood pigeon.' The heron is a ' long-necked crane,' a ' heron-sewgh.' 

 A labouring man called one day to tell me a friend of his had shot a ' butter-bum : ' 

 the bird proved to be a bittern. The lapwing is here always called a ' peewit.' The 

 common sandpiper is a ' summer snipe.' The landrail is a ' meadow drake.' The 

 little grebe is a ' dipper,' a ' puffin.' The terns are ' sea swallows.' — W. F. Foottit, 

 Surgeon; Newark, Notts, August, 1848. 



Thievish Propensity of the Jackdaw (Corvus Monedula). — In looking over my 

 journal for the month of March, 1846, J found a note on the thievish propensity of a 

 jackdaw in our neighbourhood, and as I consider it highly illustrative of the character 

 of that tribe of birds, I here extract it for the 'Zoologist.' "I was very much 

 amused this evening in witnessing the unprincipled conduct of a jackdaw. A house 

 sparrow in his peregriuations had succeeded in picking up a large piece of bread : 

 this he was not allowed to enjoy in peace, for Jack, who had cast his longing eyes 

 upon the delicate morsel, immediately gave chase, and very soon deprived the sparrow 

 of his hard-earned bit, with which he flew to an elevated station, where his mate, who 

 was awaiting his return, shared with him the food so fraudulently acquired." — E. J. 

 B. Hughes; St. Bees, August 30, 1848. 



Discoloured Egg of the Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis). — On reading the account 

 of the variety of the egg of the green woodpecker (Zool. 2229), it struck me that the 

 reddish brown and tawny yellow colour of the egg might have been occasioned by the 

 juice of a fungus, or the rain soaking through a rotten part of the tree in which the 

 bird had laid its eggs, similar to the eggs of the lesser or little grebe, which, after they 

 have been laid two or three days, become of a dark brown colour mixed with yellow, 

 on account of the rushes on which the eggs are deposited being wet and rotten ; but 



