THE NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS. 515 



Ptarmigan is a French spelling of the Gaelic tarmachan. 

 What the word means is unknown, though it should be noted 

 that there is, in Gaelic, a verb tarmaich, to gather, with which 

 tarmachan may have some connection. 



^ Pheasant, the bird from the Phasis, a river in Transcaucasia 

 (Colchis), now called the Rion. 



Partridge, from the French perdrix f which, with the intrusion 

 of a "r," comes from the Latin perdix — a word probably imitative 

 of the cock bird's call. 



Quail, lit. " the quacker." A contraction of Low Latin 

 quaquila. 



Rail is imitative, from the Old French raller, to rattle in the 

 throat. 



Coot, " the shortened bird," is a Celtic word. The Welsh 

 name is cwtiar, the short-tailed hen. Cf. cut, to make short. 



Crane is probably imitative, and connected with a root gar, 

 to call, as in garrulus. 



Bustard is a corruption of avistard = Latin avis tarda, the 

 slow bird. Cf. Ostrich, which = avis struthio. 



Dotterel, "the silly bird," comes from dote, to be foolish. 

 Our slang word " dotty " has the same origin. 



Plover, "the rain bird," comes, through the French pluvier, 

 from the Latin pluvarius, belonging to rain. The restlessness of 

 Plovers before rain is well known. 



Lapwing was in Middle English lappewinke. Lapp'e = hledpe, 

 from hledpan, " to spring," and winke means " a twitching move- 

 ment from side to side." The connection between these mean- 

 ings and the bird's irregular mode of flight is clearly seen. The 

 word does not mean " wing-flapper." 



Snipe, at one time variously spelt Snype or Snyte — in allusion 

 to the bird's characteristic " snout " or bill. 



Dunlin = dunling, the little dun bird, -ling is a diminutive 

 ending, and appears in gosling, duckling, starling, nestling, &c. 



Stint = the stunted bird. 



Knot is traditionally supposed to mean " Knut's (Canute's) 

 bird," though for what reason it is impossible now to say. How- 

 ever, this monarch had a berry (viz. the Knout-berry), so he may 

 have had a bird as well. 



Whimbrel = whimmerel, imitative of its cry. 



