PROVINCIAL NAMES OF BRITISH ANIMALS
Stewartry of Kircudbright.—
Bats. Always spoken of with the prefix Blin'.
Mole. Moudie or Moudie-warp.
Hedgehog. Urchin.
Shrew. Screw-mouse.
Badger.* Brock.
Polecat. Foumart.
Weasel. Game Rat and Whitrick.
Porpoise. Pellick (Solway Firth).
Common Hare. Bettie.
Lizard and Newt. Asp or Ask. Sup- posed to be venomous.
Slow-worm. Blind-worm.
Frog. Paddock.
Peregrine Falcon. Game Hawk and Hunting Hawk.
Kestrel. Keelie.
Buzzard. Gled.
Owls. Hoolets.
Dipper. Water Pyet.
Missel Thrush. Feltie.
Fieldfare. Storm-cock.
Song Thrush. Mavis.
Ring Ouzel. Mountain Thrush.
Hedgesparrow. Hempie and Creepie.
Redstart. Red-tail.
Whitethroat. Cut-throat.
Willow Wren. Yellow Wren.
Great Tit. Black-cap.
Blue Tit. Ox-e'e and Blue-bonnet.
Long-tailed Tit. Bell-ringer.
Tree Pipit. Tree Lark.
Meadow Pipit. Moss-cheeper and Titlark.
Sky Lark.f Laverock.
Common Bunting. Corn Bunting.
Yellow Bunting. Yoit or Yeorlin.
Chaffinch. Shelfa, Snabby, Briskie, and Brichtie.
Brambling. Cock-o'-the-North.
House Sparrow. + Spyng and Sprug.
Greenfinch. Green Lintie.
Goldfinch. Goldie and Goldflinch.
Linnet. Whin-lintie.
Chough. Red-legged Crow.
Carrion Crow. Corbie.
Hooded Crow. Hoodie.
Rook. Craw.
Jackdaw. K'ya.
Magpie. Pyet.
Jay. Jay-pyet.
Wren. Cuttie.
Cuckoo. Gowk.
Swift. Black Swift.
Nightjar. Night-hawk.
Ring Dove. Cushie and Cushat.
Partridge. Paetrick.
Quail. In the neighbouring county of Wigtonshire, where it occurs oc- casionally, this bird is called Wet-my-feet, in allusion to its cry.
A year or two ago almost extinct in the Stewartry, except in Glenkens. Colonel
Blackett, of Arbigland, however, turned out some in the parish of Kirkbean ; and
young ones, I am informed, we're seen a month or two ago.
+ Laverocks have almost disappeared from the parish of Traquair, in which I live. This, without doubt, is caused by Starlings, who destroy their eggs. The increase of Starlings during the last twelve or thirteen years has been most marked, and noticed by the most casual observers. When I was a boy the Starlings nested at only three places in the whole parish, but now there is scarcely a chimney, church- steeple, or garden-wall in the county where their nests are not to be found. [What evidence is there that Starlings destroy Larks' eggs? We are acquainted with many localities in which both species abound. — Ed.]
I At Wanlockhead (1200 feet above sea-level), a mining village on the borders of Dumfriesshire, the Sparrow is quite unknown. [See Yarrell's 'British Birds,' 4th edition, vol. ii., p. 94, note. — Ed.]
