Leeneia Many places have their own names for birds, these names coming from times when bird books were not available to a mainly rural population. Here in the west of Scotland we have the Green Lintie the Yellowyite [Yellowhammer] the Bluedykie [Hedgesparrow--from the colour of its eggs.] the Stankie [Waterhen---from its frequenting stanks and ditches]. A survey taken at the end of the 19th.C. gives the Shilfie {Chaffinch} as the most common bird in the area at that time. These names are still used.
|