with which in my boyish days I shot many a rare bird, though it did sometimes take a very long time puffing and fizzing from the time I pulled the trigger till the shot went off.

Group 11-Muscicapida.

SPOTTED FLYCATCHER.

Latin Muscicapa grisola. Gaelic-Breacan-glas, Beicein-ylas, Breacan-sgiobalt, Glac-nan-cuileag. Welsh-Y Gwybedog. Group III. Merulida.

COMMON DIPPER OR WATER-OUZEL.

Latin-Cinclus aquaticus. Gaelic-Gobha-uisge, Gobha-dubh, Gobha-dubh-nan-allt, Gobhachan, Gobhachan-allt, Gobhachandubh, Gobhachan-uisge, Lon-uisge, Feannag-uisge, Bogachan, Boq-an-lochan. Welsh-Mwyalchen y dwfr.

This lively little gentleman with the many titles, in full evening dress, black suit and white shirt front, is to be found on the banks of every burn in the Highlands, and has a different name almost on every burn. In some districts it is a much maligned and much persecuted bird, through the ignorant belief that it lives entirely on fish spawn, a very great mistake. Grey says "Instead of doing harm in this way, it is in fact the anglers' best friend by devouring immense quantities of the larvæ of dragonflies and water-beetles-creatures which are known to live to a great extent upon the spawn, and even the newly hatched fry of both trout and salmon." He also adds, that to this day a reward of sixpence a head is given in some parts of Sutherlandshire for water-ouzels. And we read in the New Statistical Account that the slaughter of one of those innocent birds was counted such a meritorious deed that " formerly, any person who succeeded in killing one of these birds was allowed, as a reward, the privilege of fishing in the close season; but for a long time back this has been lost sight of." Not, I am sorry to say, because the poòr water-ouzel gets more justice, or is now counted innocent by the class of people that slaughter it, but because the fishings are more valuable, and sharper looked after.

MISSEL THRUSH.

Latin-Turdus viscivorus. Gaelic-Smeorach-mhor, Smeorachghlas, Sgraicheag, Sgraicheag-ghlas. Welsh-Tresglen, Pen y Llwyn.

FIELDFARE.

Latin-Turdus pilarus. Gaelic-Liatruisg, Liatrasg. WelshCaseg y ddryccin.

MAVIS OR COMMON THRUSH.

Latin-Turdus musicus. Gaelic-Smeorach, Smeorach-bhuidhe. Welsh-Aderyn Croufraith.

Of all singing birds in the Highlands the mavis is the favourite, and reckoned the sweetest singer. All our bards, late and early, delight in comparing their sweet singers to the mavis, which is the highest praise they can give, hence the saying--"Cho binn ri smeòrach air geug". -as tuneful as a mavis on a bough. It is the first bird that begins to sing in the Highlands, often beginning, on an occasional fine day, before the storms of winter are over. As the old proverb says "Cha'n 'eil port a sheinneas an smeòrach 's an Fhaoilleach, nach, caoin i mu'n ruith an t-Earrach"-For every song the mavis sings in February she'll lament ere the spring be over. Another says, "Cha dean aon smeòrach samhradh"-One mavis makes not summer. One of the most ancient styles of composition in the Gaelic language, and a very favourite one with most Highland bards, is that in which they represent themselves as the "smeorach," or mavis of their respective clans, to sing the praises of their chiefs and clans. Of this curious species of composition we have many examples, notably "Smeorach Chlann Raonuill"-The Mavis of Clan Ranald, by Alex. Macdonald (Mac Mhaighistir Alastair):— "Gur 'a mis an smeòrach chreagach,

An déis léum bharr cuaich mo nidein
Sholar bidh do m' ianaibh beaga,
Seinneam ceòl air barr gach bidein.

'S smeorach mise do Chlann Dónuill,
Dréam a dhiteadh a 's a leonadh ;

'S chaidh mo chur an riochd na smeoraich,
Gu bhi seinn 's ag cur ri ceol dhaibh.

'S mise 'n t-ianan beag le m' fheadan
Am madainn-dhriuchd am barr gach badain,
Sheinneadh na puirt ghrinn gun sgreadan-
'S ionmhuinn m' fheadag fead gach lagain."

There are also smeorachs by Mac Codrum, Macdougall, Maclachlan, Macleod, and others-all admirable compositions of their kind.

Latin Jardus iliacus.

RED-WING.

Gaelic

Sgiath-dheargan, Ean-an-t-
Deargan-sneachda.

sneachda, Smeorach - an-t-sneachda.
Welsh-Soccen yr lira, Y dresclen goch.

BLACKBIRD.

Latin-Jurdus merula. Gaelic-Lon-dubh, Eun-dubh. WelshMwyalch, Aderyn du.

The blackbird has always been reckoned a mournful bird in the Highlands, partly, perhaps, from its sombre colour, and more especially because of its sweet plaintive song, the rapid warbling notes of which the Highlanders likened to some of their most mournful piobaireachd laments, whilst the mavis' song resembled the salute or welcome class of piobaireachd--“An smeorach ri failte, 's 'n lon-dubh ri cumha"- "The mavis sings a welcome, and the blackbird a lament." Ewan MacColl, the Lochfyne bard, expresses this old Highland belief very beautifully in his address to a blackbird, some of the verses of which I may quote

"A loin-duibh, a loin-duibh, 's fada dh' imich uait surdCiod e so, 'chuir mulad 'na d' dhan-s?

Tha 'n samhradh a' tighinn, tha 'choille 'fas domh’il, 'S gach eun innt' le sunnd 'cur air failt.

"A loin-duibh, a loin-duibh, 'n uair tha'n uiseag 's an speur, 'Cur gean air Righ aobhach an Lò,

'Nuair tha 'n smeòrach 's a leannnan 'comh-shodan ri d' thaobh, 'M bi thusa 'n ad aonar ri bròn?

"A loin-duibh, tha do thuireadh a' lotadh mo chri—
'S ioghnadh leam ciod a chradh thu co ghoirt :
'N e namh 'an riochd caraid a ghoid uait do shith?
'N e gu 'n d' mhealladh 'n ad dhochas thu 'th' ort?

"A loin-duibh, a loin-duibh, 'm beil do leannan riut dur?
Cha 'n urrainn do 'n chuis bhi gu brath:

Co ise air thalamh 's an cuireadh tu uidh,

Nac mealladh 's nach maoth'cheadh do dhàn?

"A loin-duibh, a loin-duibh, dearc 'us suthag nam blàr,
Bi'dh deas dhuit gun dàil air son bidh :

Tha 'n clamhan 'san t-seobhag fad', fada o laimh?
Nach sguir thu, ma ta, de do chaoidh?

“A loin-duibh, a lion-duibh, tha mi 'cuimhneachadh nis!
Bha 'n t-eun'dair an rathad so 'n dé-

O an-iochd an trudair! do leannan thuit leis
Eoin ghrinn, 'se so 'ghuin thu-nach e?"

Fond blackbird, fond blackbird, sad, sad is thy song-
The cause of thy grief I would lear: ;

Bright summer is coming, hear how the woods ring,
And welcome his kingly return.

Fond blackbird, fond blackbird, the lark, soaring high,
Salutes the bright orb of the day;

The cuckoo and thrush sing together for joy,
Why then art thou joyless, O say?

Fond blackbird, thy plaint makes my heart almost bleed;
Dire, dire must indeed be thy doom;

Has the friend of thy bosom proved false? or did fade
Each young hope that once promised to bloom?

Fond blackbird, fond blackbird, say, lov'st thou in vain,
Or is thy fair consort unkind?

Ah, no-could she listen to that melting strain,
And leave the sweet warbler to pine!

Fond blackbird, fond blackbird, the berry and sloe

Will soon be thy banquet so rare ;

The buzzard and falcon are far out of view,

To wail, then, sweet mourner, forbear.

Fond blackbird, fond blackbird, now, now do I mind—
The fowler yestreen sought the brake;

Thy partner's soft plumage he strew'd on the wind!
Nought else could such deep woes awake.

Very curiously the Gaelic name of the huge and long extinct deer, the elk, is the same as that of the blackbird, Lon-dubh, and most certainly it is the elk that is referred to, and not the blackbird in the very ancient saying " An Lon-dubh, an Lon-dubh spàgach! thug mise dha coille fhasgach fheurach, 's thug esan dhomh an monadh dubh fàsach." Sheriff Nicholson translates this-The blackbird, the sprawling blackbird! I gave him a sheltered grassy wood, and he gave me the black desolute moor. Mackintosh in his Gaelic Proverbs translates it-The ouzel, the club-footed ouzel, &c., (which, of course, is wrong, as the ouzel has no claim to this name), and adds a note-"Some say that this alludes to the Roman invasion, and others refer it to the Scandinavian incursions, when the Gael left the more sheltered spots and pasture ranges, and fled to the fastnesses of the Grampian hills." I have no doubt the proper translation is-The elk, the bow-legged, or club

footed elk, &c.; for who could possibly apply the word, "spagach" to the straight, slender, genteel feet of the blackbird? whereas nothing could be so descriptive of the great clumsy clubfeet of the elk, whose hoofs are so much and so loosely divided that when it puts its weight on them, they spread out so wide that when it lifts its foot, the two divisions of the hoof fall together with a loud clattering noise, which would be sure to draw the attention of our remote ancestors to them, and what would be more likely than that they would in derision liken the hated Roman soldiers, with their great broad sandals on their feet, to the clumsy lumbering elk; certainly they would be more likely to do so than to liken them to the sprightly black bird. If the saying does refer to the elk, which was extinct in Britain ages before all written history, it is another proof added to the many, of how the ancient lore of the Celts, though unwritten, was handed down through so many generations of the children of the Gael.

RING OUZEL.

Latin-Tardus torquatus. Gaelic--Dubh chraige, Druid-mhonaidh Druid-dhubh. Welsh-Mwyalchen y graig.

Group IV-Sylviada.

HEDGE SPARROW.

Latin-Accentor modularis.

Gaelic-Gealbhonn-nam-preas,

Sporag, Donnag. Welsh-Llwyd y gwrych.

I have no doubt the common English country name of this bird-Dunnock (Rev. J. C. Atkinson)-is simply a corruption of the Gaelic name, Donnag-Brownie, or little brown bird.

ROBIN.

Latin-Erythaca rubecula. Gaelic-Bru-dhearg, Bru-dheargan, Broinn-dhearg, Broinn-dheargan, Broinileag, Nigidh, Ruadhag, Roban-roid. Welsh-Yr hobi goch, Bron-goch.

Here also one of the English country names given by the Rev. J. Atkinson seems to come from the Gaelic-Ruddock, Ruadhag, little red bird-and as the English borrow from the Gaelic, it is only fair that we should do the same from their language (in modern times, of course, as everybody knows most of our Gaelic names of birds were in use many centuries before the English language had an existence). So, very curiously, one of our greatest bards, Alexander Macdonald, has done in this case, for though in his Gaelic Vocabulary he gives the Gaelic name of the robin as Broinn-dheargan, yet in his poems he always calls