There is no such place as the West Country. It was invented by GWR
[But did you know, they do say tes true, that West Country cheddar is now a protected EC label but Cornish pasty isn't
Anyway, my beauty, a tourist is an emmet; a grockle is what you find at the bottom of your beer glass. Grockle for tourist is Devonian
But both I believe are English
Moryon is the Cornish
L
-----Original Message-----
From: Joanna Boulter <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Friday, March 10, 2006 4:39 PM
Subject: Re: help--translation query
Splendid pic of grackle, Mark -- how big a bird is it? I'd got the word
muddled with grockle, which is the west-country word for a tourist as I'm
sure Lawrence will confirm.
That Latin name sounds as though they're saying 'Who the hell, who the
heck'.
I would support Patrick in plumping for 'fluff feathers' or 'fluffed-up'.
joanna
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Weiss" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, March 10, 2006 2:56 PM
Subject: Re: help--translation query
> Australia must hold the record for noisy birds.
>
> I'm more a bird noticer than a bird watcher. Grackles (
>
> Quiscalus quiscula--isn't google grand?) gather in hundreds and sound like
> their name. They also shit a lot on unaware walkers. Rather like starlings
> for annoyance value. Black with dark purple heads. A good photo at
> http://spurr.pls.uni.edu/birds/photos/common_grackle_a.jpg, and lo! it's
> puffed up. Otherwise sleek as a crow.
>
> As to birds and poets, this from my childhood, in the mock-hillbilly
> genre:
>
> "Oh a bird laid some turd on the mountain I hear."
> "That was no bird that was no turd that was me-e."
>
> What's "having a lend"?
>
> Mark
>
>
>
> At 09:37 AM 3/10/2006, you wrote:
>>Hi Mark,
>>
>>First of all, what's a grackle? I assume you're not having a lend.
>>
>>But I would be interested in the correct name for the term as well. There
>>does seem to be a thing about poets and birds.
>>
>>I'm a lazy bird watcher myself and rarely know the correct word for
>>ornithological things. But I notice them all the same. Tonight, there was
>>a real racket across the street as I was coming home, ooh, about 7ish.
>>Most likely parrots of some kind. I couldn't see them but they were,
>>obviously, apparent.
>>
>>Cheers,
>>Jill
>>
>>
>>On Saturday, March 11, 2006, at 01:06 AM, Mark Weiss wrote:
>>
>>>OK, I need some feedback from birdwatchers. In the winter birds puff out
>>>their feathers fro warmth. Is there/are there a term/terms for this? From
>>>the scientific to the colloquial.
>>>
>>>I realize this question is likely to inspire some general levity, not to
>>>say tom-foolery (origin?), which I'd appreciate as much as the next
>>>guy/gal, but I really could use the help on this one.
>>>
>>>A tribeof grackles has taken up residence in the park outside my
>>>window--maybe 25 males. Quiet so far--probably waiting for a critical
>>>mass to build up. Oh lucky me.
>>>
>>>Mark
>>
>>_______________________________________________________
>>Jill Jones
>>
>>Latest books:
>>Broken/Open. Available from Salt Publishing
>>http://www.saltpublishing.com/books/smp/1844710416.htm
>>
>>Where the Sea Burns. Wagtail Series. Picaro Press
>>PO Box 853, Warners Bay, NSW, 2282. [log in to unmask]
>>
>>Struggle and radiance: ten commentaries (Wild Honey Press)
>>http://www.wildhoneypress.com
>>
>>web site: http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~jpjones
>>blog1: Ruby Street http://rubystreet.blogspot.com/
>>blog2: Latitudes http://itudes.blogspot.com/
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