Bird names in Scots

[Bookman]

Alexander Hume in his poem 'Of the Day Estival' composed in 1587 uses Scot's bird names which I think have the meanings shown in brackets: corbies (crows), kais (jackdaws), dow (doves - possibly pigeons in this poem), maevis (thrushes), stirlings (starlings), cuschetts (wood-pigeons) and philomeen - does anyone know what philomeen were ?
Bookman

[WilmaM]

Eventually found a reference:

(Philomene,) -meine, n. Also: -meyne, -meen; phelomene. [ME. and obs. e.m.E. philomene (Chaucer), philumene (1591), late L. philomena (1180, c 1470 in Latham). Cf. e.m.E. philomele (1579), also philomela (1599).] A poetic name for the nightingale. --- The sweit sang of this philomeyne; Seven S. 2578. Quhair merle and maveis micht be sene With progne and with phelomene [W. philomeine]; Montg. Ch. & Slae 5 (L). The maveis and the philomeen, The stirling whissilles lowd; Hume 32/189.
http://www.dsl.ac.uk/

and http://www.behindthename.com gives:
PHILOMEL Feminine
Usage: Literature
From an English word meaning "nightingale". It has been used frequently in poetry to denote the bird.

PHILOMELA Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
From Greek Φιλομηλα (Philomela) which meant "friend of song" from φιλος (philos) "friend" and μελος (melos) "song".
In Greek myth this was the name of the sister-in-law of Tereus, who raped her and cut out her tongue. Prokne avenged her sister by killing her son by Tereus, and then Tereus tried to kill Philomela, but she was transformed by the gods into a nightingale.

Not straight-forward....

[Bookman]

Thank you WillmaM - a brilliant answer within 20 minutes!
Bookman

[Bookman]

I think I've found another bird's name in the same poem: "Halks prunzies on the sunnie brais" (prunzies means "preens" so what are "halks"? Somehow I don't think hawks preen themselves on sunny hillsides.
Bookman

[SarahND]

Somehow I don't think hawks preen themselves on sunny hillsides.

Ah, but they do! You should see them perched on fences on the side of the highway here in France, preening themselves while they wait for road-kill

Concise Scots Dictionary says:

halk see hawk


Sarah

[johnniegarve]

Pity we don't get philomenes in Scotland, the poets must have read about them!
johnniegarve.

[SarahND]

Hi Johnniegarve and a warm

Not too sure of the exact distribution of Nightingales, but Wikipedia claims: The distribution is more southerly than the very closely related Thrush Nightingale Luscinia luscinia.

Then for the Thrush Nightingale it just says the distribution is "more northerly"

All the best,
Sarah