Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

COAL-HOOD, Colehood; -hooding; Coal-Hoodie, —Hooden, Coaly Hood, Colliehood, n. comb. Applied loosely to various small birds with black heads: “the reed bunting, Emberiza schœniclus” (Sc. 1885 C. Swainson Brit. Birds 72, coaly hood, Mearns 1825 Jam.², coal-hoodie); “the Black-cap” (Sc. 1808 Jam., colehooding; 1825 Jam.², colehood), Sylvia atricapilla; the coal titmouse, Parus ater (Sc. 1885 C. Swainson Brit. Birds 33, coal-hood, coaly-; e.Lth. Ib., coal hooden; Sc. 1741 A. McDonald Galick Vocab. 75, cole-hood); and possibly the stonechat, Pratincola rubicola. It is uncertain which of these birds is intended in the quots. See also Black Coaly Hood.Fif. 1864 W. D. Latto Tammas Bodkin iv.:
Simon was ower muckle ta'en up wi' the black-birds, linties, colliehoods, an' watery-wag-tails for ha'ein' time to think aboot the whun cowes.Slk. 1818 Hogg Brownie of Bodsbeck, etc. I. xi.:
That ever I sude hae lived to see the colehood take the laverock's place; and the stanchel and the merlin chatterin' frae the cushat's nest!