This photograph of Razorbills was taken by Dave Fifield. If you've visited our Blog before or know anything about Rattling Books you may recognize the Razorbill as the inspiration for our logo. We knew the Razobill by it's Latin name (Alca torda) and the local term Tinker but according to the Dictionary of Newfoundland English the Rattling Books logo is also known as a Gud.Here is the Gud entry which you can find in the online edition of the Dictionary of Newfoundland English.
gud n Northern razor-bill (Alca torda); TINKER. 1884 STEARNS 235-6 I have often seen the water covered with a clustered flock [of puffins], all engaged in making a hoarse, rasping sound, not unlike the filing of a saw; this is also done both by the 'murre,' and the 'turre,' and at such times, which ever species is present, they receive from the sailors the name of 'guds,' from a fancied resemblance to that sound.
So that's what people have been saying all this time about Rattling Books!
"Some gud logo you got there b'y."
