Ixxii PROCEEDINGS. 



given in the Standard Dictionary. In Newfoundland, however, I am 

 assured it has always the idea connected with it of a cold wind driving 

 the particles of ice in a way as it were to shave ones face. 



They have also some peculiar names for the creatures coming under 

 their notice. Thus the medusae or sea nettles are called squid squads, 

 sometimes squid squalls, the echinus or sea urchin oxeggs, fresh water 

 clams, cocks and liens, and to the westward smelts are known as ministers. 

 The black fly is known as the mosquito and the musquito as the nipper. 

 The sea eagle they call the grepe. This seems unquestiunably the same 

 as grebe, but originally it represented certain kinds of water fowl. Then 

 stoat is used for shoat, a young pig, and the American brown thrush or 

 robin is called the black bird. We may add here that raisins are always 

 known asfiys, while figs are distinguished as broad Jigs. 



But seal hunting is the industry peculiar to the island and in it has 

 arisen a large number of terms, either specially applied or sometimes 

 seemingly produced among themselves, to denote every object and act 

 connected with it. We should observe however that with them a seal 

 is always a swile, a sealing vessel or sealer, a siuiler and seal hunting is 

 swile hunting. This is an example, of which there are many others, of 

 words being pronounced so differently as really to seem to be different 

 words. Thus a hoe is a how, the fir is var, snuffing is snqfflng, forked is 

 varket and never is naar, which is equivalent to " not," "naar a bit" 

 being a favorite expression to denote a strong negative. 



Then they have a number of words only to distinguish the 

 species of seals, as harps, hoods and dogheads, but to mark the difference 

 of age and condition. Thus the young or baby-seals till they leave the 

 ice are known as whitecoats. When the pelt, that is the skin and fat 

 together, does not weigh more than twenty-five pounds, it is called a cat, 

 and a dwarf-seal, a fat little fellow, is called ajar. 



The most curious use, however, of a word in this connection is that 

 of bedlainer. The word originated with a class of vagabonds in the 

 Middle Ages, known at first as " bedlam beggars," so called because when 

 released from Bedlam hospital they were licensed to beg. They are 

 referred to by Shakespeare as pilgrim beggars, but were commonly 

 known as Toms o' Bedlam. They were also called bedlamites and 

 bedlamers, which came to be generic terms for fools of all classes. The 

 last is used in Newfoundland with two applications : (1) It denotes a 

 seal one year old and half grown, which being immature is of little 



