A CURFEW PRAYER. 219 



Since the cessation of the terrible gales of the early part of the 

 month, the weather has been bright, bracing, and breezy, with occa- 

 sional snow showers along the uplands, that have already converted 

 the many mountain ridges around each into a veritable Sierra Nevada. 

 On the nights of the 13- 14th and 14- 15th we sat up till a late, or 

 rather an early hour, keenly on the watch for a meteoric display, in 

 railway nomenclature, then due, but which, up to the date of the 

 present writing, has not yet put in an appearance. Meteors there 

 were, but they were the mere phosphorescent streaks rarely looked 

 for in vain by the student of the heavens on a fairly cloudless night 

 at this season. The lunar eclipse of the early morning of the 15th 

 was well seen, the beautiful orb, like a shield of burnished silver, 

 riding serene in the unclouded blue ; but the obscuration was too 

 partial to be in any way interesting or striking to any one who had 

 gazed on the phenomenon in its grander phases as often as we have 

 done. 



To our good friend Mr. Garmichael of South Uist we are in- 

 debted for the following contributions to our stock of ancient Celtic 

 folk-lore, a subject much neglected, but of very great interest 

 notwithstanding : 



URNUIGH SMALAIDH TEINE. 



A prayer to be said at covering up the fire at bedtime. 

 (Taken down from the recitation of a man living at locar of Uist.) 



Smalaidh mise an teine ; 

 Mar a smalas Mac Moire. 

 Gu'm bu slkn an tigh 's an teine, 

 Gu'm bu slan do 'n chuideachd uile. 

 Co sid air an lar ? 

 Peadair agus Pal, 

 Co air a bhith's an aire 'nochd ? 

 Air Moire geal 's air a Mac. 

 if Beul De a dh'innseas, 



Aingeal geal a lann'ras, 

 Aingeal 'an dorus gach taighe 

 Gu solus gael a maireach. 



