xviii INTRODUCTION 



by others on reading this work, the names, etc., in wliitli have been 

 collected from all available sources, living and dead ; it is fervently 

 hoped many will take the necessary pains to add and eke thereto. 

 At one time it was my intention to distinguish obsolete words from 

 those in general use, but finding great divergences of opinion every- 

 where, I deemed it best to give all as found generally in the various 

 Gaelic and other Celtic dictionaries (even though obsolete terms are 

 specified in some), books, magazines, newspapers, etc., etc., leaving 

 each person to please him or herself. Words obtained from corres- 

 pondents are also given as sent, unless palpably wrong, and for 

 neither is it possible for me to accept responsibility beyond the 

 faithful rendering. A few words are evidently Gaelicised, but not 

 by me ; these are included for what they are worth. Gaelic could 

 be formed for every or any term or name, scientific or otherwise, 

 in any or every known work on such names, but, for obvious 

 reasons, no such attempt has been made. 



In Part II. I have been much more diffuse, which I trust will 

 serve to atone for the bare simplicity at any rate of Part I. I 

 venture to assert that the contents, now brought together for the 

 first time, will be found exceptionally interesting and instructive to 

 Celt and Saxon alike, not only from their innate value, but from 

 the fact of their being available in such a convenient form. It is 

 also hoped that the work as a whole may furnish future text-books 

 for use in all our Highland schools at anyrate. 



All the Gaelic names or terms which, as above stated, could be 

 procured, will be found in their alphabetical order attached to each 

 English name or term for which a Gaelic equivalent was found 

 and given in Part I. 



Having made a hobby of collecting Scottish and English terms, 

 etc., in various dialects for animals, etc., I have given these also, 

 so far as I have gone, but seeing dialectical dictionaries are 

 now available, I do not consider this part anything like 

 complete. The etymology also of both in a few instances i^ 

 given : as to this latter I have not ventured far. 



In the fourth section will be found what I believe will specially 

 interest and instruct every reader, viz., Celtic Lore, and here the 

 difficulty has been what to select, and how to conc^ense, compatible 

 with clearness. 



It may be considered by some that poetry or versification 

 bulks too largely, but none could be omitted, and much — very 

 much — has been held back, which would have elucidated and 

 adorned any such work as this. Great worldly wisdom at least, 

 as will readily be admitted, is and has for ages been contained in 

 both poetry and proverbs (sean-nos or naodh fhios, the knowledge 

 of nine persons (i.e. generations) according to the Senchus mor, 

 where also we meet with " Annfhocal and lonnrosg" for proverb — 

 inn or sean-arasg), and poets, as is well known, have been, nay, 

 perhaps, still are, the interpreters between man and Nature. 1 



