ANIMAL 59 



being essentially monarchical, in certain respects imitating the 

 lower animals (all they had to imitate) by following their chief. 

 The terms for leaders of different animals will be found 

 under their respective headings. These leaders are the first to 

 rise and the last to lie down, and even when asleep, so permeated 

 are they with the sense of their responsibility, they seem to be 

 awake. A male is not necessarily the leader, among cattle at 

 any rate this position is often assmned by a cow (</. v.). But 

 whether male or female the leader is the least despotic animal 

 in the herd, the most contemptible being invariably the most 

 despotic, literally a bully, among men termed spleadhaii^e. Cowper, 

 the poet, was most partial to all animals. He had as pets at one 

 time five rabbits, three hares, two guinea pigs, a magpie, a jay, a 

 starling, a squirrel, two goldfinches, two canary birds, two dogs, 

 and one cat. From the largest sized mammal down to the wee 

 worm or almost invisible maggot, all animals were endowed, at 

 one time, with some charm or virtue to cure disease, as also some 

 bane. Animals in their wild state have of course their lodgings 

 or lairs known by certain names, a few are as follow : — a Badger, 

 ^' earth"; Deer, "lodge," "bed"; Fox, "kennel"; Hare, 

 "forme," in the East "small"; Marten, "tree"; Otter, 

 "watch"; Rabbit, "sit," "earth," "burrow"; Wolf, "train"; 

 Hart, "keeping." The track of a hare is called "smeuse." 

 Each place has its special quota of mammalia, etc., but details 

 are tedious to read ; it may be mentioned, however, that there are 

 just thirteen different species in the island of Lewis. Some different 

 terms for a collection of animals are Bears, a sleugh of; Foxes, 

 a skulk of; Lions, a pride of; Monkeys, a troop of; Oxen, a drove 

 of; Swine, a herd of; Whales, a school of; Wolves, a pack of. 



The endurance of the lives of animals is set forth in the 

 following saying : — 



Tri aois coin aois eich ; 



Tri aois eich aois duine ; 



Tri aois duine aois feidh ; 



Tri aois feidh aois firein ; 



Tri aois firein aois chraoibh dharaich. 



Three ages of a dog the age of a horse ; 



Three ages of a horse the age of a man ; 



Three ages of a man the age of a deer ; 



Three ages of a deer the age of an eagle ; 



Three ages of an eagle the age of an oak tree (2800 yrs.). 



The similarity between men and animals was used in various 

 senses, generally unfavourable to the former, as in the following 

 scathing comparison of a certain individual by Alasdair mac 



