ANIMAL 61 



Mionach a bheathaich is maoile air adhaircean a bheathaich is 

 bioraicbe. 



The entrails of the blunter (hornless) beast on the horns 

 of the sharper one (horned). 

 Mir am bial na beisde. 



A bite for the monster beast's mouth. What the traveller 

 threw out from his sled to save himself from wolves. 

 Na'm biodh an t-earbull na bu righne, bhiodh an sgiallachd 

 na b'fhaide. 



Had the tail been tougher the tale would have been 

 longer. (See Nicolson's note hereto). This may be akin 

 to " Ma bhriseas bun-fionn," etc.,, under Pig. 

 Paidhidh am feaman am fiarach. 



The tail will pay the grazing, i.e., each animal will pay 

 for its feeding with the manure it leaves. 

 Seachd mial mhor mhara sath Cirein Croin. 



Seven whales, or great sea animals, a Ciren crone's feed. 

 It is not known what this monster animal was, though 

 it may well have been one of these " Giant fish-de- 

 stroyers," so ably, inter alia, described by Dr Carmichael 

 Mcintosh, which waged war in sea and on land against 

 all and sundry as well as against each other, viz., the 

 gigantic Deinosaurs, some of which, notably the Atlanto- 

 saurus, reached to one hundred feet in length with a 

 height of thirty feet, and proportionately awful of aspect. 



The word " Beadagan " has been used to convey the idea of a 

 contemptible, insignificant animal, though it bears the translaticn 

 " puppy " here, in an extract from Rob Donn, viz. : — 



" A bheadagain duibh 

 Prab-shuil air chrith 

 Mach a mo thigh." 



You black, blear-eyed puppy, get out of my house. This 

 appears applicable to a human animal. 



A saying expressive of utter uselessness is " Is splionach thu 

 (or e) gu talarah." You are (or he is) a worn-out creature down to 

 the ground, or "bho d'gnos gu d' dhroll," from your snout to your 

 hinder end. 



At one time in Ireland a grade of farmer existed who was taken 

 bound, inter alia, to keep one hundred of each kind of domestic 

 animal. This farmer was styled " Brughaidh cedach," brughaiche 

 ceudach, centurion brughaidh or farmer. Brug, brugh, a village, 

 homestead, farm, hence burg, burgher. 



St Ciaran, according to Silva Gadelica, was devotedly attached 

 to animals, and tamed several wild ones, notably a boar, fox, 

 brock, wolf, and doe, all which did his will, the first even pulling 

 wattles and thatch for the Saint with his teeth, to help in the 



