134 doc; 



still appear uncerUin, a fanciful derivation being frequently given ; 

 the word "beagle," for instance, is said to be from "biogail," 

 lively, active, frisky, or from "beag," little. Spaniel is literally 

 Spanish dog, cub conies from Old Irish or Celtic, cuh, a dog. The 

 Gaelic " cu " is thus explained by a Canadian Celt, " the Latin, of 

 which the word lias lost its final n, is from canix, so called from its 

 yelping, Gaelic caoine, to cry, hut caoine has other forms, viz., 

 cain, to scold, can, to say or siii<^ ; in the North caoine is sounded 

 as if ceoin or cone. I should think coineati, a rabbit, and coji, 

 a wolf, are but other forms of the same word." The word cu 

 has the signification of king, champion (like tore and eo), and 

 curaidh means champion. Mial-chu, greyhound, is from mial, an 

 animal which bites or seizes its prey, and this the greyhound does, 

 having no power of scent for hunting. Archu, etc., means lit. 

 slaughter-dog, bloodhound, watch-dog. Old Irish archoicid. 

 This archu had three functions, viz. (Irish), lorgairecht agus 

 gabhaltaige agus dingbail, i.e., lorgaireachd (tracing), gabhaltachd 

 (seizing), and diongmhaltas (general efficiency). The Arr-chogaidh 

 or Arra-diogaidh, is the first hound that "winds" or comes up 

 with the deer. The word hund or hun-da is said to be of Teutonic 

 type, from hun, hwan, kwan, a dog, hence cu, etc. The word pup 

 or puppy is of Celtic origin, being lit. puck-dog, from Old Celtic 

 puca, an elf, sprite, hobgoblin, or bocan, a spectre, apparition, 

 shapeless one, Welsh Bug. Another derivation is from pu, to 

 beget, or the young of any animal. Abh, whence abhag, etc., a 

 terrier, signifies barking. Terrier is said to mean a burrow or 

 burrowing dog, the French " terrier," signifying the hole, etc., of a 

 coney or fox. The word "oirc," etc., has also the meaning 

 "lap-dog." The word "gadhar" of old signified "beagle," and 

 " gadhar tafaind " (tabhain ?), hunting-hound, the old form is 

 " gadar," and it is thought it may be derived from Old Norman 

 "gagar," a dog, which latter form Kuno Meyer maintains is the 

 correct form. "Ciocar"or "ciocrach " is just ci or cu acrach, a 

 Imngry dog. " Coin dubha Ghriogarach," bloodhounds used of old 

 for tracking deer. 



The opinions held of dogs, and the characteristics attributed 

 to them by people, from the earliest period till now, vary con- 

 siderably. A much-lauded writer, R. L. Stevenson, says that " he 

 deserves not a name for virtue, but for vanity, greedy of notice, 

 intolerant of ridicule, suspicious, jealous, and devoid of truth." 

 The love for a dog is said to be an acquired taste. A non-lover 

 of dogs has been characterised as having a mean place or flaw 

 somewhere in his soul ; though he may, from some reason or other, 

 get to like one particular dog, he has no eye for dogs in general, 

 and therefore no true dog lover who should have a real instructive 

 fancy for all dogs, and because they are dogs, and who implicitly 

 believes that the genus canis has but few faults and a more than 

 human virtue, viz., faithfulness. Great is the dog — to some 



