160 FOAL— FOX 



Searrach seann oigich, cha robhe riabh sgairteil. 



The foal of an old stallion was never vigorous. 

 Suit searraich air a leis. 



A foal's fat is on his quarter. 



FOULMART(see Polecat). 



FOX. — An-ehu (a chu) ; Balgair, balgaire, bannach, brocaire 

 (yelper) ; Cliabhach, cliamhach, criomhan^ criomthann, cuilean 

 (cub) ; Faince, fainche, fainchi, fainchu, fear-chu (male), fiamoin 

 (Ir.); Gibne, gille-boidhre, gille-mairtean, gille-martuinn ; Lois, 

 loisidh ; Madadh-ruadh, nii-chu ; Prasach ; lladmuinn, rainche ; 

 Senach, sinnchenac (Old Jr.), sionn, sionnach ; Tadhgan (Ir.); 

 Uilp, uilpean, ulp. 



Bau-reynolds ; Faws (North), foks ; Kid-fox (young, Shakesp.), 

 kliket ; Laste, laurence, lawrie, loss, lowrie ; On-beast ; lianald, 

 reynald, rinkin (Suffolk), reynard, roplaw (young, Teviotd.) ; Tod, 

 tod-lowrie, tod-tyke ; Vixen (fern.). 



The name "reynard" means "strong in council" ; "tod," from 

 his bushy tail, being the old word for "tuft," etc. The word 

 " criomthann " is said to survive in the famous name McCrimmon, 

 though stated by some to be an improvement of the word " Cre- 

 mona." An Irish guard, as after referred to, was named Crimthans. 

 A fox's den is called "saobhaidh" also "Fuachas or Fuachasach," 

 sometimes "Broclach" (E. McD.). 



The valve of the mouthpiece of the bagpipes, for closing while 

 the player draws breath, is called "sionnach" or fox. Duncan 

 ban Maclntyre, the bard, blesses the fox as a sheep-destroyer. 



Mo bheannachd aig na balgairean 

 A chioiin 'bhi sealg nan caorach. 



My blessings on the cunning ones (foxes) 

 For hunting down the sheep. 



The plant named the fir club moss or fox-weed is in Gaelic 

 " lus-a-bhalgaire." 



A saying runs " coltach ri ceartais a mhadadh-ruaidh, liugach, 

 lugach, lingach, lamhalach or camalach," like the justice of the 

 red-dog, sneaking, cunning, crooked, corrupt. Whether one kind 

 of fox is more cunning than another is a moot question, but the 

 Mull of Cantyre ones are well to the front from the saying 



Cho seolta ri sionnach na Maoile. 



As cunning as the Mull (of Cantyre) fox. 



In the "Celtic Garland" by "Fionn," I. B. O. gives a 

 humorous suppositious narrative in Gaelic as to "how the first 

 fox went to Mull." It is stated in the old statistical account of 

 Scotland that foxes were not then (sixteenth century) to be found 

 in Lismore. A process of extermination, at the instance of land- 



