FOX 161 



owners, of the fox has never gone (in England and Ireland at 

 least) beyond the hunting, and in Scotland, careful as the process 

 has been, it is not equal to the slaughter, at the instigation of the 

 State, in Sweden and Norway, where the bill for a single year 

 amounted to nearly twenty thousand. 



In 1744 a tax, called "fox-money," was imposed or laid on in 

 the Island of Skye by the proprietors or lairds, and a resolution 

 come to by them was to continue it "in the method now laid on 

 until a general meeting of the heritors and tacksmen think proper 

 to take it off." In the old Irish Gaelic Testament we read " Ataid 

 fuachaisighe ag na sionnchaibh," the foxes have holes. The race 

 of the " Foxes," " Clan Martin," is a proverb ; as before stated 

 the fox is sometimes called " An gille Martainn." Saint Columba 

 was originally christened "Crimthann," and in an article by 

 Whitley Stokes we find certain Irish Guards (or swordsmen) 

 named Flands, Cummains, Aeds, and Crimtha?is. A race of people 

 in Westmeath, chiefs of Taffia, were, according to the Four 

 Masters, called Sinnachs or Foxes, and " Muinntir Tadhgan," 

 this, however, seems to be the Gaelic word "taghan," a marten or 

 polecat. In the Irish Annals also, by Dual Firbis, it is said that 

 the family of O'Caharney or O'Kearney of Taffia were the " Foxes," 

 Sinnachs or Sinnacha. Clement O'Duigan, vicar of Kilronan, was 

 called " Sagart-na-sinnach," or the priest of the "Foxes," he died 

 in 1357. The name "Sinnach" or "Fox" was adopted by the 

 foregoing about 1084, a tale being that from having killed an 

 arch-poet thereabouts they thereafter stank like foxes. A king 

 of Gaileng, who died in 989, named Ua Leochann, had the 

 sobriquet " An sionnach," the fox ; he was probably a more than 

 able diplomatist. 



In Applecross a bay is named Ob'mhadaidh ruaidh from the 

 incident — alleged — of a fox which had been prowling on the shore 

 having got his tongue into a large mussel, which closed on it, and 

 held it while the tide rose and drowned the fox. It has to be 

 mentioned also that a large kind of mussel is called " madadh." 



It is said that Irish fishermen will not go to sea if they meet 

 or see a fox, or even hear its name mentioned. 



As may be expected the proverbial sayings in Gaelic are very 

 good and apt. 



Am fear a bheir car as an t-sionnach feumaidh e eiridh moch 

 (or moch-eiridh a dheanamh). 



He who would cheat the fox must rise early. 

 An uair a leumas e'n Fheill-Brighde, cha 'n earb an sionnach 

 earball ris an eigh. 



When Candlemas is past the fox won't trust his tail to the 

 ice. There may be hard frost at that season, but it is 

 not to be depended on. 

 Be sin an t-sionnach a' searmonachdh do na geoidh. 

 That were the fox preaching to the geese. 



L 



