164 GOAT 



was always in a goat's blood the Crann-taiic was dipj)ed. The 

 national emblem of the Welsh is the goat ; Gower, the reputed 

 founder of the Cymric race (Cuimrich) being merely "gobhar." 

 The goat was also the favourite emblem of Faunus or the deity 

 who protects the cattle, etc., hence faunae by metathesis for all 

 animals, etc. In Irish Gaelic goatherd is gour-aora. St Mungo 

 wore a goat-skin coat (boicionn goibhre), which could be smelled 

 at a considerable distance. The goat is not extra particular in 

 its eating, being known to have devoured musty vellum, 

 parchment, etc. Gabhran was the name of the father of the 

 saint Aidan. It may be worth noting the similarity between Latin 

 and Gaelic names for the goat, a he-goat in its perfect natural 

 state is called hercus in Latin, heuran in Gaelic, when mutilated 

 or castrated, in Latin caper, and in Gaelic gabhar or gabar. 



"Tha na gobhair anns a Challort," the goats are in the 

 Callart, was the signal given by Janet Shaw to the chief of her 

 clan to attack the Cummings. I'he goat is said to be the only 

 animal that eats the Bishop-weed or herb Gerard aegropedium, 

 hence called goatweed. Martin tells us that a he-goat suspended 

 from the mast of a ship was believed to insure a favourable wind. 

 This is incredible. It is alleged that the supposed he-goat was 

 only an entire goat-skin bladder or float, and that Martin was 

 merely gulled by the astute natives. (See Matt. xxv. 31, as to 

 goats and sheep.) Goats are particularly fond of wind or exposed 

 places, 



" Gobhar gaoth ann an aodann creag." 

 Goat wind in the face of a rock. 



Goats are said to dislike wetting their feet, almost as much as 

 cats do. 



In some districts the final handful of corn falling to be cut, 

 was called when cut down ^' A ghobhar bhacach," the cripple 

 goat, in regard to which certain ceremonies were observed, one 

 being "damhsa nam boc." In Lewis and Harris, as in some 

 other places, the goats' pen, fold, or stable is called mainnir, also 

 era or cro, and gabharlann. In popular Gaelic sayings, songs, and 

 catches, the goat figures more frequently than the sheep. What 

 Highlander does not know the song " Gu bhi 'cuir nan gobhar as 

 a chreag } " " Fiacail goibhre," goat's tooth, is a name given to 

 a man who holds out against his neighbours, " aon an aghaidh 

 pobuill," one against people. The "leader" among goats is 

 termed caidhean, ceannabhoc, ceann-gaibhre, ceann-a-ghabhar or 

 gabharcheann, while " cadhlach " is a herd or flock of goats. 

 Caigeann, a machine for taming wild goats by binding them in 

 pairs (E. M.). The goat can live where other animals would 

 starve, as the following lines infer : — 



Cadha 'n fheidh Bochan Ubhaidh 

 Cas is mollaicht' tha ann, 



