196 OTTER— OX 



the liver of a newly-killed otter while warm, receives the power 

 to cure burns and scalds by licking them. It was of an otter's 

 skin the famous Hob Roy's favourite sporan was said to have been 

 made, and in "'Jain bo Fraich," the reiving of Fraech's cows, 

 it is said that the bag which held the harp was made of otter skin 

 and called " Crotbolg." 



The otter's den in the Lowlands is termed " Bousie." It is 

 said he hates the feathered race. Several places have a "Cam 

 dobhran," being the spot, generally elevated, where the otter 

 used to devour his prey, a spot generally well-known to the 

 neighbouring inhabitants, and by them dubbed also "earn 

 nam bochd," as they, the poor, used to feast on what the otter left 

 of a salmon, i.e., all but a piece from out the back. A proverb is, 

 " Mar dhobhran am bun uisge, tha bean mic gu 'mathair-cheile." 

 Like otter at a river mouth is the son's wife to his mother — 

 watchful. 



OX (see also Cow). — Agadh, aghan (young), aithre ; Baisleach, 

 bo-alluidh (furious), braithcheam ; Damh, damh-alluidh (wild) ; 

 Es or eis-dhamh, esamh, esemh ; Is ; Meac-treabhaidh (plough), 

 meactroigh, modh-dhamh ; Saoth-dhamh. 



Ag, agg (stall-fed), axan ; Bu (A. N.), bugle, bull-seg, bummick, 

 burling (young) ; Ex ; Ouse, ousen (pL, North), owse (Banffs.) ; 

 Runt ; Saig, seg (Gall.) ; Tomminaul (two-year-old). 



The etymology is said to be from Aryan " gau," an ox or cow, 

 from "gu," to low, to bellow, while the word "damh" is a very 

 interesting word, and happens in Latin as "dama," as the goat 

 or deer ; the English word " dame " may also be traced therefrom. 

 The word " Meac-treabhaidh " or meactroigh means the ox next to 

 or nearest the plough. 



Names from " damh " are Daimen, Daimhin, son of Cairbre — 

 Damh-airgiod in 560. Our letter " A " which with the ancients 

 stood for the word " eagle " was afterwards thought to call to mind 

 the head of an ox, and the drawing of that letter was altered to 

 look more like that ; an ox stood as a coat-of-arms among the 

 ancient Egyptians. In Aberdeenshire we find " Dailnadamph," 

 or dail na damh, the field of the oxen. Cameron, in his Gaelic 

 names for plants, etc., says the plant Bugloss is in Gaelic " Lus 

 teang' an daimh," ox-tongue, while we are elsewhere told that 

 " Boglus " is a corruption of " colg" an ox, and " lus," a plant ! The 

 life (i.e., natural) of an ox is said to be twenty years. 



Cho dall ri damh ann an ceo. 



As blind as an ox in mist. 

 Is damh thu 's gu *m meall thu d'ainm. 



You are an ox, and may you enjoy your name. 

 Tha car eile 'an adharc an daimh. 



There's another turn in the ox's horn. (See note by Nicolson 

 hereto.) 



