RABBIT— RAM 205 



Batty, bun, bunk, bunny ; Capron, caproun, clargyman (black — 

 Chesh.), conig, coney, cony, cuning, cunning, cunyng ; Jack-sharp ; 

 Kinnen, kinning, kinnon, kiunin, kjunen, kyoneen ; Map, mappy ; 

 Rabbert, riote, rump (young — Eng.) ; Scurel, sharpling, sharpnails. 



Supposed from old Dutch " Robbe," a rabet. 



Rabbits were introduced into Britain from Celtiberia. The 

 smallest kind known are to be found in Islay. Their native land 

 is apparently Spain, where the rabbit appears as an emblem upon 

 money or coins. Sometimes playing-cards have been made 

 representing rabbits. Though the Scriptural coney is said to be 

 the rabbit, this is not so, as that animal is now known as the 

 Syrian hyrax. A flesh-mark, the origin of which is similar to 

 that which is said to cause milleadh-maighiche, or liare-lip, is 

 known as maol-conain, or rabbit-mark or mole, elsewhere called 

 meall-conain, rabbit-lump, or ball-conain, rabbit spot or mark. A 

 place in Ireland is known as Sigrain moir na goinean, the Cunings' 

 isle. A rabbit's warren is "coinniceir." Though a rabbit's natural 

 life is only eight years, it multiplies at such a rate as to be almost 

 ineradicable. 



Is fhearr aon greim de choinein na dha de chat. 



One bite (or piece) of a rabbit is worth two of a cat. 

 Cats must have been eaten of yore, according to this. 



RAM (see also Sheep). — Beadagan (yearling) ; Reath, reatha, 

 reithe, rige, ruig, ruige, ruta ; Seilmigir. 



Ballard (castrated — Devon) ; Heder, heeder (Line); Ram- 

 stag (gelded), riglan, rigland, rigling, riggilt, roger (Eng.), rom 

 (Lane.) ; Teep, thrinter, thrunter (three years), tip, toop, tup. 



From old Sanscrit word meaning " to sport," etc. ; or from the 

 Norse word " Hruta." A term in Sanscrit for ram is "Bheda." 



In Silva Gadelica we read of a ram with nine horns. The 

 word " Beadagan " includes the idea of an early tendency to 

 propagate the species. Some confusion is said to exist as to the 

 res];ective meanings of rige, rud, ruda, ridge, etc. ; on the authority 

 of the Rev. Mr McRury, Snizort, Skye, rige, etc., means a semi- 

 castrated ram, nida, etc., the name given almost invariably to a 

 ram or tup. In the Outer Islands, at least those belonging to 

 Inverness-shire, ruda and rige are different in their application. 

 In Lewis, however, the word rida is applied to any ram. The term 

 Seilmigir also stands for an imperfect ram, incapable of castration, 

 but undependable. The term is also applied, metaphorically and 

 in a contemptuous manner, to useless men. The forms of the 

 word "rid, ridge, ridgel," etc., are numerous, and are applicable to 

 bulls and horses also. Among the sights unlucky to be seen the 

 first day of the year or time in Ireland was a black ram with its 

 hinder parts towards one. 



