RAT— SEAL 209 



A stroke here and there, like a man killing rats (sharp but 

 uncertain work). E. IVPD. in his Dictionary adds, "often 

 applied by worthy ' Moderates ' in the North to the 

 Catechists' style of preaching." 

 Cho bochd ri radan. 

 As poor as a rat. 

 Fois radan an conlaich. 



A rat's rest among straw — i.e., short. 

 Tha mi 'cuir an amharus, which has been translated — 

 I smell a rat. 



REARMOUSE (see Bat). 



REINDEER. — Brae ; Fast, lit. running deer. 



ROE, ROEBUCK (see Deer).— Other names are Emele 

 (female), emeuse (third year) ; Ra, raa (A. S. — Chaucer), rah, 

 rah-deer, rae, ra-capreus, rah-deor. A Teutonic origin is 

 « Raiha." 



In the Irish version of the tale of Deirdri, or the lamentable 

 tale of the sons of Usnach, the place now called Glendaruel is 

 designated Glenn da ruadh, the vale of the two roes, or the vale 

 of the red roe. The island of Raasay means roe isle, raa-ey. 



SABLE (see Rat). 



SEAL. — Beisd-mhaol, bodach (lesser), brional (male) ; Cuilean 

 (young), cullach-cuain (male), cu-mara ; Each-mara (large — Morse) ; 

 Goba-sail ; Luch-mor ; Mial-ron, moineas, moineis, morlo, mor- 

 luah (Welsh), mulach, mulbha, mulbhach, mulcha, mullach ; 

 Pliutach ; Ras, raismhaol, ron, ron-mulach or mullach, ron mhuir ; 

 Tabhuan, ta-beisd, tabh-bheisd, taifean, tap-bheisd. 



Bilder, boca (phoca ?), brineld (old fem.), brun-swine or swyne ; 

 Dog (Fife) ; Haaf-fish, hran, hron (A. S.), horeng ; Jarck : Molle- 

 welle, morse ; Neubling (a kind of) ; Powart ; Sael, saelkie, saylch, 

 sea-dog, selch, selchie, seekie, seolbh, silkie (Shet.), swelchie ; 

 Tang-fish ; Walrus, willie-powret. 



The etymology has been given as from "Sal," sea-water. 

 Teut. "selha" means a fish. The Norse word "Shellay" — sel-ey, 

 in the outer isles, is just eileaii nan-ron, isle of seals, an island off 

 Colonsay. The word "ron" is thought by some to come from 

 the Norse " hraun," a rocky, desolate place. 



In Caithness the seal is — or was — deemed to be a fallen angel. 

 There used to be a family in North Uist said to be descended 



O 



