234 ATTK— Rinn 



to be somewhat modern, tht- lair as written at least 500 years 

 old, while the a<^e of the myth is unknown. In this fable the 

 birds are said to have been soon weary of the length and 

 difticulties of the way, and at last almost all gave out. Three only 

 persevered and arrived before the throne of the "Simorg," who 

 was however invisible to them. Chaueer wrote The Fowls' A.s.sembli/, 

 which some say was founded hereon. He gives the character of 

 nearly forty birds. "Conaltradh nan eun," as given under Bnin, 

 seems akin to the foregoing. 



AUK (see also Penguin). — Ale, alca ; Bunabhuachaile, burra- 

 bhuachaile (great) ; Caltag ; Falcag ; Gearrbhuil, gearbhal, gearr- 

 bhall. 



Alk, auklet; Bawkie ; Carling (penguin); Faik, falk ; Gare- 

 fowl ; Little auk, little guillemot ; Oke ; Pendugan (penguin — 

 Skelton), penguin ; Rare-fowl, ratch, rotch, rotchie ; Scout (Bass), 

 sea-dove, sea turtle-dove, small black-and-white diver, spotted 

 one, squat. 



From Icelandic word " Alka " ; and gare-fowl, from geyr-fugl. 

 Gearrbhuil, etc., probably the same. 



In 1790 this bird was said to be common in Iceland, whence, 

 or from Norway, they' were supposed to wander to our more 

 northern shores ; according to Lightfoot and others, visiting St 

 Kilda, and breeding there, though not a regular migrant. The 

 auk is particularly described by Martin. It is now concluded to 

 be extinct, and the few eggs known to exist change hands at 

 fabulous prices. 



AVOCET. — Cearra-ghob ; Gob-cearr ; Mini-ghob. 



Avoset ; Black and white avocet, butterflip ; Clinker, cobbler's 

 awl or awlduck, crooked-bill ; Scooper, scooping avocet ; Rearine ; 

 Yelper. 



B 



BARNACLE GOOSE (see Goose). 



BIRD (see also Gaelic-English lists in Part I.)— Afais (Old 

 Celt.), ahmhin (brood), al, alach (young), altain (flock), amac, araach, 

 amhach (ravenous) ; Badh (fierce, ravenous), baidne, baidnein (small 

 group), beach, beathag, bidein (cheeper), bigean, bigean-beag, 

 bigein, bigeun (wee little bird — Carm.), bodh (fierce, ravenous), 

 brid-eun (small), buidheag, buidhean (all yellow) ; Cai (cuckoo), 

 caochan, ciuthrach (red-headed), cluimhealta (flock), cubhar, cuibh 



