23G BIRD 



partriclges ; a hide of pheasants ; a wisp of snipe ; a bevy of 

 quails ; a flight or doyes of swallows ; a muster of peacocks (a 

 most unlikely thing, as no two peacocks, like robins, can agree) ; 

 a siege of herons ; a building of rooks ; a brood of grouse ; a 

 plump of wildfowl ; a stand of plovers ; a cast of hawks ; a watch 

 of nightingales; a clattering of choughs; and a flock of geese. 

 In Revue Cellu/iic (Srub Brain), mention is made of Dubh-eala or 

 aelt, black bird-flock or covey. 



We cannot refrain from giving a beautiful piece from our own 

 (now the late) Loch Fine bard, Evan MacColl, who, writing in 

 1898 from Toronto, says: "Even in midsummer )ou may roam 

 through our Canadian woodlands for miles and miles together 

 without hearing or seeing any bird whatever, a solitary crow or 

 two perhaps excepted. Our boyhood's favourite search for birds' 

 nests is an enjoyment utterly unknown to boys in this country. 

 Oh for the blackbirds, the linnets, the thrushes, and the skylarks 

 of my native Highlands !" Here we join issue. 



In verses entitled " Rannan breige," or lying lines, the 

 following impossibilities are set forth: — 



Piob-mhor air an fhitheach The great bagpipe on the raven, 



'Us fiodhal air an rocas And a fiddle on the rook, 



Targaid air a bhuda-goc A targe upon the woodcock, 



'Us musgaid air na smeoraich. And muskets on the mavises. 



As formerly referred to, the birds once spoke only Gaelic, 

 according to the saying, " Nuair a bha 'Ghaidhlig aig na h-eoin 's 

 ann a bha linn an aigh." 



The age of joy (or prosperity) was when the birds spoke 

 the Gaelic tongue. 



The following verses serve to exemplify this statement. 

 They are by Ewen M^Lachlan, Aberdeen, the famous Gaelic 

 scholar, and we have found them in Leabhar nan cnoc for 1834 : — 



CONALTRADH NAN EUN. 



'Nuair bha 'Ghaelig aig na h-eoin 



'S a thuigeadh iad gloir nan dan, 



Bu trie an conihradh sa 'choill 



Air iom' pone, ma's fior am Bard. 



Thainig pithaid luath na gleadhraich 



'S shuidh i air grod-mheur cosach fearna ; 



Bha 'chomhachag 'na gurach riabhach 



M'a coinneamh, gu ciallach, samhach 



(AI. M'a choinneamh co'chag a ghuib chruim 's a caog 

 shuil donn 'na ceann mar airneag.) 



'N so dh'eirich a phitheid gu grad, 



'S thuirt i 's i 'stailceadh a buinn, 

 *' An tusa sin a' d' mheall air stob, 

 'Nuair a bhios air do shiod-cheann trora. 

 Am hi do theanga 'ghnath fo ghlais 

 'S tu gun luaidh air neach no ni, 

 'S tu cho duinte ri seana chloich bhric 

 A bhios air meall a chnaip gun bhrigh ? " 



