BIRD 241 



"Pitnellies" (Tain) as meaning "Bail' an ianlaith," bird ste; d. 

 All praise is due Mr Watson for his heroic and practical efforts 

 to expose such insolent crudities. 



Gaelic names for plants, etc., have their bird origin like 

 everything else. A kind of pea bears the name " Peasair (or pis) 

 phreachain," the raven's bird-pea ; birds'-foot trefoil is " Barr-a- 

 mhilsean " ; the sorrel is " Biadh-nan-eoinean," or birds' food ; in 

 Irish, " Billeag nan eun," the leaflet of the birds ; the plant 

 fenngreek, or greekhay, is said to be in Gaelic "crubh (or crudh) 

 coin," birds' shoe. 



Sayings and superstitions are fairly numerous as regards birds, 

 both in Gaelic and other languages. A rhyme or riddle used in 

 Scotland and Ireland is : — 



" The bat, the bee, the butterflee, the cuckoo and the gowk. 

 The heather-bleat, the mire-snipe ; how many birds is that f " 



Ans. : Two. Or, 

 " The cuckoo and the gowk, the lavrock and the lark. 

 The heather-bleat, the mire-snipe ; how many birds is that ?'* 

 Ans. : Three. 

 A bird flying into a house and over anyone's head is supposed 

 to be a bad omen for that person ; it is unlucky also to bring 

 birds' eggs into a dwelli?ig-house for preservation. If a bird 

 is seen for the first time in a year on wing, 'tis a good sign ; and 

 if flying towards one, it means a letter — this is modern. That 

 birds are peculiarly the habitat of spirits, was an ancient Celtic 

 belief. Birds, it may be remarked, dislike to perch on a lilac 

 or fuchsia bush ; the former, at anyrate, is sticky. A trap for 

 birds, as given in Old Irish, is termed "Airndel." In every 

 brood of birds or fowls there is said to be a weakling or "shott." 

 We give the following familiar saying, "out of place," as given 

 by "Nether Lochaber" on 3rd March 1899, and in the 

 Highlander of a subsequent date : — 



" Bid, bid, bidein, co chreach mo neadan? 

 ^ Ma 's e duine mor e, cuiridh mi 's a Ion e ; 



K Ma 's e duine beag e, cuiridh mi le creag e ; 



Ma 's e duin' e gun chiall gun naire, 

 Fagaidh mi aig a mhathair fein e." 

 " Bhid, bhid, bhidein, co chreach mo nidein ? 

 Ma 's e duine mor e, cuiridh mi le tom e ; 

 Ma 's e duine beag e, cuiridh mi le creag e ; 

 Ma 's duine beag e gun chiall gun naire, 

 Gu 'n gleidheadh Dia dha mhathair fhein e." 

 The translation of the foregoing may be attempted as follows : — 



*' Tweet, tweet, tweetie, who robbed my nestie? 

 If he be a big man, Fll cast him in a bog then ; 

 If he be a little man, Fll cast him o'er a rock then ; 

 If he be a man void of sense and shame, 

 I'll leave him to his own mother at hame. " 

 For "bog " read " hillock," and in last line, " May God preserve 

 him for his own mother," in second version. 



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