DOVE— DUCK 267 



the following verse occurs : ^' Anns a choill' am bi 'q smudan^ 's 

 e gu binn a' seinn ceol duinn, cuach a's smeorach 'g ar dusgadh, 

 'cuir na smuid dhiu le faoilt'." To quote here even a tithe of the 

 Gaelic songs or verses in which the dove is referred to, would be 

 out of place entirely. It is a good omen to see a pigeon the first 

 thing of a morning, though it is considered unlucky to stuff beds 

 or pillows, even partly, with pigeon's feathers. A flock of doves is 

 called a " dule," a word signifying their moan or moaning sounds, 

 while a dove-cot is dukit or dukate. It is believed in some places 

 that pigeons hatch two eggs only, whence a male and female bird 

 emerge, that always go through life together lovingly. The ring- 

 dove, at anyrate, lays two pure white eggs. Medical cures are 

 attributed to the flesh of a dove, one being as a cure for dysentery, 

 another for paralysis and tremors ; also that a live pigeon, cut up 

 the back, and applied to the soles of the feet, is beneficial in the 

 case of malignant fever. Cameron, in his Gaelic names for plants, 

 etc., gives the Gaelic name for Columbine as " Lus-a-cholumain," 

 the dove's plant ; in Irish, " lusan colam," pigeon's flower. 



Cha 'n ann de mo chuideachd thu (repeated), ars' an caiman. 

 You are not of my flock, said the dove. In Gaelic, the above 

 sounds like the cooing of a dove. 

 Gob a chalmain-chathaidh, bidh tu slan mu 'm pos thu. 



Beak of the moulting dove, you'll be well before you marry. 

 (See Nicolson's note hereto.) 



A moulting dove is likely to be sick at that time, and utter 

 more mournful notes than usual. The word " cathaidh " might 

 also be from "cath," which, inter alia, means "fan," and that "fan- 

 tail " is meant. 



Mar is airde theid an caiman 's ann is doch' an t-seobhag 

 breith air. 



The higher the dove goes, the likelier is the hawk to catch it. 



DRAKE (see Duck). — Bardal ; Cra or cradhgheadh (shell), 

 creagag ; Rac ; Tunnag fhirionn. 



From Rick, reiki, regal, i.e., lord of the duck, or duck-king. 



DUCK. — Buchthuinn, buchuinn (melodious) ; Cadhan (wild) ; 

 Calcach, etc. (puffin), cathal or cathail (the long-tailed waller), cra 

 or cradh-gheadh (shell), crann or crion lach or lacha (little, wild), 

 currachag (tufted) ; Eun bhuchail (waller) ; Gaill-chearc, giurnag 

 (barnacle — Ir.), giurnan, gob-leathann, graineag (wild); Lach, 

 lacha, lacha fiadhan (Ir.) ; Rioglachan (wild); Siolta (teal); Tuinn 

 (ducklings), tunnag, etc. 



Aened (A. S.), African teal, atteal, attile-duck (pochard) ; 

 Banjo-bill, bay-duck (shell), black, black-and-white poker (tufted), 

 black diver (Scoter), black wigeon, broad-billed scaup duck, 

 burrow duck ; Calaw, caloo (long-tailed), castaneous duck, coal-an'- 



