GULL 283 



gorge their prey, which they seize dexterously ere fallen. Martin 

 describes the " gawlin " as less than a duck (it prognosticates the 

 weather by uttering peculiarly musical cries or notes, upon which 

 a piper of St Kilda composed a tune), and the " geylir " (supposed 

 to be Mother Carey's chicken, as called by Southerners) as being 

 the size of a swallow, and called " malifigies " — a bad sign. The 

 gull's egg varies much in colour. 



Many places in the Highlands, especially the Hebrides, are 

 called after the seagull, among which may be mentioned — though 

 not purely Celtic — " Scarrabus," seagull farm or steading ; Skairibost 

 and Skjarinish, seagull promontory or island. It is estimated that 

 there are about two million seagulls in the United Kingdom. 



A few proverbial sayings are : — 



Biodh mionach ar n-eisg aig ar n-eoin fhein. 



Oor ain fish guts to oor ain sea-maws. This may be a 

 translation merely. 

 Faoileag an droch chladaich. 



The seagull of a bad shore. Poor — attached to " home." 

 Faoileag manadh an t-sneachda, scaragan an t-uisge. 



Seagulls prognosticate snow, kittiwakes, rain. When they 

 appear in fields. 

 Faoileag na h-aona chloiche. 



The seagull of one stone. A common thing, but fruitless. 

 " Gliag, gliag," ars an fhaoileag, " 'S e mo mhac-s' an daobh- 

 gheal donn." 



"Glig, glig," says the seagull, "that whitey-brown chick is 

 my son." 

 Guth na faoileig 'am bial na sgaireig. 



The seagull's voice in the kittiwakes (or young scart), unreal 

 — a lesser imitating the voice of a greater. 

 Is namhaid an lach an fhaoileann. 



The gull is the duck's foe. 

 'S iomadh farspag 'rinn thu 'mharbhadh, is sulair garbh a 

 rug thu air. 



Many a seagull hast thou killed, and many a large gannet 

 hast thou caught. Said of a noted St Kilda fowler and 

 daring cragsman. 

 Theich an fhaoilean gus an traigh agus chuir i mach boll' 

 eorna agus da fheanain barraich. 



The seagull fled to the shore and put out a boll of oats 

 (barley), and two firlots of tow. This seems a mistransla- 

 tion, but is given as found. 

 Uibhean fhaoileag a's t-Earrach. 



Seagulls* eggs in spring. Out of season, a sign of the impos- 

 sible. This it is thought should read — 

 Uibhean fhaoileag a's t-Fhoghar. 

 Seagulls' eggs in autumn. 



