288 HAWK— HEN 



Tha' clamhan-^oblilach nam meas|T. 



The fork-tailed kite is among them. Said of frightened 

 folk. 

 Tha suilean nan seobhag an ceannaibh nam ban a' taghadh 

 nam fear. 



The hawk's eyes are in the heads of women when choosing 

 a husband. Sometimes. 



HEN. — Cearc, cere; Eir, eireag, eren, erun (pullet — Ir.); 

 iar (Old Gael.). See Part I. 



Biddy ; Chekon, chick-a-biddy, chike, chuck-a-biddy (chicken), 

 chuckie, cicen, cycen (A. S.), claag, claager, clatch, clatching, 

 cleckin, clockin (brood, brooding), cubadee (chicken) ; Dandy 

 (bantam), doll-popper (water), ducker (fighting cock) ; Earock, 

 eirack, erack, errack ; Faizart, fesart (hermaphrodite), fluckern 

 (white-speckled), fuddie (tail-less), gallinule (water); Hawk-hen, 

 how-towdy (never laid) ; Ingaby (defeated cock) ; Klaager ; 

 Mabiar, mabier, mabyear, mabyer (chicken), moory (water) ; 

 Poult, pout, powt, powte, pullet, pullity ; Raumer (fighting cock), 

 reek or reik-hen (kain), Richard (cock), roblet (large chicken), 

 rooster, rucking (clucking — Eng.) ; Shake-bag (large game-cock), 

 spatch cock (quickly killed), stag (game-cock), stane-hen (water) ; 

 Tawpenny (tufted) ; Yearock. 



Etymologies differ on this word — one or two are selected and 

 given. From Old Teutonic "hana," lit. singer; from Ind. Eur. 

 base, the Gaelic, from " Kark," to sound, to laugh ; a noise- 

 making bird or fowl ; the Old Gaelic word for a cock was 

 " cailech," from root " Kal," to call ; the Old Celtic word " eir " 

 or "iar" gives rise to the word "iris," a hen-roost, also called 

 "eireas," i.e., eir seas, eir sheas or seasaidh, hen stand. The 

 above word ban, hana or hanna was used for a cock as well as a 

 hen ; the germ is "hahn," Persian "Kauk," and back to Sanscrit 

 "Kanaka," which originated, it is alleged, in imitation of the 

 grumbling cluck or cry of this fowl, " Kukuta," from same reason 

 being the Sanscrit for cock. The word "ore" in Old Irish is 

 given for " egg." 



The different names or terms given above, both in Gaelic 

 and English, do not, it is thought, by any means exhaust the 

 various names for this fowl and its varieties, but sufficient are 

 given to show this. The word " cleckin," as is known, is used 

 from the sound uttered by the hen when brooding, and is also 

 called decking, clocking ; cletch or clutch signifying a brood of 

 chickens. 



As may be surmised, various superstitions and sayings exist 

 in connection with this domestic fowl, both male and female, 

 to give the latter the priority ; a crowing hen as is commonly 

 known is thought uncanny by the most matter of fact person, 

 by others not so strong-minded, she Q) is looked upon with great 



