306 OWL 



seen near a dwelling-house, as a portent of death to some of the 

 inmates. 



OWL. — Alchaochan ; Bodach-oidhche (tawny) ; Cailleach-bhan 

 (snowy or barn), cailleach, cailleach-oidhche, cailleach-oidhche- 

 gheal, cailleach-oidhche-mhor (eagle or tawny), coileach or coileach- 

 oidhche, comhachag, cumhachag, etc., corr or corra-sgreachag or 

 sgriaehaig (screech); Eun-foghladh (Ir.); Manadh, meanadh, 

 minidh, molcha, mucha, mulcan, mulcha, mulchan, muUach 

 (homed); Olcadan ; Sean-eun, sgreachag-oidhche, reilig or reilge, 

 sgreachoge (Ir.) ; Tulcliabhachan ; Ullchabhagan, ulacan, 

 ulchabhchan (Ir.), ullaid. 



Beech owl, billy, billy-wix, brown yogle ; Catogle, catyogle, 

 catyool, cherubim, corpse-bird (tawny) ; Eagle owl ; Fern or ferny 

 owl (night-jar) ; Gil, gill, gilly-howlet, gilly-hooter-houter-howler- 

 howlet or howter, gilly-owlet (young), grey yogle, grand duchess 

 or duke ; Hawk owl, hewlet, hill-hooter, hissing owl, hiulet, hobby 

 owl, hoolat, hoolet, hoolit, hoot owl, horn-coot, hornie howlet or 

 owlet, houlat, houlet, houlert, houlit, howlat, howlet, howlit, huf, 

 huhole, hule (A. S.), hulet, hull, hullart, hullat, hullert, bullet, 

 hullot, hulote ; Ivy owl ; Jack-baker, Jenny-hooker (North), 

 Jenny-howlet, jill-hooter, jilly ; Katogle, kat-yugle (Danish) ; 

 Lamenter, little horned owl, little owl, long ears, luggie (horned) ; 

 Madge-howlet, Margery (barn), moss owl, mottled tufted owl, 

 mouse hawk or owl; Nowle, nowlle ; 'Ollering owl, oolat, oolert, 

 oolet, oolud, owlard, owlerd, owlert (Salop), owlet, owlud ; Padge, 

 passerine owl, povey (Glouc), pudge or pudge-owl (Leic.) ; Red 

 owl, roarer ; Scops-eared owl, scratch owl, stock owl, streak-tufted 

 owl ; Uf, ule, uUard, ullat, uUert, ullet, ullot, ullyet ; White (church 

 or churchyard), Will-a-wix (East), woodcock owl, wood owl, woolert, 

 wullerd (Salop) ; Yogle, yuggle. 



From *' ul," to howl, hoot, screech. 



Bain, in his etymological dictionary, says the word " comhachag " 2| 

 ,n onomatopoetic word originally, the " poetic " part is partly "I 



" I 



is an 



given hereafter. The word " alchaochan " occurs in the Irish 



version of Psalm cii. 6. 



The owl is almost too well known to expatiate upon ; its 

 antiquity as a bird which has got itself directly or indirectly] 

 brought into prominence is unquestionable. A drawing of the I 

 owl stood for our letter " M " in the ancient alphabet of China 

 latterly the mark was said to be like waves of the sea, whence it 

 was called "Mem," which meant "water," that is why we call 

 it " em." 



Our classical readers need not be reminded how the owl is, or 

 was, the bird of Pallas, and represents wisdom — of a kind; or 

 how the cause of its sorrowful sound is generally believed to be 

 owing to its continually lamenting its fall from "better days," 



