322 PLOVER— PUFFIN 



ris na feadagan," as swift as the plovers (or whistlers). Another 

 proverbial saying is : — 



Feadag, feadag, mathair faoillich fhuair. 



Plover, plover, mother of cold month of storms. 



Thuirt an Fheadag ris an Fhaoileach, 

 "C'ait' an d' fhag thu 'n laoighein bochd ?" 

 " Dh' fhag mis' e aig cul a gharaidh, 

 *S a dha shuil 'n a cheann 'nam ploc." 



Said the Plover to the Stormy, 

 "Where did'st leave the poor wee calf?" 

 " I left him behind the wall, 

 With his eyes like lumps of turf." 



The Feadag is severe as shown by — 



Is mis* an Fheadag lom, luirgneach, luath, 

 Marbham caora, marbham uan. 



I am the bare, swift leggy plover, 

 I can kill both sheep and lamb. 



For a full and interesting account of the foregoing, see Nicolson's 

 Gaelic Proverbs, Appendix IV. 



POCHARD (see Duck and Wigeon). — An lach-lachduinn. 

 Dunbird, duncur, dunker; Gold-head, great-headed poker or 

 wigeon ; Poker ; Red-headed poker. 



PTARMIGAN, — Abhal ; Eun-an-sneachd ; Gealag-bheinne ; 

 Sneacag ; Tarmach, tarmachan, tarmonach, tar-monadh. 



Gor-cock, grey ptarmigan ; Moor or muir cock, hen, or fowl ; 

 Red game, grouse or ptarmigan, rock grouse ; Tanmerack, terma- 

 gant, termigame ; White game, grouse, or partridge. 



The name is of Gaelic origin, viz., "tarmach," to originate, be 

 the source of, gather, collect, dwell, settle, produce, beget. The 

 letter p was added by the French. The term " Abhal," is given 

 on the authority of the work, "The Lays of a Deer Forest," by 

 Iain agus Tearlach na h' Albainn, where it is said " Caisteal-abhail, 

 a name given to a mass of rock on Goatfell, Arran, from its simi- 

 larity to the ruins of a castle — the ptarmigan's castle." 



This fine bird is as " Highland as peats," and frequents the 

 tops of the highest available hills ; its size is about that of grouse, 

 of a light grey colour, in winter pure white. It is a very shy and 

 timid bird, but stupid to excess; it has been named "lagopus," 

 because it has a foot or leg like a hare, being covered or feathered 

 far down. 



PUFFIN (see also Coulterneb). — Boganach (young), boigear, 

 budhaigir, bugaire, bugire, builg-ean, buthraigear; Calcach, cannog 

 (Ir.), colcoch, colcair, colgach, colgaire, coltair, coltair-cheannach. 



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