COALFISH— COCKLE 355 



arrived on the coast in such hordes or shoals as, at one time it 

 was alleged, did the Picts among or on the ancient Gael, giving 

 rise to a familiar ejaculation, viz., "O Thi' nam Piccach or na 

 Piocaich," O Lord! the Picts. One way of cooking these fish, 

 the piltocks or sillocks, in Shetland, is by roasting them with their 

 livers inside, the result being termed moogildin, mooguildin, or 

 nougildins. Another favourite mode of cooking piltacks is by 

 half splitting and roasting them with liver as above, they are so 

 called " Liverflackies." We cannot refrain here from reminding 

 our readers of the poorly educated minister's mistake in praying 

 for piocaich chruaidh shaillte, hard salted saithe, for peacaich 

 thruagh chaillte, miserable lost sinners. We are not sure whether 

 it was not the same minister who urged his hearers to be up and 

 doing as " the foal is at the door," tha 'n searrach aig an dorus, 

 instead of 'n t-earrach, the spring. A saying is attributed to the 

 West Highlander, showing the value attached to the saithe, viz., 

 "Is math an sgadan 'nuair nach fhaighear an suidhean," 

 the herring is good when the '■■ saithe can't be had. This is 

 substantiated (says the Northern Chronicle) by an old MS. relating 

 to the Hebrides, where it is stated that the poor people observe 

 that when they live upon any other fish than saithe without bread 

 (i.e., oatcake), which is often the case, they are never sufficiently 

 nourished, but a weakness of their whole body ensues ; when, 

 however, they feed upon saithe, whether with bread or not, it 

 proves equally healthful and nourishing. 



COCKLE.— Aichean ; Breallach (large shell) ; Claba-dudaidh, 

 coilleag, coilliog, cuach ; Gailleag ; Scriobag, sgriobag, srabag, 

 srubag, sruban — Irish Neaghan. 



Achen, aichan, aiken ; Cochilt, cockobillion, cokill, commercial 

 Venus, cullock, cullyac, Gakie, gawkie (horse) ; Neayghen (Ir.) ; 

 Oyster cockle ; Popple (North) ; Sae-snaeglas (A. S.) ; Wampum. 



From cuach — cochull, a husk, etc. 



The west coast generally, with the exception of perhaps Barra 

 and the Long Island, are not favourable for cockles, though they 

 are familiar everywhere. The largest and best, however, are said to 

 be found in Barra, and in regard to their origin a superstition 

 exists as to their having been formed in embryo in a certain well 

 on the top of a hill, whence they were ejected, or somehow or 

 other found their way to the extensive sands of the seashore, where 

 they grew big and fat as now. Their existence is very noticeable 

 on a clear day by a peculiar glowing of their bubble in the water. 

 A certain bay in Barra indeed is called " cockle bay," according to 

 Dean Munro. The cockle is the badge or insignia of the Order 

 of St Michael. Huntly, Argyll, and Angus are Knights of the 

 Cockle, the Order being instituted by Louis II. of France in 

 146L The robes of these knights have to be embroidered with 

 the cockle insignia. 



