370 LAMPREY— LING 



also a leap. The Cornish and other names are derived from its 

 breast-like shape, while the Gaelic term " Buaraeh-na-baoibh " 

 means literally the wild or wizard shackle, bein^ the gymnotus or 

 electric eel, having nine eyes. The horse-eel again is said to be 

 found only in Loch Awe, and to have twelve legs! The appear- 

 ance of this fish is so fierce-looking as to give it the name " Ulla 

 or uile-bheisd," or monster ; another name given it is " Biasd-an- 

 da-shuil-deug," the beast of the twelve eyes ; it is also said to have 

 a hole right through its head. The "niney" is vulgarly supposed 

 to be the one originating from a horse-hair. The fish of the small 

 lampern is said to be much loved by epicures, and to have proved 

 fatal to a certain king who ate too much of it. 



LIMPET. — Bairneach, bairneag, barnuigh (Ir.), bearnach, bren- 

 nig, bullach ; Cas-bhairneach ; Liathgad-mara ; Sgorag (roasted). 



Connor, cunner, crogan, crogen, croggan ; Flidder, flither, 

 flitter; Lampet, lampit, lerapet, lempit, lompe, lomped, lompet ; 

 Sea-ear, sheep's-eye. 



Limpets are good all the year except during the month of 

 June, when they are so poor and bitter as to induce sickness, 

 when eaten, which they frequently are. This sickness culminates 

 sometimes in jaundice. There are worse foods than limpets, and 

 when roasted are called "sgoragan," though perhaps not "select" 

 food. In reference to this, an Irish bard satirises a certain person 

 called Savadge, who was chief or head of the family Mac-an-t- 

 Sabhaosigh, as being so hard up, or hard put to for hunger, as 

 to "slaughter" limpets with his scraper, "fear casgaire bairneach 

 tre h-uirchinn " ; this was in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Broth 

 or soup made from limpets is good for nursing mothers. The 

 limpet eats seaweed only, rasping it down with its long tongue 

 and numerous teeth, of which latter it has about two thousand. In 

 Harris a plain pillar of rock which stands in the sea, eleven feet 

 high, is called "An t-ord-bairneach," the limpet hammer, which a 

 witch, who was going to the shore for food or bait, threw at some 

 person, with or at whom she was enraged. In Eriskay a certain 

 kind of limpet is called " Coparran Muire," and another " Maorach 

 Muire," Mary's little cup, or shellfish. 



Be sin cead iarraidh ord a bhualadh air bairneach. 



That weve asking leave to lift a limpet — lit., to strike a 

 hammer on. (See note by Nicolson.) 



LING. — Donnag (young) ; Glas-iasg ; Langa, loenge, long. 



Bawd, brown whistler, burbot (fresh water) ; Doggie (young), 

 drizzle (small) ; Gade, gild (a full sized) ; Keilling, kellin, kelva, 

 kelvick (young) ; Lahan, limp, limpin, ling-drizzle (small), loenge 

 (A. S., etc.) ; Mackerel-midge, niamok (with roe) ; Olie, olik 

 (young); Pettifogger; Rock-ling (small), ronstdrone (Ir.); Sea- 

 loach, skoodra, spotted-ling, stake ; Three-bearded cod ; Whiteling. 



