SHELLFISH— SKATE 387 



A's t-Earrach 'n uair a bhios a chaora caol bidh am maorach 

 reamhar. 



In Spring when the sheep is lean, shellfish are fat. A 

 dispensation of Providence. 

 Cha dean eas luath maorach. 



A hasty foot won't get shellfish. One must travel slowly, 

 and peer carefully. 

 Is e an aon chladach th' ann, ach cha'n ionann am maorach. 

 It's the same shore, but the shellfish are different. Change 

 in feelings of an old friend. 

 Is lom an leac air nach deanar (nach fhaighear) maorach. 



It's a bare stone where no shellfish are to be found. 

 Maorach cailleach 'IcArtair, crubag 'us da phortan. 



Mac Arthur's old wife's shellfish, a crab, and two partans. 

 Rinn e maorach fhad 's a bha'n traigh ann. 



He gathered shellfish when the tide was out. 

 Al. Dean maorach, etc. 



Make or gather shellfish, etc. Seizing the opportunity. 



SHORE-FLEA. — Deargad-traghad. Sand-hopper or louper. 



These fleas are adepts at making perfect skeletons of fishes, 

 crabs, etc. 



SHRIMP. — Burdag ; Carran, carran-creige, cloidheag, cloim- 

 heag, cloitheag. 



Arnet, arnit, arnot ; Bunting ; Scur (fresh-water). 

 So called from its cramped, pinched appearance. 



SKATE. — Beithir, buachaill-an-sgadain ; Roc, ruth, rutha (Ir.) ; 

 Scarrag, sgait, sgarrag, sgat, sgata, sgite (maiden), sgith, soman. 



Angel-fish ; Blue-skate, Burton-skate ; Cramp-fish, cuckoo- 

 skate ; Dinnan or dinnen-skate (young), doctor, dun cow, dunny ; 

 Fire or fiery flair, flaire flare or flaw, flaine (ray — North), flaire, 

 flan, flanie, flapper, flathe, friar-skate, fuller-ray ; Grey-skate, 

 gunnack ; Hommelin (rough ray), horse-ray ; Kevelling, king- 

 fish ; Large ray ; Maid, maiden ray, mary mavis or may-skate, mill- 

 skate, mongrel-skate, monk-fish ; Northern Chimera, numb-fish 

 (torpedo) ; Ox-ray ; Ray, reigh, roker, rough flapper ; Schate 

 (A. S.), sea-eagle, shark-ray, sharp-nosed ray, skatt, skeut, skidder 

 or skider (Northumb.), sleatric-ray, sting-ray ; Tinker, thornback, 

 thornback-ray ; Whip-ray, white-horse or skate. 



The ^^ other names" given for skate are applied equally in 

 many instances to the ray. A specimen of the " angel-fish " was 

 caught lately on the Balmeanach (Braes) fishing-ground, Sound of 

 Raasay, and measured four feet six inches by two feet six inches. 

 The tail resembled that of a shark or a large dogfish, and the 

 wings the fins of the skate. The spine of tail of skate or thornback 

 was once used to point spears and darts among the Celts. 



