396 ASP— BRK 



ASP (see also Adder).— Aithid, as^, asp, aspic, ardfliear-nimh 

 or gionach, atliair-nei ; Dearc-luachuir or luachrach ; Foileasan, 

 fuil-eacan or easan ; Na'r, nathair, nathair-nimh. 



B 



BALM-CRICKPn\ — Buail-a-chiiag or chrag; Fiimein-fioiin or 

 feoir. 



BASILISK. — Righ-nathair ; Suil-bhalair, suil-mhalair. 



Bablatrice (Loerine), basilicop. 



These are said to be dwellers of the most impenetrable woods 

 and shades. The name suil-bhalair or mhalair is also given to that 

 fabulous creature, the cockatrice, and derives its origin from the 

 belief that a certain Fomorian pirate or viking had one eye in 

 his forehead and one behind ; the latter, like a basilisk's, could 

 strike people dead. 



BEE. — Ainbheach (drone), aire, arc; Beach, beathag, beath- 

 mhan, blarag (large — Tiree) ; Ciaran (brown), coineachan (foggy) ; 

 Earc ; Gleithre (gad) ; Ladron (drone) ; Meach ; Proimbeallan, 

 proimsheillein (drone); Saith, scann, sgann (swarm), seillean, 

 seillean-diomhan (drone), seillean-lunndach (drone), seillean-mor 

 (humble), smeach, smeachann (Ir.). 



Beo, beo-moder (A. S.), bumble (humble) ; Cephens (young 

 drones) ; Doombledore, dor, dory, drane, drumbee, drumble, 

 drumble-done dore or drane^ drummer, drummle-drone, dumbledar, 

 dumbledary, dumbledor dore or dory (humble) ; Foggie, foggy- 

 bummer, fogie ; Gairie, glez (swarm) ; Hum-a-bee, humble 

 (humming), humble-dad or dore, humber, hummabee, hummobee 

 (Lane.) ; Queen ; Redarsy ; Schadon (young — N.) ; Todler-tile ; 

 Ummabee. 



The word " ciaran " is descriptive of a mottled, large, wild 

 kind of bee, while " coineachan " is derived from the moss-nest, 

 formed by the kind called coineag or coinneag, called " foggies " in 

 Scottish ; a hive is coirceag. The word for bee in Sanscrit is 

 "bha," while bumble or humble-bee is "bambhara." The word 

 '* dory " for drone signifies sleepy, useless. " Beichairc " means a 

 a bee-hive — lit., a bee-ark, though both beich and aire or arc 

 mean bee also. " Teillinn " is a name given for the harp in the 

 Welsh language, and is merely a corruption or shortening of 

 *^ an t-seillean," the bee. This is first referred to as a Celtic term 

 in an ancient topographical tract called the " Dinnseanchas " or 

 sean seanachus, old old history. It moreover describes, and is 

 supposed to stand for, the feeble humming sound of an imperfect 

 harp. (See O'Curry's Customs of Ancient Ireland, Vol. III.) In the 

 Rennes Dinnsenckics we meet with " bech-teilleoin," a swarm of bees. 



