406 FLY— FROG 



"from its vexeiiig catttll in siniinier tyme " ; wliile " Yedward" is 

 for Pldward, and given to the dragon-fly in memory of tliat offen- 

 sive pest and scourge to the Scots, King Edward of England. 

 The gallfly tliat is formed on oaks was of old a source of supersti- 

 tion, and made to foretell coming events. This gall was supposed to 

 contain a fly, a spider, or a worm, as has been told elsewhere. If a 

 fly, it prophesied war ; a worm, a rise in prices ; a spider, pesti- 

 lence and death. The spider, however, is supposed to be an error 

 for mite or beetle. It may be interesting here to state that a female 

 house-fly lays about 120 eggs which are hatched, and the insect 

 passes through its changes of grub and chrysalis and becomes a 

 perfect fertile fly in less than three weeks. In the case of the 

 crane-fly or "daddy-long-legs," according to Dr II. Stewart 

 Macdougall, the grubs are well known in Britain as pests to lawns 

 and pastures, these being literally destroyed in some cases by the 

 grub eating at the roots of the grass, making the thus killed 

 patches look as if they had been scorched. 



A chuileag a dh'eireas o'n otrach 's i 's mo ni srann. 



The fly that rises from the midden makes the loudest hum. 

 This is supposed to mean or refer to the boastfulness, 

 etc., of the self-made man. 

 Cho lag ri cuileag. 



As weak as a fly. This saying is common to Celt and Saxon. 



FROG. — Bealbhan ruadh ; Cnadan, craigean, cranag ; Gille- 

 craigean, glothag (spawn); Leuraach, leumachan, losgann, losgunn, 

 losgunn-buidhe dubh or nimhe ; Mag, magach, magag, magan, 

 maig, maigean, muileag (little), muile-mhag or mhagan ; Og- 

 losgann or losgunn (tadpole or young) ; Smag, smagach, smaigean, 

 sonasan; Uillichd. 



Botrax (venomous) ; Charlie (young) ; Fen -nightingale (East), 

 fresh, fresher, fresk, frosh (North), frosk (small) ; Glouton ; Laid- 

 lick (young) ; March-bird ; Paddle-doo, paddock, paddow, paddow- 

 redd ride or rude (spawn), pade, paget-poo (Cornw.), pan (Som.), 

 poddock, puddock ; Quilken ; Tommynoddy ; Wilky. 



Means a "jumper," from "fru," to spring. 



The frog (or toad) is thought to be a prince under spells (fo 

 gheasaibh), and bulks largely as such in folk and hero tales. In 

 Campbell's tale of "The Sick Queen," the following lines occur: — 



*' A chaomhag, a chaomhag, Gentle one, gentle one. 



An cuimhneach leat an gealladh Rememberedst thou the little 



beag pledge 



A thug thu aig an tobar dhomh ; Thou gavest me beside the well ; 



A ghaoil, a ghaoil " My love, ray love. 



The word " craigean " means literally " the well-pawed one," 

 crog or crag aon. St Columba, in blessing the isle of lona, 

 banished frogs thence. 



Alasdair mac-mhaighstir-Alasdair in his "Rannan eadar am 



