REPTILE— SERPENT 413 



From " ra{)/' variant of " sarp," to creep. Among scientists 

 reptiles are regarded as a connecting link between beasts and 

 fishes, hence probably the sea-serpent. 



A satire by Maclntyre of Glenoe (gleann nodha) describes the 

 pedantic, ignorant Celt-hater, Dr Johnson, as follows : — 



" Gur tu an losgunn shleamhuinn tar 'Tis you are the yellow-tailed slimy 



bhuidhe, frog, 



'S tu maigean tairgneach nan digean ; The splay-footed waddler of the 

 Gur tu dearc-luachrach a chathair ditches ; 



Ri smag 's ri magaran mUteach ; 'Tis you are the lizard of the uplands 



'S tu bratag sgreataidh an fhasaich, Crawling meanly and deadly ; 



'S tu an t-sheilcheag ghrannda bhog 'Tis you are the revolting worm of 



litheach, the desert, 



'S tu an cartan nach fhurasda The foul, soft, slimy, and slippery 



thar ruing snail ; 



'N ait' na tharas tu na d-innean. " 'Tis you are the flesh- worm ill to 



draw 

 Wherever you manage to stick your 

 claws. 

 The venom of reptiles is said to be rendered sterile and 

 innocuous by sapphires. There are no reptiles in the island of 

 Lewis, unless the slow-worm be considered one. 



s 



SALAMANDER. — Corr or corra-chagailte ; Teighiollas ; 

 Urchuil or urcuil. 



Fire-form, sometimes fire-bird. 



A belief exists, or existed, that one of these nondescript 

 creatures grew in any fire that was kept burning continuously or 

 incessantly for seven years, hence the reason for extinguishing all 

 furnaces periodically within that period ; it need hardly be added 

 that the reason is of a more utilitarian and prosaic nature in cities. 



SCORPION. — Beisd-nimh ; Lus-midi (grass) ; Sgairp. 

 Scarpyn, scarpin (A. S.). 



SERPENT. — Aithid, aithir-nimh, am fear-nimh, athair-nei, 

 athair-nimh ; Beatha, beithir, bior-bhuasach or bhuasan (water), 

 buafa, buaf-bhiasd ; Dearc-bhallach (speckled), dearrais (winged), 

 draic, dric ; lol-bheisd ; Na'r, narr (Ir.), nathair, nathair-nimh, 

 nighean Imhir ; Righinn or an ribhinn ; Righ-nathair (large) ; 

 Sumaire — Gauber (Welsh). 



Addurcop (A. S.), aspeche, aspidis, aspis, attorcoppe (A. S.) ; 

 Cencrastus, chelidereet ; Eddyre, Edward's daughter ; Fire-drake 

 (Will-o'-the-wisp) ; Krackenback (sea) ; Nedyr-copp, nedyre, 

 neddyre ; Olliphiast (uilebheisd) ; Virgin ; Wivere (A. S.), worm 

 (North). 



From " sarp " or "^ sar," to glide or flow. 



Lore as to serpents, etc., is pretty widely spread from the 



