SERPENT— SNAIL 417 



to in the ancient Welsh poem, " Marnwad Uthyr Pendragon." 

 The ancient serpent-idol, great worm, crom cruadh, or cruach, 

 before referred to, was destroyed by St Patrick and thrown into 

 the sea till "La Bhrath," the day of bm*ning. It is considered 

 unlucky to dream even of a serpent or its bite or sting. In 

 Lightfoot's Flora Scoiica, we are told that there were no serpents 

 in the island of Lewis in 1790. The goat is a deadly foe to 

 serpents. (See article Goat.) One name for the ground-ivy is 

 " nathair-lus," the serpent-weed, thought also to be efficacious 

 against its bite, also called viper's bugloss ; " bog-lus," soft plant, 

 and lus na nathrach, the viper's plant ; adder's-tongue plant in 

 Gaelic is also lus na nathrach (nathraidh), tlie serpent's weed or 

 plant, or teanga nathrach, the serpent's tongue or adder-tongue ; 

 in Welsh it is tafad y neidr. According to Goodrich Freer, the 

 nettle is Ivor's daughter, or the serpent. A riddle in regard to the 

 serpent runs — 



" Slat an colli' Mhic Alasdair, A rod in the wood of Mac Alasdair, 



'S cha'n iubhar i 's cha'n eabhar i. And 'tis neither yew nor ivory, 



'S cha chraobh de 'fhiodh an Nor tree of wood in the universe ; 



domhain i ; And the deuce take him who guesses 

 'S an Deamhain air an fhear nach it not (or who " measures " not). 



tomhais i." 



In addition to the sayings throughout the foregoing is — 



An ti a bhriseas callaid teumaidh nathair e. 



Whoso breaketh a hedge, a serpent shall bite him. (Eccl. x. 8.) 

 A hint to trespassers. 



Tri ba breaca, chois na leaca, 



Nach do bhleodhnadh deur d'am bainne riamh. 



Three spotted kine under a stone, 



A drop of their milk never was drawn. 



S KATE-WORM.— Deal-mhara. 



This is a very troublesome parasite which affixes itself near the 

 edge of the skate's mouth, but safely out of reach. 



SLATER. — Cailleach-chosach, corr or corra-chosach, or chosag ; 

 Miol-fiodha ; sgliatair. 



" Corra-chosach " is said to mean the " spindle-legged " one, 

 though more likely the insect of the nook or crack. 



SLOW-WORM (see Worm). 



SLUG. — Cadlag; Seilcheag, seilidh, seimhidh. 

 Storey-worm ; Torris-worm. 



SNAIL. — Cochla, cramag; Druthan ; Gabhar-bhreac (dark); 

 Seamann (small), seilcheag, seilcheag-claiseach (striated), seilicheag, 

 seilidh, seimeann, seimhid, seimhidh, seimidh. 



Bulhorn ; Cogger (striped), conger, conker ; Dod, dodden, 

 dodman (Norfolk), drutheen (white) ; Grey, guggle ; Hodmandod ; 



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