418 SNAIL 



Jack-snag ; Lobury one ; Oddy, oddy-doddy (Oxon.) ; Snaegl 

 (A. S.), snayle, siiegel (A. S.), snele, siiyle. 



From snaegle, snagel, a small creeping thing. 



As is pretty generally known, it is considered unlucky to see 

 a snail on a hard surface or stone the first day of — or for the 

 first time in — the year, the ordinary saying being " Chunnaic mi 

 seilcheag air leac lorn, 's dh' aithnich mi nach d* rachadh am 

 bliadhna so leam," I saw a snail on a bare slab, and 1 knew this 

 year would not go well with me. Another version is " Chunnaic 

 mi seilcheag air fonn fo thuill," I saw a snail on ground full of 

 holes — in both cases the grand climax being " chaill mi bean-an- 

 taighe 's a chlann," I lost the guidwife and bairns (by death). 



The large black snail is said to have nearly 18,000 teeth, while 

 the grey has nearly 29,000 ; the hedge snail, with coloured or 

 streaked shell, having only about 14,000. That sentiment can 

 be associated with a snail seems hard to believe, yet a superstitious 

 performance by the young of the fair sex is to place a snail between 

 two pewter dishes at night, and watch till midnight, the young 

 girl washing her hands and feet meanwhile in the night dew ; in 

 the morning she may expect to find the initials, at least, of her 

 future husband traced visibly on one or both of the dishes. A 

 more practical application is the making of soup from snails, which 

 was — or for aught we know — still is much esteemed among the 

 Celts, being very curative and nourishing. The juice drawn from 

 snails, also by a slow process of stewing, over or beside the fire 

 has most beneficial results, when taken internally, especially in 

 cases of chest or lung diseases. Still the snail is not generally 

 liked, and R. McDonald in one of his poems compares — as before 

 given — Dr Johnson to one.. 



" 'S tu an t-seilcheag grannda bhog litheach." 

 'Tis thou art the nasty, soft, slimy snail. 



Another snail cure is to transfix one on a thorn, where the 

 lands of two lairds meet, and if suffering from a corn or corns on 

 one's toe a cure will follow. 



The following rhyme is said to apply to the snail : — 



'* Muc dhubh 's a choill, gun shil, A black sow in the wood, 46wless, 



gun saill, blubberless, 



Gun ghuth, gun chainnt, gun fiodhan Voiceless, speechless, without bristle 



crain, of pig, 



Gun luibhean caim, gun cheann Without curved joint, without end of 



cnaimhe." bone. 



'* Ballan-seilcheag," and cno-bhreac are terms used to denominate 

 a snail-shell. One of the characteristics of a snail is well known, 

 being slowness. 



Cho mall ri seilcheag. 

 As slow as a snail. 



