WORM 423 



O' Donovan's Annals of the Four Masters, it is stated that the word 

 "fiolan " means a scorbutic eruption, this word being still a living 

 word ; it is also there stated that two persons died of " fiolun " in 

 1378 and 1402, strange to say, both apparently of the same name, 

 viz., Ollav Gilchreest O'Sgringin (a famous historian), and Matthew 

 O'Sgringin. This particular trouble has been called elsewhere 

 "galar breac " or spotted disease, which is, however, supposed 

 generally to mean the small-pox ; " colgach " is the modern Irish 

 name therefor. Many charms existed for or against "worms," 

 which were supposed to be the cause of various pains in the bodies 

 of both human beings and beasts — the bot-worm being found in 

 the intestines of the horse, for instance. In Kishorn, one is, or 

 was, in use against toothache, and the following rhyme was 

 repeated, viz. : — 



"Air an fhealan dhuibh, air an On, or for, the black nescock, on the 



fhealan dhonn, air an fhealan brown nescock, on the green nes- 



uaine," or, cock, or, 



" A mhilleadh fiolan fionn, a mhil- To destroy the white nescock, to 



leadh fiolan donn, a mhilleadh destroy the brown nescock, to 



beist do leann. " destroy the beast in the sore or 



ulcer. 



The latter was also used against the " tairbheann " or cattle insect. 

 " Fiolan " is given elsewhere as a rash on the face or body. In 

 Mackenzie's Beauties we find " fiolar crion nan casan lionmhor, bu 

 mhor pianadh air feadh feola," the little nescock of many feet, of 

 great pain in the flesh. A cure for this worm, more practical than 

 the above, is a poultice of cheese and honey. " Fideag " has also 

 been defined as a small white worm, "just like unhusked corn," 

 hence "fideag blasda," a tasty mouthful of corn, or "sgiolan." 

 In the Transactions of the Annals of Ulster (as corrected by Whitley 

 Stokes), "filun" is rendered a glandular disease, but corrected to 

 a scrofulous tumour — fiolain saith, malignant struma. 



The blind- or slow-worm had, and indeed still has, a bad name, 

 though perfectly harmless, one name being " plaigh-shlat," plague 

 or distemper switch from a mistaken belief in its venomous and 

 evil character. An old rhyme regarding the slow-worm runs : " If 

 the adder could hear, and the slow-worm see, neither man nor 

 beast would ever go free." The slow-worm is said to be the 

 only known reptile in the island of Lewis. 



The slick-worm is a kind of worm obtained or found in the 

 oozey bed of a river, and is good trout bait. The "fire" 

 worm, as said, is purely mythical, and has its origin in the High- 

 lands, under the name " corr or corra-chagailte," from a bad 

 practice of old of frightening fractious children, by alleging that 

 such existed in the fire, being merely an extra bright ember or 

 peculiar appearance in frosty weather. As a rule women have an 

 insurmountable aversion to worms, but one exception exists in the 

 case of the hop-worm, it is thought, which, as given, goes under 



