PROCEEDINGS 



THE ROYAL IRISH ACADEMY. 



1844. No. 44. 



February 12. 



REV. James H. TODD, D. D., Vice-President, in the Chair. 



Henry Clare, Esq., was elected a member of the Aca- 

 demy, and the Rev. Charles Graves was elected a member of 

 the Committee of Polite Literature. 



Mr. Ball made a communication on a collection of the 

 Irish names of animals, which he had been for many years 

 collecting from ancient manuscripts, dictionaries, persons 

 speaking the Irish language at present, &c. He stated that 

 for one important addition he was indebted to Mr. Curry, 

 who pointed out in a manuscript poem, said to be of the fifth 

 century, ascribed to Caoilte, one of Finn Mac Coole's heroes, 

 and which is certainly older than the year 1000, a portion, 

 in which the names of one hundred animals are recorded in 

 a list of the ransom paid for the celebrated Finn Mac Coole, 

 when a prisoner. Some of the names mentioned have not yet 

 been translated. Mr. Ball observed on the value of such a 

 collection as a means of throwing light on the names of places 

 in Ireland, and urged the interest that naturalists of other 

 countries felt, in preserving the names by which animals 

 were known in their native places, as a sufficient reason for 

 desiring to preserve those of Ireland. He stated his inten- 

 tion of having the collection he had made properly digested 



