1915- SCHARFF. — 071 tJic [risk Names of Mammals. 51 



duced into the British islands by the Normans, although 

 he acknowledges that it must have existed in England 

 long before that, and supposes that subsequently it was 

 destroyed during the Ice Age. 



Rat. 



luC, luC mop, Iik:: ]:|ixMincAC (or simply) ]:|u\nnc.\C (2). 



Two different kinds of rats have been observed in 

 Ireland. One of them being characterised by its long tail 

 and black colour. If the last two Irish names w^ere 

 applied to these two species, it would be best to 

 restrict luc tnop to the Black Rat and |:f^nnc.\6 to the 

 Brown Rat. 



Seal. 

 r6n (6). 



There are no distinct words for the two common seals 

 which frequent the Irish coast. In Scotch-Gaehc the large 

 Grey Seal is known by the name of tap-bheist," while 

 the other has the same name as in Irish ron." 



Sheep. 



cAO|u\ (2), CAex^A (12), 01 (older terms) (2). Ram. — peite (6). 

 tABitin (6). Wether. — mole (7), motc^CAn (7). 



Many other words descriptive of sheep at different ages 

 and conditions exist. 



Shrew Mouse. " 

 'Ox.aios (1), •0v.\llC5-x.\n-^^fi<\0]6 (6), C|\io^"dIii6 (1 ), luc (1), 



tn-AllxSn (1). 



Almost all these words are identified with the Mole by 

 both O'Reilly and Alston, but as this animal never inhabited 

 Ireland it is unlikely that there should be so many Irish 

 names for it. Moreover the Scotch-Gaelic for Shrew Mouse 

 is dallag." It seems to me therefore that all the names 

 referred to should be identified with this species. The 

 word tti6 which Father Dinneen translates by Shrew 

 Mouse is evidently the Field Mouse. O'Reilly mentions 

 still another word 'ox^llOs f:eoi|\ as equivalent to Mole and 

 Dormouse. As already mentioned the latter is not an 

 Irish species. 



