Blair Collection > History of the Celtic language

144 HISTORY OF THE
bird ! The letters are all radicals ; none of them
may be spared.
Ge«', a Goose. A name equally natural with
the former.
C/Y7-ghea', the shell duck ; from its well-known
note era, era.
Druid, the Starling, a true imitation of its note.
It is, perhaps, superfluous to do any thing more
now than barely submit the Celtic name to the
reader ; if he but shape his organs and echo the
bird, he will see that they stand in the same relation
to each other as emise and effeet.
Bocais, a Rook, an imitative name, having its
radix in roc.
Peeag, a Peacock, from its note '^^ ptuc."
Speireag, the Sparrow-hawk, from its note
" sper-sper," and, by figure, a long heel, a spur.
Trileachan, the Oyster-piper, or Sea-poet, be-
cause, whether running on the sandy beach or
flying, its note is " tri-tri."
Giirgug, the Pigeon-dove. This is the species
alluded to in the song,
" Fhuair mi nead a Ghurgug,
Ann an cul na co'la."
t.e. I found the nest of the pigeon
Behind the leaf of the door.
The name of another species is 7owan, or lufisLn,
from its beseeching, pitiful note. This seems to
have been the species sent forth by Noah with a