Blair Collection > Gaelic names of beasts (mammalia), birds, fishes, insects, reptiles, etc

xviii INTRODUCTION
by others on reading this work, the names, etc., in which have been
collected fi'om all available sources, living and dead ; it is fervently
hoped many will take the necessary pains to add and eke thereto.
At one time it was my intention to distinguish obsolete words from
those in general use, but finding great divergences of opinion every-
where, I deemed it best to give all as found generally in the various
Gaelic and other Celtic dictionaries (even though obsolete terms are
specified in some), books, magazines, newspapers, etc., etc., leaving
each person to please him or herself. Words obtained from corres-
pondents are also given as sent, unless palpably wrong, and for
neither is it possible for me to accept responsibility beyond the
faithful rendering. A few words are evidently Gaelicised, but not
by me ; these are included for what they are worth. Gaelic could
be formed for every or any term or name, scientific or otherwise,
in any or every known work on such names, but, for obvious
reasons, no such attempt has been made.
In Part II. I have been much more diffuse, which I trust will
serve to atone for the bare simplicity at any rate of Part I. I
venture to assert that the contents, now bi'ought together for the
first time, will be found exceptionally interesting and instructive to
Celt and Saxon alike, not onl}- from their innate value, but from
the fact of their being available in such a convenient form. It is
also hoped that the work as a whole may furnish future text-books
for use in all our Highland schools at anyrate.
All the Gaelic names or terms which, as above stated, could lie
procured, will be found in their alphabetical order attached to each
English name or term for which a Gaelic equivalent was found
and given in Part I.
Having made a hobby of collecting Scottish and English terms,
etc., in various dialects for animals, etc., I have "iven these also,
so far as I have gone, but seeing dialectical dictionaries are
now available, I do not consider this pait anything like
complete. The et3'mology also of both in a few instances is
given : as to this latter I have not ventured far.
In the fourth section will be found what I believe will specially
interest and instruct every i-eader, viz., Celtic Lore, and here the
difficulty has been what to select, and how to condense, compatible
with clearness.
It may be considered by some that poetry or versification
bulks too largely, but none could be omitted, and much — very
much — has been held back, which would have elucidated and
adorned any such work as this. Great worldly wisdom at least,
as will readily be admitted, is and has for ages been contained in
both poetry and proverbs (sean-nos or naodh fliio.s, the knowledge
of nine persons {i.e. generations) according to the Senchus mor,
where also we meet with " Annfhocal and lonnrosg" for proverb —
inn or sean-arasg), and poets, as is wxll know^i, have been, nay.
perhaps, still are, the interpreters between man and Nature. I