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

INTRODUCTION xix
venture to think, therefore, that Celtic readers at anyrate will
not object to a single given line of such, but that they will find
it excellent and refreshing, enshrining as our Celtic poetry and
proverbs unquestionably do, the wisdom, pure thoughts, beliefs,
and inspirations of our ancestors, it being well said "it is the song
and the sentiment that makes the deed."
The last section, as will be seen, consists of Gaelic proverbs,
attached and applicable to most of the individual subjects. These
have been collected from numerous sources, primarily of course
from Nicolson's splendid work, though in regard to this, as well
as all the other material, it is impossible to give a list of the
various publications or authorities consulted, even so far as these
were kept, but the occasion is here taken to express my great
indebtedness to the able and indefatigable writers whose works
live for ever.
The friends who kindly assisted me are specially thanked, and
grateful acknowledgment is here made to all. It is hoped they
may consider this work worthy of the trouble they took in
contributing to it, and that not only they, but many others,
especially teachers in Highland schools, may consider it worthy of
a practical place in their daily life and work.
In conclusion, I liave to express regret that I have been unable
to supply an index, but from the nature and arrangement of the
contents I believe such will not be much missed, for where doubts
exist as to meaning, a reference from one part to the other may clear
up the difficulty, and though, as will be seen, repetitions may and
do occur, viz., that several of the words are the same for different
creatures in both Gaelic and English, these had to be given in
every case as found in different sources, in most cases standard
works of high authority. Here, it may be remarked, we are not
so badly involved as the Chinese for instance, who have some
words with forty different meanings, while we find the same
word doing duty in French for a roe or doe and a shrimp or
prawn.
Finally, I would take the liberty, my dear fellow-countrymen
and women, of reminding you of a simple but beautiful belief of
our ancient forefathers and mothers, as found in our Ossianic
and other ancient poems, viz., that the ghosts or spirits of their
forefathers, etc., flew or floated on clouds and rode on winds,
rested together in their caves, and talked of mortal men and
women, viewing with approval or disajiproval their good or bad
deeds ; and that though Christianity has so far altered this belief,
a substitute therefor exists in the belief and hope that those of
our own ntiore immediate ancestoi's, who have been taken, stili
view with a keen sympathy from their "place" the good deeds
of those they have loved and left, and the carrying on of the work
or works they themselves so ably forwarded while still with us ;
and seeing we are thus encompassed by such a cloud of Celtic