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

280 GROUSE— GUILLEMOT
Campbell, in his West Highland Tales, gives the following as
remarkable : —
''The grouse cock and his wife are always disputing, and may
be heard on any fine evening or early morning quarrelling and
scolding about the stock of food. This is what the hen says : —
" ' Faic thusa 'n la' ud 's an la' ud eile,' and the cock with his
deeper voice replies : —
" ' Faic thusa 'n cnoc ud 's an cnoc ud eile.'
See thou yonder day, and yon other day.
See thou yonder hill, and yon other hill."
The ordinary food of the grouse, as is well known, is the
tender tops of the heathei', but in times of stress they have been
known to resort to the shores and eat seawrack, etc. This bird is
now known as "the rich man's bird," and for numbers may be
called the " king " of the Highland moors, and has as its larger
relatives the blackcock and the capercailzie, which are not shot
till the 20th of August, while in Somerset and Devon, as well as in
the New Forest, they are immune until September 1. It is
frequently referred to in Highland sayings and songs, and has
been and still is the cause of much misery to the Highlanders,
who have had to make way for it and its neighbour, the red deer.
The cry, call, or challenge of the grouse in Gaelic is, " Co chaidh,
mo chlaidh," who went, my sw^ord, like the challenge of a sentinel.
In English it is said to sound like " Go back," at least the black
cock. The grouse is very fond of the crowberry. Alasdair
Mac Mhaighstir Alasdair calls the hen grouse " A chearc ghearr-
ghobach riabhach," the short-beaked speckled hen, and the
cock-grouse, " An coileach craobhach nan gearr sgiath," the woody
cock of the short wing.
GUILLEMOT.— Caileag, callag, calltag, carlag (black),
casgan-long, craigeach (Eigg), cronan (Ir.), crosan ; Eala-bheag-
an-sgadain, eun or eunan-aille, eun-a-chrubain, eun-an-sgadain,
eun-dubh-a-chrubain or a-chrullain, eun-dubh-an-sgadain ; Faic ;
Gearra, gearra-bhreac, gearra-ghlas (black) ; Lamhaidh, langach,
langaidh, langidh ; Muir-eun ; Taibhse.
Auk, awpie ; Bar-goose (barnacle), black goose, bridled goose ;
Didlymot, diving pigeon, dovoky ; Eligny ; Foolish goose ; goose
or goosen-chick (gosling or young), gospel, gospell, Greenland
dove or turtle, guillem, guillemote, gusan-chick (young) ; Herald
(diving) ; Jenny Grey ; Kiddaw, kittag ; Lamy, langvia, large-
billed goose, lavy, little goose, lorn vie, longie, longivie, lum,
lungie, lungy ; Maggie, marrot, morrot, murran (Ir.), murre,
murryan, murse ; Oakie ; Parrot, puffinet, puffixet ; Queet, quet ;
Razorbill, redshank, ringed or ring-eyed goose, rock dove ; Scout,
scraber, scuttock, sea coot, hen, dovie, pigeon, or turtle (foolish),
skiddaw, skout, skuhe, skutie, skuttock, spotted goose, spratter.