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

288 HAWK— HEN
Tha' clamhan-gobhlach nam measg.
The fork-tailed kite is among them. Said of frightened
folk.
Tha suilean nan seobhag an ceannaibh nam ban a' taghadh
nam fear.
The hawk's eyes are in the heads of women when choosing
a husband. Sometimes.
HEN. — Cearc, cere; Eir, eireag, eren, erun (pullet — Ir.) ;
iar (Old Gael.). See Part I.
Biddy; Chekon, chick-a-biddy, chike, chuck-a-biddy (chicken),
chuckie, cicen, cycen (A. S.), claag, claager, clatch, clatching,
cleckin, clockin (brood, brooding), cubadee (chicken) ; Dandy
(bantam), doll-popper (water), ducker (fighting cock) ; Earock,
eirack, erack, errack ; Faizart, fesart (hermaplirodite), fluckern
(white-speckled), fuddie (tail-less), gallinule (water); Hawk-hen,
how-towdy (never laid) ; Ingaby (defeated cock) ; Klaager ;
Mabiar, mabier, mabyear, mabyer (chicken), moory (water) ;
Poult, pout, powt, powte, pullet, pullity ; Raumer (fighting cock),
reek or reik-hen (kain), Richard (cock), roblet (large chicken),
rooster, rucking (clucking — Eng.) ; Shake-bag (large game-cock),
spatch cock (quick)}- killed), stag (game-cock), stane-hen (water) ;
Tawpenny (tufted) ; Yearock.
Etymologies differ on this word — one or two are selected and
given. Fi'om Old Teutonic "hana," lit. singer; from Ind. Eur.
base, the Gaelic, from " Kark," to sound, to laugh ; a noise-
making bird or fowl ; the Old Gaelic word for a cock was
" cailech," from root "Kal," to call; the Old Celtic word "eir"
or "iar" gives rise to the word 'Mris," a hen-roost, also called
" eireas," i.e., eir seas, eir sheas or seasaidh, hen stand. The
above word han, hana or hanna was used for a cock as well as a
hen ; the gerni is " hahn," Persian " Kauk," and back to Sanscrit
" Kanaka," which originated, it is alleged, in imitation of the
grumbling cluck or cry of this fowl, " Kukuta," from same reason
being the Sanscrit for cock. The word "ore" in Old Irish is
given for "egg."
The different names or terms given above, both in Gaelic
and English, do not, it is thought, by any means exhaust the
various names for this fowl and its varieties, but sufficient are
given to show this. The word " cleckin," as is known, is used
from the sound uttered by the hen when brooding, and is also
called decking, clocking ; cletch or clutch signifying a brood of
chickens.
As may be surmised, various superstitions and sayings exist
in connection with this domestic fowl, both male and female,
to give the latter the priority; a crowing hen as is commonly
known is thought uncanny by the most matter of fact person,
by others not so strong-minded, she (?) is looked upon with great