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

302 LARK— MAGPIE
boasts of containing the greatest numbers. This name was given
specially when five eggs were found in a lark's nest, four being
the normal complement. The word " lark " itself is a contraction
of " laverock/' possibly "luatharag." A Scottish proverb has it
that, as long as the laverock sings afore Candlemas (2nd February),
it greets after it. February is the usual time when it begins to
sing.
Cha 'n 'eil deathach an tigh na h-uiseige.
There is no smoke in the lark's house. A pretty saying.
Gach eun mar oilear e, ars' an t-uiseag, agus an t-uiseag thun a
mhonaidh.
Every bird as he has been reared (as the lark said), and the
lark to the moor.
LINNET. — Bigean-baintighearna (mountain), breacan-beatha
or beithe, bricean, bricein, buidheag, buidhean ; Diodaig ; Gealan,
gealan-lin, gealbhan, gealbhan or gealbhonn-lin (green), glaisean,
glaiseun ; Ileabhag, reabhag-monaidh or fraoich, reafog, reallog.
Birch bird, blood linnet, brown linnet ; Chaffinch, cove-o'-lintie
or linty ; Flax fincli, furze linnet ; Gold finch, gorse bird-hatcher
or linnet, greater redpoll, green linnet or lintie, lintwhite finch or
grosbeak, grey heatherling or linnet, gunner (grey) ; Heather
lintie, hedder grey ; Joey ; Lemon bird, lenget, lennert, lennie,
lennow, lesser redpoll or linnet, linet, linet wige (A. S.), lin or
linnet finch, linhay, linney, linnit, linnow, linny, lintie, lintie or
linty white, lintwhite, little speckled bird of the birch, longtail ;
Mealy redpoll, mountain linnet ; Red or red-breasted linnet, I'ose
linnet, sheriff's man (seven-coloured), shilfa, shoulfall, snowfleck ;
Thorn grey, twite (Uist) ; Whin or whun, grey or lintie.
Name derived from feeding on lint seed.
When the mountain linnet is seen, perched and singing, on the
cliathaich or side of a house, a tree, or dyke, cold weather, even
snow, may be soon expected.
M
MAGPIE. — Aaid, agaid ; Breac-mhac-mhuc-mhuch ; Cadhag ;
Fileab-a-chleite, frangach ; Piaid, pighaid, pighe, pigheid, pigheann,
pioghaid (Ix*.), pithean ; Snag-breac.
Chatter-pie ; Eggiste ; Hagester, hagister, haggister ; Madge,
mag, magot-pie, Margaret, marget, miggy, meggatapy ; Nan-pie
(North), nappie, ninut ; Peg-pie, pianate, pianet, pie, pie-niag or
nanny, piet, piot (North), pyannat, pyardie, pye, pyenate (North),
pyet, pyot.
Pie or pye supposed from word " pot," or rather from Gaelic