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

306 OWL
seen near a dwelling-house, as a portent of death to some of the
inmates.
OWL. — Alehaochan ; Bodach-oidhehe (tawny) ; Cailleach-bhan
(snowy or barn), cailleach, cailleach-oidhche, cailleach-oidhche-
gheal, eailleach-oidhche-mhor (eagle or tawny), coileach or coileach-
oidhche, comhachag, cumhachag, etc., corr or corra-sgreachag or
sgriachaig (screech) ; Eun-foghladh (Jr.) ; Manadh, meanadh,
minidh, molcha, mucha, mulcan, mulcha, mulchan, mullach
(horned) ; Olcadan ; Sean-eun, sgreachag-oidhche, reilig or reilge,
sgreachoge (Ir.) ; Tulchabhachan ; Ullchabhagan, ulacan,
ulchabhchan (Ir.), ullaid.
Beech owl, billy, billy-wix, brown yogle ; Catogle, catyogle,
catyool, cherubim, corpse-bird (tawny) ; Eagle owl ; Fern or ferny
owl (night-jar) ; Gil, gill, gilly-howlet, gilly-hooter-houter-howler-
howlet or howter, gilly-owlet (young), grey yogle, grand ducliess
or duke ; Hawk owl, hewlet, hill-hooter, hissing owl, hiulet, hobby
owl, hoolat, hoolet, hoolit, hoot owl, horn-coot, hornie howlet or
owlet, houlat, houlet, houlert, houlit, howlat, howlet, howlit, huf,
huhole, hule (A. S.), hulet, hull, hullart, hullat, hullert, bullet,
hullot, hulote ; Ivy owl ; Jack-baker, Jenny-hooker (North),
Jenny-howlet, jill-hooter, jilly ; Katogle, kat-yugle (Danish) ;
Lamenter, little horned owl, little owl, long ears, luggie (horned) ;
Madge-howlet, Margery (barn), moss owl, mottled tufted owl,
mouse hawk or owl; Nowle, nowlle ; 'Ollering owl, oolat, oolert,
oolet, oolud, owlard, owlerd, owlert (Salop), owlet, owlud ; Padge,
passerine owl, povey (Glouc), pudge or })udge-owl (Leic.) ; Red
owl, roarer ; Scops-eared owl, scratch owl, stock owl, streak-tufted
owl ; Uf, ule, ullard, ullat, ullert, ullet, ullot, ullyet ; White (church
or churchyard), Will-a-wix (East), woodcock owl, wood owl, woolert,
wullerd (Salop) ; Yogle, yuggle.
From "ul," to howl, hoot, screech.
Bain, in his etymological dictionary, says the word " comhachag "
is an onomatopoetic word originally, the " poetic " part is partly
given hereafter. The word " alehaochan " occurs in the Irish
version of Psalm cii. 6.
The owl is almost too well known to expatiate upon ; its
antiquity as a bird which has got itself directly or indirectly
brought into prominence is unquestionable. A drawing of the
owl stood for our letter " M " in the ancient alphabet of China ;
latterly the mark was said to be like waves of the sea, whence it
was called " Mem," which meant " water," that is why we call
it " em."
Our classical readers need not be reminded how the owl is, or
was, the bird of Pallas, and represents wisdom — of a kind ; or
how the cause of its sorrowful sound is generally believed to be
owing to its continually lamenting its fall from "better days,"