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

370 LAMPREY— LING
also a leap. The Cornish and other names are derived from its
breast-like shape, while the Gaelic term " Buarach-na-baoibh "
means literally the wild or wizard shackle, being the gymnotus or
electric eel, having nine eyes. The horse-eel again is said to be
found only in Loch Awe, and to have twelve legs! The appear-
ance of this fish is so fierce-looking as to give it the name " Ulla
or uile-bheisd," or monster; another name given it is " Biasd-an-
da-shuil-deug," the beast of the twelve eyes ; it is also said to have
a hole right through its head. The "niney" is vulgarly supposed
to be the one originating from a horse-hair. The fish of the small
lampern is said to be much loved by epicures, and to have proved
fatal to a certain king who ate too much of it.
LIMPET. — Bairneach, bairneag, barnuigh (Ir.), bearnach, bren-
nigj bullach ; Cas-bhairneach ; Liathgad-mara ; Sgorag (roasted).
Connor, cunner, crogan, crogen, croggan ; Flidder, flither,
flitter; Lampet, lampit, lempet, lempit, lompe, lomped, lompet ;
Sea-ear, sheep's-eye.
Limpets are good all the year except during the month of
June, when they are so poor and bitter as to induce sickness,
when eaten, which they frequently are. This sickness culminates
sometimes in jaundice. There are worse foods than limpets, and
when roasted are called "sgoragan," though perhaps not "select"
food. In reference to this, an Irish bard satirises a certain person
called Savadge, who was chief or head of the family Mac-an-t-
Sabhaosigh, as being so hard up, or hard put to for hunger, as
to "slaughter" limpets with his scraper, "fear casgaire bairneach
tre h-uirchinn " ; this was in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Broth
or soup made from limpets is good for nursing mothers. The
limpet eats seaweed only, rasping it down with its long tongue
and numerous teeth, of which latter it has about two thousand. In
Hari'is a plain pillar of rock which stands in the sea, eleven feet
high, is called "An t-ord-bairneach," the limpet hammer, which a
witch, who was going to the shore for food or bait, threw at some
person, with or at whom she was enraged. In Erislcay a certain
kind of limpet is called " Coparran Muire," and another " Maorach
Muire," Mary's little cup, or shellfish.
Be sin cead iarraidh ord a bhualadh air bairneach.
That were asking leave to lift a limpet — lit., to strike a
hammer on. (See note by Nieolson.)
LING. — Donnag (young) ; Glas-iasg ; Langa, loenge, long.
Bawd, brown whistler, burbot (fresh water) ; Doggie (young),
drizzle (small); Gade, gild (a full sized); Keilling, kellin, kelva,
kelvick (young) ; Lahan, limp, limpin, ling-drizzle (small), loenge
(A. S., etc.) ; Mackerel-midge, mamok (witli roe) ; C)lie, olik
(young); Pettifogger; Rock-ling (small), ronstdrone (Ir.); Sea-
loach, skoodra, spotted-ling, stake ; Three-bearded cod ; Whiteling.