The Highland monthly - National Library of Scotland

Notes and Neius. 63
ing with his head on this palms, saw into futurity. Dr
Stokes does the editing with his usual thoroughness and
accuracy. He gives a translation and adds valuable notes,
where he offers some new etymologies. That puzzle of all
etymologists— the word beul, mouth, he refers to an original
form in gvctlo-s, which he connects with English qiwth.
The word boclid, poor, is held to be a participle, from a verb
bongaim, I break, which is doubtless allied to the English
word " bang." The derivation offered by Dr Stokes and
Mr Strachan for loni, viz., liip-nio, a root /«/, to peel, is
phonetically unsatisfactory. It seems rather allied to the
English " light," pointing to a root form loiigvo-s.
NOTES AND NEWS.
The 40th number of the Gaelic Journal is to hand. It is
now under the editorial care of Professor 0'Growney,of Maynooth
College. Dr Kuno Meyer continues his excellent
series of articles containing odds and ends from old Irish
MSS. There is a sensible article on the Infinitive in Gaelic,
and several other practical pieces bearing on the study of
the language.
The March number of the quarterly called Folklore contains
one or two articles of interest to Highlanders.
Professor Rhys continues and finishes his papers on " Manx
Folklore and Superstitions," and a discussion is invited on
the subject of covihdhail or " first-footing " and meeting.
Why are red-haired people bad comhdhails ? Professor
Rhys suggests racial animosities ; but red hair is not
considered artistic in any case, and the whole system of
cojnhdhail is founded on the idea that it is unlucky to meet
antagonistic or ugly objects. It is unlucky, for instance, to
meet one's private enemy first as one starts on a journey.
It is similar with the case of flat-footed persons. Here
Professor Rhys thinks that the flat-footed people must be