possibly be
connected with Gaelic _fal_, Welsh _gwawl_, "rampart." The names of the
kings in the Pictish chronicles are not an absolutely trustworthy guide,
as owing to the Pictish rule of succession the bearers of the names may
in many cases have been Brythons. The names of some of them occur in one
source in a Goidelic, in another in a Brythonic form. It is of course
possible that the southern part of Pictish territory was divided between
Goidels and Brythons, the population being very much mixed. On the other
hand there are a number of elements in place-names on Pictish ground
which do not occur in Wales or Ireland. Such are _pet_, _pit_, "farm"
(?), _for_, _fother_, _fetter_, _foder_, "lower" (?). _Aber_,
"confluence," on the contrary, is pure Brythonic (Gaelic _inver_).
Though the majority of scholars are of opinion that Pictish was nearly
akin to the Brythonic dialects, we are entirely in the dark as to the
manner in which that language was ousted by the Goidelic speech of the
Dalriadic Scots. In view of the comparatively unimportant part played
for a considerable period in Scottish affairs by the colony from
Ireland, it is well-nigh incredible that Pictish should have been
supplanted by Gaelic.

AUTHORITIES.--J. Rhys, _Celtic Britain_ (London[2], 1905), _The Welsh
People_ (London[3], 1902), "The Language and Inscriptions of the
Northern Picts," in _Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of
Scotland_ (1892); H. Zimmer, "Das Mutterrecht der Pikten," in
_Savignys Zeitschrift_ (1895); also trans. by G. Henderson in _Leabhar
nan Gleann_ (Inverness, 1898); W.F. Skene, _Celtic Scotland_
(Edinburgh, 1876); A. Macbain in appendix to reprint of Skene's
_Highlanders of Scotland_ (Stirling, 1902); A. Macbain, "Ptolemy's
Geography of Scotland," in _Transactions of the Gaelic Society of
Inverness_, xviii. 267-288; W. Stokes, _Bezzenbergers Beitrage_,
xviii. 267 ff.; H. d'Arbois de Jubainville, _Les Druides et les dieux
celtiques a forme d'animaux_ (Paris, 1906). The various theories have
been recently reviewed and criticized by T. Rice Holmes in an appendix
to his _Caesar's Invasion of Britain_ (London, 1907).

IV. HISTORY OF CELTIC PHILOLOGY.--For many centuries the affinities of
the Celtic languages were the subject of great dispute. The languages
were in turn regarded as descended from Hebrew, Teutonic and Scythian.
The first attempt to treat the dialects comparatively was made by Edward
Lh