Sir, - The letter of Patricia Coady (April 5th) relating to the term "scaldies" was interesting and topical. Until quite recently, scaldy was the usual word for a nestling or fledgling, in many parts of the country. Its use was widespread in Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Monaghan.
As your correspondent suggests, the word scaldy (or scaldies) derives from the Irish scalltan, meaning a fledgling. See A man of Farney (O'Muirgheasa and O'Casaide, 1974).
There is a growing and regrettable practise of referring to the young of most species as "babies". Perfectly sound words such as cygnet, scaldy, duckling, gosling, kitten, cub, whelp, fawn, are being allowed to fall into disuse, and the language is impoverished. The appropriate term for an infant should be reserved for the offspring of the human kind. - Yours, etc.,
Ballynoe Court,
Bray,
Co Wicklow.