cil / Pre vious May ors / ▁ ▁Category : Pol it icians ▁from ▁County ▁Gal way ▁Category : May ors ▁of ▁Gal way ▁Category : 1 9 2 6 ▁birth s ▁Category : 1 9 9 8 ▁death s <0x0A> </s> ▁A ▁wh iff en po of ▁was ▁a ▁tool ▁for ▁training ▁Boy ▁Sc outs ▁in ▁tracking ▁skills . ▁The ▁wh iff en po of ▁itself ▁was ▁a ▁small ▁log , ▁about ▁the ▁size ▁of ▁a ▁stick ▁of ▁fire wood , ▁with ▁n ails ▁driven ▁into ▁it ▁on ▁all ▁sides , ▁so ▁that ▁it ▁br ist led ▁with ▁n ails . ▁This ▁was ▁drag ged ▁through ▁the ▁forest ▁on ▁a ▁short ▁le ash , ▁by ▁the ▁older ▁Sc outs ▁who ▁were ▁training ▁the ▁younger . ▁It ▁might ▁thus ▁create ▁a ▁track ▁that ▁the ▁tender foot ▁must ▁learn ▁to ▁trace ▁out . ▁Or ▁it ▁might , ▁altern ately , ▁be ▁drag ged ▁across ▁a ▁trail ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁conf use ▁the ▁track ers . ▁The ▁fewer ▁n ails ▁that ▁were ▁driven ▁into ▁it , ▁the ▁more ▁difficult ▁and ▁subt le ▁was ▁the ▁effect . ▁ ▁Thus ▁it ▁is ▁that ▁the ▁word ▁wh iff en po of ▁can ▁also ▁refer ▁to ▁an ▁imag inary ▁or ▁in defin ite ▁animal ; ▁e . g . ▁" the ▁great - horn ed ▁wh iff en po of ". ▁It ▁origin ates ▁from ▁an ▁actor ' s ▁ad - lib ▁in ▁a ▁ 1 9 0 8 ▁performance ▁of ▁the ▁oper etta ▁Little ▁N emo . ▁