Welsh rarebit fish called bummalo)". The entry in Merriam-Webster's "Dictionary of English Usage" is "Welsh rabbit, Welsh rarebit" and states: "When Francis Grose defined Welsh rabbit in "A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue" in 1785, he mistakenly indicated that rabbit was a corruption of "rarebit". It is not certain that this erroneous idea originated with Grose..." In his 1926 edition of the "Dictionary of Modern English Usage", the grammarian H. W. Fowler states a forthright view: "Welsh Rabbit is amusing and right. Welsh Rarebit is stupid and wrong." The notion that toasted cheese was a favourite dish irresistible to the Welsh
Dream of the Rarebit Fiend Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" (1865) (particularly the pool of tears scene, which seems related to the flood of sweat in one early "Rarebit Fiend" strip), and a variety of dream cartoons and illustrations that appeared in various periodicals McCay was likely familiar with. The most probable immediate influence on the strip was "Welsh Rarebit Tales" (1902) by Harle Oren Cummins. Cummins stated he drew inspiration for this collection of 15 science fiction stories from nightmares brought on by eating Welsh rarebit and lobster—making further likely the influence, as several post-"Herald" strips from 1911 and 1912 were titled "Dream