The Scottish Naturalist. 109 



" That well by reason it men callen may, 

 The daisie, or else the eye of day. " 



Mistletoe A.S., mistiltan, Norse., mistilteinn. Mist el, in old Dutch, 

 meant glue or bird-lime, and in German it means dung, and 

 tan stands for twig. Thus it is literally " bird-lime twig," 

 from the old fancy that the plant was propagated from the 

 droppings of a bird, especially the w/w^-thrush. Similarly it 

 is sometimes called fuglelim in Norway. 



Poplar, French, peuplier ; Latin, populus, perhaps from palpitare, 

 to tremble, referring to its trembling leaves. 



Nasturtium, Latin, literally " nose-wringer " (nasus, nose, and 

 torquere, to twist), from its sharp smell. 

 VJ. The next head contains names given on account of the 



uses to which plants have been put. 



Arrow-root, because confounded with a plant used by American 

 Indians to poison their arrows. 



Bachelor's Button (Ly chins syloestris), because it used to be carried 

 by lovers. If it died, they were to fail in their courtship ; if it 

 lived, they would succeed. 



Beech, A.S., hoc, a beech -tree. It was from the fact of British 

 books being at first writings scratched on beechen boards 

 that the word " book " came to be applied in its present 

 sense, while the original " doc" tree, has been, by change of 

 vowel turned into Beech. 



Belladonna, Italian for " fair lady." The Nightshade is so called 

 from its use by ladies to give expression to the eyes, the 

 pupils of which it expands. 



Bird Catcher's Service Ti'ee (as the mountain ash is called), from 

 the fact of its berries attracting birds. 



Butcher's Broom (Buscus aadeatus), called also knee-holly, used 

 by butchers as brooms so sweep their blocks. 



Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus). Prior says : " Incorrectly 

 derived from the flesh colour of the flower. Supposed to be 

 connected with Latin, came (flesh), but more correctly spelt 

 by our older writers, coronation, as representing the Vetonica 

 coronaria of the early herbalists, and so called from its 

 flowers being used in chaplets (corona)." 



Lavander, French, lavande ; Latin, lavare, to wash, because it 

 was laid in newly-washed linen. 



Rue, sometimes called Herb-grace, or Herb of grace. It was used 

 in driving out evil spirits, and was a symbol of remembrance 

 because of its evergreen foliage. In "Hamlet" we find: 



