The Scottish Naturalist. 121 



leun^ a swamp. Lasair-kana, — /asair, a flame, and ieana or kitn, 

 a swamp. Welsh: blaer y guaeiej,\3iX\cQ-^o'n\t. 



R. auricomus — Goldilocks. Gaelic : follasgain ; probably 

 from /o//ais, conspicuous. Irish : fo/oscaiu, a tadpole. The 

 Gaelic may be a corruption from the Irish, or vice-versa ; also 

 gruag Mhuire, Mary's Locks. 



R. repens — Creeping crowfoot. Gaelic : buigheag^ the yellow 

 one. Irish: bairgin ; more frequently bairghin, a pilgrim's 

 habit. Fearban, — fearba, killing, destroying. 



R. acris — Upright meadow crowfoot. Gaelic : cearban feoir, 

 the grass rag. Irish : the same name. This plant and R. flam- 

 viula are used in the Highlands, applied in rags {ceai^ban)^ for 

 raising blisters. 



R. bulbosus — Bulbous crowfoot. Gaelic: fiiile thalmhainn, 

 blood of the earth (it exhausts the soil). Welsh : crafange y 

 frdn, crows' claws. 



R. sceleratus — Celery-leaved crowfoot. Gaelic and Irish : 

 torachas biadhain ; probably means food of which one would be 

 afraid. 



Caltha palustris — Marsh Marigold. Gaelic : a chorrach shod, 

 the clumsy one of the marsh. Lus bhuidhe bealticijin, the yellow 

 plant of Beltane or May, — Bel or Baal, the sun-god, and teine, 

 fire. The name survives in many Gaelic names — e.g , Tullibelta?ie, 

 the high place of the fire of Baal. 



*' Beath a's calltuinn \2Sh2i-bealthuinn.'''' — M'Kay. 

 Birch and hazel first day of May. 



Irish : plubaii'sin from plubrach, plunging. Lies Afairi, Mary- 

 wort, Marygold. 



Helleborus viridis — Green hellebore. Gaelic : elebor, a 

 corruption of helleborus (from the Greek eXctv, helein, to cause 

 death ; and /?opa, bora, food — poisonous food). 



"Mo shron tha stocpt a dhV/^^c?;-." — M'DoNALD. 

 My nose is stopped with hellebore. 



H. foetidus — Stinking hellebore. Meacan sleibhe, the hill- 

 plant. 



Aquilegia vulgaris — Columbine. Gaelic : lus a cholamain^ 

 the dove's plant.- Irish : cruba-leisin, from cruba, crouching, and 

 lelse, thigh or haunch ; suggested by the form of the flower. 

 Lusan cholani (O'Reilly), pigeon's flower. ^ Welsh: troed y 

 glomen, naked woman's foot. 



