The Scottish Naturalist. 263 



a "prsecox," or early fruit, and gardeners taking the article 



"a" for the first syllable of the word, might easily have corrupted 



it to apricots. 



P. cerasus — Cherry-tree. Gaelic : c7'aobh shins, a corruption 



of Gerasus, a town in Pontus in Asia, from whence the tred was 



first brought. 



" Do bheul mar t' j/m. " 



Thy mouth Hke the cherry. 



Welsh : ceiriosen. 



P. padus — Bird cherry. Gaelic : craobh fhiodhag, from fiodh, 

 wood, timber ; fiodhach, a shrubbery. 



P. avium — Wild cherry. Gaelic : geanais, the gean. French : 

 giiigne, from a German root. 



Amydalus communis — Almond. Gaelic : anio/i, cno ghreugach, 

 Greek nut. 



A. persica — Peach. Gaelic : peitseag, from the English. 



Spiraea ulmaria — Meadow-sweet, queen of the meadow. 

 Gaelic : crios (or cfieas) Chu-chtilainn^ The plant called " My 

 lady's belt" (M'Kenzie). "A flower mentioned by M'Donald 

 in his poem ''Alt an t-siucair,^ with the English of which I am 

 not acquainted" (Armstrong). 



It is not mentioned in the poem referred to, but in ^' Oran an't 

 Samhraidh " — The Summer Song. 



" S'curaidh faileadh do mhuineil 



A ch7'ios-Chu-Chulainji waxi ckm\ 

 Na; d' chruinn bhabaidean riabhach, 



Loineach, fhad hiirgneach, sgiamhach. . . 



Na cV thuim ghiobagach, dreach mhin, ■ 



; Bharr-bhiiidhe, chasurlaich, aird; 



Timcheall thulmanan diamhair 

 Ma'm bi 'm biadh-ionain a fas." — M'Donald. 



Sweetly scerited thy wreath, 

 Aleadow-szveet of the cairns ! 

 In round brindled clusters, 

 And softly fringed tresses, 

 Beautiful, tall, and graceful, 

 Creamy flowered, ringleted, high ; 

 Around sheltered hillocks 

 Where the wood-sorrel grows. 



Welsh : llysi'Jr forwyn, the maiden's flower. 



^ Cii chuUin's belt. Cuchullin Avas the most famous champion of the 

 Ulster militia in the old Milesian times. He Jived at the dawn of the 

 Christian era. He was so called from Cu, a hound, and Uilin, the name of 

 the province. Many stories are still extant regarding him. 



