3i6 The Scottish Naturalist. * 



An gath, a spear, a dart. 



The badge of the Clan Gordon. 



CORNACE^. 



Cornus (from Latin : cornu, a horn). GaeHc : corn. French : 

 come. " The wood being thought to be hard and durable as 

 horn." 



Cornus sanguinea — Dogwood, cornel-tree. Gaelic : coi7i-bhil, 

 dogwood ; conbhaiscne, dog-tree [baiscne, Irish, a tree). Irish : 

 crann coirnel, cornel-tree. 



C. suecica — Dwarf cornel, — literally, Swedish cornel. Gaelic 

 and Irish : lus-a-chraois, plant of gluttony {craos, a wide mouth ; 

 gluttony, appetite). " The berries have a sweet, waterish taste, 

 and are supposed by the Highlanders to create a great appe- 

 tite, — whence the Erse name of the plant " (Stuart of Killin). 



« 



UiAIBELLIFER^. 



Hydrocotyle vulgaris — Marsh pennywort. Gaelic : ins na 

 peighi?i?i, the pennywort. Irish : ins na pinghine (O'Reilly), 

 from the resemblance of its peltate leaf to ^ peighinn^ — a Scotch 

 penny, or the fourth part of a shilling sterling. 



Eryngium maritimum — Sea-holly. Gaelic and Irish : cuiieann 

 trdgha, sea-shore holly. (See Hex aquifoiinm). Welsh : y mor 

 geiyn^ sea-holly {ceiynen, holly). 



Sanicula europaea — Wood sanicle. Gaelic : bodan coiiie, wood- 

 tail, — the little old man of the wood. Irish : caogma^ — caog, to 

 wink. Buine^ an ulcer, — a noted herb, " to heal all green wounds 

 speedily, or any ulcers. This is one of Venus, her herbs, to cure 

 either wounds or what other mischief Mars inflicteth upon the 

 body of man" (Culpepper). Welsh: dust yr artii, bear's-ear. 



Conium maculatum — Hemlock. Gaelic: minmJiear (Shaw), 

 — smooth or small fingered, or branched, in reference to its foli- 

 age ; mongach mhear, and muinniiiear, — mong and muing, a 

 mane, from its smooth, glossy, pinnatifid leaves. Alinbhar, soft- 

 topped or soft-foliaged. IteodJia, iteotJia, — ite, feathers, plumage. 

 The appearance of the foliage has evidently suggested these 

 names, and not the qualities of the plant, although it is looked 

 upon still with much antipathy. 



*' Is coslach e measg chaich 



Ri itcodha an garadh."— M'Intyre. 



Among oilier people he is like a hemlock in a garden. 



