70 T/ie Scottish-- Naturalist. 



much lighter and beautiful glaucous colour. The bark of the 

 trunk is not so rugged as in variety i. The cones are generally 

 thicker, not so much pointed, and they are smoother than those 

 of variety I. The tree seems to be a more hardy plant, being 

 easily reconciled to very various soils and situations. It grows 

 very freely, and quickly arrives at a considerable size. Now may 

 I here be allowed to conjecture that the fir- woods which formerly 

 abounded in every part of Scotland, and the trees of which 

 arrived at a large size, had been of this variety or species. I 

 have certainly observed that the greater part of the fir-woods of 

 the present day. and which are so much complained of, are of 

 the common variety, or variety i ; at least not more than one 

 tree out of ten or twelve is of variety 2, or the more desirable 

 kind. I think this is the most natural way of accounting for 

 the supposed decline of the Scots fir in this country, for two 

 reasons : 1, Because variety 2 still retains all the good qualities 

 ever ascribed to the Scots fir ; 2, Because, as variety 1 produces 

 its cones much more freely than the other, the seed-gatherers, 

 who were only to be paid by the quantity and not the quality, 

 would seize upon the former and neglect the latter." 



And he goes on to say that he has planted seeds of the four 

 varieties in his garden, and will report ; but he was cut oft" before 

 the result of his experiment could be seen. 



(7c? be continued.) 



THE GAELIC NAMES OF PLANTS. 

 By JOHN CAMERON. 



( Continued from p. 30. ) 



M. pulegium — Pennyroyal. Gaelic : peighinn rioghail, the 



same meaning. 



" Am bearnan bride 's a pheighinn-rioghail." — M'Intyre. 



The dandelion and the pennyroyal. 



Welsh : coluddlys, herb good for the bowels. Dail y gwaed, blood 

 leaf. 



Calamintha — Basil-thyme, calamint. Gaelic : calameilt (from 

 Greek, koAos, beautiful ; and /javdr), minthe, mint), beautiful mint. 

 Welsh: Llysie y g&th, catwort. 



Rosmarinus officinalis — Common rosemary. Gaelic : rbs 

 Mhuire. Irish : rbs-mar — mar-ros, sea-dew, corruptions from the 



