The Scott isli Naturalist. 8 1 



ElJPHORBIACE/E. 



Euphorbia exigua ) ~ .. , T . . 



helioscopia / ~ S P ur g e ' Gaehc and Insh : s P wrse 



— spurge. Foinneamh /us, wart-wort. 



E. peplus — Petty spurge. Gaelic and Irish : tus /eusaidh, 

 healing plant. The plants of this genus possess powerful cath- 

 artic and emetic properties. E. helioscopia has a particularly 

 acrid juice, which is often applied for destroying warts, hence it 

 is called foinneamh /us. Irish : gear neitnh (gear or geur, severe, 

 and ne'unh, poison, the milky juice being poisonous.) 



E. paralias — Sea-spurge. Irish : buidhe na ningean (O'Reilly), 

 the yellow plant of the waves (iiin, a wave), its habitat being 

 maritime sands. Not found in Scotland, but in Ireland, on the 

 coast as far north as Dublin. This and the preceding species 

 are extensively used by the peasantry of Kerry for poisoning, or 

 rather stupefying, fish. 



Buxus sempervirens — Box. Gaelic and Irish : bocsa, an 

 alteration of (3v£os, the Greek name. 



" Suidhichidh mi arms an fhasach an giuthas, an gall ghiiithas, agus am 

 bocsa le cheile. " — Isaiah. 



I will set in the desert the fir-tree and the pine and the box together. 



The badge of Clan M'Pherson and Clan MTntosh. 



Mercurialis perennis — Wood mercury. Gaelic : /us ghlinne- 

 bhracadail. Lus gh/inne, the cleansing wort ; bracadh, suppura- 

 tion, corruption, &c. It was formerly much used for the cure 

 of wounds. 



CUCURBITACE^. 



Cucumis sativus — Cucumber. Gaelic and Irish : cu/aran, 

 perhaps from cu/air, the palate, or cu/ear, a bag. 



"Is cuimhne leinne an t-iasg a dh 'ith sinn san Ephit gu saor ; nsi-cu/a- 

 ain agus na mealbhucain." — Numbers xi. 5. 



We remember the fish that we did eat in Egypt freely, and the cucumber 

 and the melons. 



" 'Sa thorc nimhe ri sgath a chularan." — M'Donald. 



The wild boar destroying his cucumbers. 



Irish : cucumhar (O'Reilly), cucumber, said to be derived from 

 the Celtic word cue (Gaelic, cuach), a hollow thing. In some 

 species the rind becomes hard when dried, and is used as a cup. 

 Latin : cucurbita, a derivative from the Celtic. (See Loudon.) 

 Welsh : chewerw ddwfr = water-sour. 



Cucumis melo — Melon. Gaelic and Irish : niea/-bhuc, from 



VOL. VI. F 



