The Scottish Naturalist. 27 



with the drink with which, by their truce, they were to supply 

 the Danes, which so intoxicated them that the Scots killed the 

 greater part of the Danish army while they were asleep. Welsh : 

 y gysiadur, the putter to sleep. 



Hyoscyamus niger — Henbane. Gaelic and Irish : gafann 

 (gabhann), the dangerous one. Detheogka, deodha, deo, breath, 

 that which is destructive to life. Caoch-nan-cearc, that which 

 blinds the hens. Its seeds are exceedingly obnoxious to poultry, 

 hence the English name henbane. The whole plant is a dan- 

 gerous narcotic. Welsh : sleivyg yr id?', preventing or curing 

 faintness. 



SCROPHULARIACEiE. 



Verbascum thapsus — Mullein ; hag's taper ; cow's lungwort. 

 Gaelic and Irish : cuineal Mhuire, or cu ingeal Mhuire (from cuing, 

 asthma, or shortness of breath. In pulmonary diseases of cattle 

 it is found to be of great use, hence the name, cow's lungwort, or 

 cuiuge, narrowness, straightness, from its high, tapering stem ; 

 Mhuire, Mary's). 



Veronica beccabunga — Erooklime. Gaelic : lochal, from loch, 

 a lake, a pool, the pool-weed or lake-weed, being a water-plant. 

 Lothal (lo, water). Irish : Molar mJiiiin, the contemptible cress ; 

 miin, urine. Welsh : llychlys y diofr, squatter in the water. 



V. officinale — Common speedwell. Gaelic and Irish : lus ere, 

 the dust-weed. Sea mar chre (see Oxalis). 



V. anagallis — Water-speedwell. Irish : fualachtar, fual, water, 

 the one that grows in the water. 



Euphrasia officinalis — Eyebright. Gaelic : lus nan leac, the 

 hillside plant ; leac, a declivity. Soillseachd nan sail, soillse na 

 sill (M'Donald), that which brightens the eye. Rein an. ruisg 

 (Stuart), water for the eye. Glan ruis, the eye-cleaner. Lightfoot 

 mentions that the Highlanders of Scotland make an infusion of 

 it in milk, and anoint the patient's eyes with a feather dipped in 

 it, as a cure for sore eyes. Irish : radharcain (rarlhairc), sense 

 of sight. Lin radharc (Jin, the eye, wet), the eye wetter or washer. 

 Raeimin-radhairc{reim, power, authority), that which has power 

 over the sight. Roisnin, rosg, the eye, eyesight. Caoimin (caoimh), 

 clean. Welsh : gloywlys, the bright plant. 'Llysieuyn eufras, the 

 herb Euphrasia (from ev</y>au/eo, euphraino, to delight, from the 

 supposition of the plant curing blindness). Arnoldus de Villa 

 saith, " It has restored sight to them that have been blind a long 

 time before ; and if it were but as much used as it is neglected, 

 it would half spoil the spectacle trade " (Culpepper). 



