The Scottish Naturalist. 173 



bhallach, from ur, fresh ; urach, a bottle ; uradh, apparel, and 

 ballach, spotted. 



0. mascula — Early orchis. Gaelic : moth urach, from moth, 

 the male of any animal. 



" Lointeann far an cinn 



I'na motJiraichean." — M'lNTYRE in ' Ben Doran.' 



Meadows where the early orchis grow. 



Irish : magairlin meireach, (magalrle, the testicles ; meireach 

 (Greek, metro), joyful, glad). Clachan gadhair (gadhar a hound, 

 clach, a stone). The name, cuigeal an losgain, the frog's spindle, 

 is applied to many of the orchis ; and frequently the various 

 names are given to both maculata and mascula. 



0. conopsea — Fragrant orchis. Gaelic : /us tdghta, the 

 chosen or select weed. 



Ophrys — Greek : o(f>pvs (Gaelic, abhra), the eyelash, to which 

 the delicate fringe of the inner sepals may be well compared. 

 " A plant with two leaves " — Freund. 



0. or List era ovata — Tway blade. Gaelic : da-dhuillcach, 

 two-leaved ; da-bhileach, same meaning. 



Epipactis latifolia — White helleborine. Gaelic : 'elebor-geal. 1 

 A plant used formerly for making snuff. " The root of hellebor 

 cut in small pieces, the pouder drawne vp into the nose causeth 

 sneezing, and purgeth the brain from grosse and slimie humors " 

 — Gerard, 1597. This is probably the plant referred to in 

 " Morag," when M'Donald describes the buzzing in his head, 

 for even his nose he had to stop with hellebore, since he parted 

 from her endearments. 



" Mo cheann tha Ian do sheilleanaibh 

 O dheilich mi ri d'bhriodal 

 Mo shron tha stoipt' a dh-elebor. 

 Xa deil, le teine dimbis." 



Iridace.e. 



Iris — Signifying, according to Plutarch, the " eye." Canon 

 Bourke maintains " it is derived from etpw, to settle. And as a 

 name it was by the pagan priests applied to the imaginary mes- 

 senger, sent by gods and goddesses to others of their class, to 

 announce tidings of goodwill. At times they imagined her sent 

 to mortals, as in Homer, to settle matters, or to say they were 

 destined to be settled. Such was the duty of Iris. Now 



1 See Helleborus viridis. 



