274 The Scottish Naturalist. 



green grass ; a seaside grassv It helps, with other species, to 

 bind the sand. 



Lolium perenne and temulentum — Darnell, rye - grass. 

 Gaelic : breoillean. Irish : breallan {breall or b reattach, knotty), 

 from the knotty appearances of the spikes, or from its medicinal 

 virtues in curing glandular diseases. " And being used with 

 quick brimstone and vinegar it dissolveth knots and kernels, 

 and breaketh those that are hard to be dissolved " — Culpepper. 

 DMhean, darnel ; perhaps from dlth, want, poverty. It may be 

 so named from its growing on poor sterile soil, which it is said 

 to improve. "They have lately sown ray-grass to improve cold, 

 clayey soil" — Dr Platt, 1677. Roilte. Irish: raidhteadh, from 

 raidhe, a ray — hence the old English name ray-grass. French : 

 ivraie, darnel. Welsh : efr — perhaps alterations of the French 

 ivre, drunk. The seeds of darnel, when mixed with meal, cause 

 intoxication, and are believed to produce vertigo in sheep — the 

 disease that maketh them reel ; and for this reason the grass is 

 often called sturdan, from sturd, — hence Scotch sturdy grass. 

 Siobhach, from siobhas, rage, fury, madness. " It is a malicious 

 plant of sullen Saturn : as it is not without some vices, so it 

 hath also many virtues " — Culpepper. Cuiseach (M'Alpine), 

 rye-grass. Ruintealas (O'Reilly), the loosening, aperient, or 

 purgative grass — from ruinnec, grass, and tea/ach, loosening. 



Nardus stricta — Mat -grass, moor -grass. Gaelic: beitean 



(perhaps from bei'the), was refused. Cattle refuse to eat it. It 



remains in consequence in dense tufts, till it is scorched by 



early frosts. In this condition it is frequently burned, in order 



to destroy it. Borrach (in some places), parching. Car ran 



(Stewart), a name given also to Spergula arvensis. To this 



grass and other rough species, as rushes, sedges, &c, the name 



riasg is given. 



" Cuiseagan-a's riasg 

 Chinneas air an t'sliabh." — M'Intyre. 



Aira flexuosa — Waved hair-grass. Gaelic : wibin-fheur, peat- 

 grass. It grows generally in peaty soil. 



CRYPTOGAMIA. 



FlLICES. 



Filices — Ferns. Gaelic : raineach, raineach. Irish : raith, 

 rait/me, raithneach ; also, reaihnach. Welsh : rhedyn. Perhaps 

 formed from ?rath, a revolution or turning about, or rat, motion, 



