300 TJie Scottish Naturalist. 



virtues of crotal that, when they were to start on a journey, they 

 sprinkled it on their hose, as they thought it saved their feet 

 from getting inflamed during the journey. Welsh : cen da, black 

 head, applied to the species Omphalodes. 



Sticta pulmonacea (Pnlmonaria of Lightfoot) — Lungwort 

 lichen. Scotch : hazelraw. Gaelic and Irish : crotal coille 

 (" coille" of the wood), upon the trunks of trees in shady 

 woods. It was used among Celtic tribes as a cure for lung 

 diseases, and is still used by Highland old women in their oint- 

 ments and potions. 



According to Shaw, the term grim was applied as a general 

 term for lichens growing on stones. Martin, in his description 

 of his journey to Skye, refers to the superstition " that the natives 

 observe the decrease of the moon for scraping the scurf from 

 the stones." The two useful lichens, corcur and crotal, gave rise 

 to the suggestive proverb — 



£: Is fhearr a' chlach gbarbh air am faighear rud-eigin, na 'chlach mhin air 

 nach faighear dad idir. " 



Better the rough stone that yields something, than the smooth stone that 

 yields nothing. 



FUNGL 



Agaricus — The mushroom. Irish and Gaelic dictionaries 

 give agairg for mushroom. Welsh : cullod. 



A. campestris — Balg bJuiachail (balg is an ancient Celtic 

 word, and in most languages has the same signification — viz., 

 a bag, wallet, pock, &C. (Greek, fioXyvs ; Latin, bulga ; Sax. 

 beige ; Ger. bdlg), buac/iail, a shepherd). Balg losgainn (losgann 

 a frog, and in some places balgbhuachair, — buachar, dung), Leirin 

 sugach. In Aberfeldy A. campestris is called bonaid bhuidhli 

 smachain (Dr M'Millan). 



Boletus bovinus — Brown boletus. Gaelic and Irish : bonaid 

 an losgainn, the toad's bonnet ; and also applied to other 

 species of this genus. 



Tuber cibarium — Truffle. Ballan losgainn, Dr M'Millan, 

 from ball, a ball, a tuber. These are subterraneous ball-like 

 bodies, something like potatoes, found in woods, and probably 

 applied to other species as well. 



Lycoperdon giganteum — The large fuz-ball or devil's snuff- 

 box. Gaelic and Irish : beac, beacan, from beach, a bee. This 

 mushroom or puff-ball was used formerly (and is yet) for 

 smothering bees : it grows to a large size, sometimes even two 

 or three feet in circumference. Trioman (O'Reilly). 



