354 The Scottish Naturalist. 



I should like a great lake of ale 



For the King of kings ; 



I should like the family of heaven 



To be drinking it through time eternal. 



To prevent the inebriating effects of ale, " the natives of Mull 

 are very careful to chew a piece of ' charmeV root, finding it 

 to be aromatic — especially when they intend to have a drinking- 

 bout ; for they say this in some measure prevents drunkenness." 

 — Martin's ' Western Isles.' 



Trees, Thorns. A superstition was common among the Celtic 

 races, that for every tree cut down in any district, one of the 

 inhabitants in that district would die that year. Many ancient 

 forts, and the thorns which surrounded them, were preserved 

 by the veneration, or rather dread, with which the thorns were 

 held ; hence, perhaps, the name sgitheach, sgith (anciently), fear; 

 hence also, droighionn (druidh), enchantment, witchcraft. 



Rubus fruticosus— (Smearagan) Blackberries. It was and is, 

 I believe, still a common belief in the Highlands that each 

 blackberry contains a poisonous worm. Another popular belief 

 is — kept up probably to prevent children eating them when 

 unwholesome — that the fairies defiled them at Michaelmas and 

 Halloween. 



Pyrus aucuparia — (Craobh chaoran) Mountain-ash. The 

 Highlanders have long believed that good or bad luck is 

 connected with various trees. The caoran or fuinnseach coille 

 (the wood enchantress) was considered by them as the most 

 propitious of trees ; hence it was planted near every dwelling- 

 house, and even far up in the mountain glens, still marking the 

 spot of the old shielings. " And in fishing-boats as are rigged 

 with sails, a piece of the tree was fastened to the haul-yard, and 

 held as an indispensable necessity." " Cattle diseases were 

 supposed to have been induced by fairies, or by witchcraft. It 

 is a common belief to bind unto a cow's tail a small piece of 

 mountain-ash, as a charm against witchcraft." — Martin. And 

 when malt did not yield its due proportion of spirits, this was a 

 sovereign remedy. In addition to its other virtues, its fruit was 

 supposed to cause longevity. In the Dean of Lismore's Book 

 there occurs a very old poem, ascribed to Caoch O'Cluain 

 (Blind O'Cloan) ; he described the rowan-tree thus — 



"Caorthainn do hhi air Loch Maoibh do chimid an traigh do dheas, 

 Gach a re 'us gach a mios toradh abuich do bin air. 

 Seasamh bha an caora sin, fa millise no mil a bhlath, 



