INTRODUCTION. 3 



course in ancient times betwixt France and Scotland had 

 on our Scottish language ; — for what is wrach or wreck or 

 vrech, but the French word varec, which signifies sea-weed. 

 Vraic is the word employed in the Channel Islands, in 

 Guernsey and Jersey, and is evidently of French extrac- 

 tion; and they who read Inglis on the Channel Islands 

 will find that vraic is not a thing to be spoken of con- 

 temptuously ! But more of this anon. 



In the list of names we may mention that they often go 

 under the name of sea-ware ; hence we have help-ware ; 

 and even loen-ivare, and lioney-ioare. Among the learned, 

 Flantce tnarmcB, marine plants, is often employed; but this 

 term is too comprehensive, for it would include Zostera 

 marina, sea-ribbon, which is a flowering plant. TJialassio- 

 ]iliytes, a still more learned name, has often been given 

 them, derived from two Greek words signifying sea-plants. 



As many of them, at one time, were ranged under the 

 Linneau genus Fucus, we have learned volumes descriptive 

 of numerous genera and species then included in that com- 

 prehensive genus, 



Fucus is the Latin form of a Greek name given to sea-weeds, 

 and as the word signifies paint, it may have been applied to 

 them because of the fine colour which some of them yield. 



