63 



ries which the Highland children are very fond of eating, though 

 rather bitter. Taken in large quantities, they cause headache. 

 Grouse are fond of them. Boiled with alum they are used to 

 produce a dark-purple dye. Lus na stalog (O'Reilly), the star- 

 ling's plant. 



EUPHORBIACEyE. 



Euphorbia e^igu^^^.^ | -Spurge. Gaelic and Irish : spuirse 



= spurge. Foifineamh lus, wart-wort. 



E. peplus — Petty spurge. Gaelic and Irish : lus leusaidh, 

 healing plant. The plants of this genus possess powerful cath- 

 artic and emetic properties. E. helioscopia has a particularly 

 acrid juice, which is often applied for destroying warts, hence it 

 is called foifuieamh lus. Irish : gear neimh {gear or geur, severe, 

 and neitnh, poison, the milky juice being poisonous.) 



E. paralias — Sea- spurge. Irish : buidhe na ningean (O'Reilly), 

 the yellow plant of the v/aves {riin^ a wave), its habitat being 

 maritime sands. Not found in Scotland, but in Ireland, on the 

 coast as far north as Dublin. This and the preceding species 

 are extensively used by the peasantry of Kerry for poisoning, or 

 rather stupefying, fish. 



Buxus sempervirens — Box, Gaelic and Irish : bocsa^ an 

 alteration of ^v|os, the Greek name. 



"Suidhichidh mi anns an fhasach an giuthas, an gall ghiuthas, agus am 

 bocsa le cheile. "—Isaiah. 



I will set in the desert the fir-tree and the pine and the box together. 



The badge of Clan M'Pherson and Clan M'Intosh. 



Mercurialis perennis — Wood mercury. Gaelic : lus ghlinne- 

 bhracadail. Ltis ghlin?te, the cleansing wort ; bracadh, suppura- 

 tion, corruption, &c. It was formerly much used for the cure 

 of wounds. 



CUCURBITACE^. 



Cucumis sativus — Cucumber. Gaelic and Irish : cularan, 

 perhaps from culair, the palate, or culear^ a bag. 



'*Is cuimhne leinne an t-iasg a dh 'ith sinn san Ephit gu saor ; nz.-cular- 

 ain agus na ffiealbhucain." — Numbers xi. 5. 



We remember the fish that we did eat in Egypt freely, and the cucumber 

 and the melons, 



" 'Sa thorc nimhe ri sgath a chularan.'"—M''Do^AhD. 

 The wild boar destroying his cucwnbers. 



