87 



are scarcely touched by cattle. According to Dr Hooker, carex 

 is derived from Greek, Kdptji^ from the cutthig foliage. The 

 Sanscrit root is kar^ to cut, shear, divide. 



0. vulgaris, and many of the other large species — Common 

 sedge. Gaelic : gainnisg (Stewart), — gain?ie, a sedge, reed, 

 cane, arrow ; and seasg. 



Gramine^e. 



Agrostis alba— Fiorin-grass. Gaelic and Irish : fioran, feor- 

 tne, or Jio?'-t/ian ; derived from Gaelic : feur, feoh% grass, herb- 

 age, fodder. Latin: vireo, I grow green, — ver, spring ; fcenum, 

 fodder — r and ;/ being interchangeable. This name is applied 

 in the dictionaries to the common couch-grass, because, like it, 

 it retains a long time its vital power, and propagates itself by 

 extending its roots. 



Alopecurus — Foxtail-grass. Gaelic : fiteag^—jit^ food, refresh- 

 ment. Latin : vita. 



A. geniculatus. — Gaelic : fiteag cha7n, — 



"A chuiseag dheireach's 7vc\.fhiteag chants — M'Intyre. 



cam^ bent, from the knee-like bend in the stalk. A valuable 

 grass for hay and pasture. 



Arundo Phragmites — Reed-grass. Gaelic : seasgan; seasg, a 

 reed. Lachan^ the common reed. Irish : cruisgiornach, a-uisigh^ 

 music, song; from its stem reeds for pipes were manufactured. 

 Welsh : caum wellt, cane-grass ; qwellt, grass. 



Anthoxanthum odoratum — Sweet meadow-grass. Gaelic : 

 mislea?i, from milis^ sweet. 



'"San canach min geal 's mislean ann." — M'Intyre. 

 The soft white cotton-grass and the sweet grass are there. 



Borrach [borradh, scent, smell). — In some places this name is 

 given to the Nardus stricta^ which see. This is the grass that 

 gives the peculiar smell to meadow hay. Though common in 

 meadows, it grows nearly to the top of the Grampians (3400 

 feet) ; hence the names are given as " a species of mountain 

 grass " in some dictionaries. 



Milium effasum — Millet -grass. Gaelic: mileid. Welsh: 

 viiled. The name derived from the true millet misapplied. Mil- 

 let is translated in the Gaelic Bible mea?ibh pheasair, small peas 

 (see Faba vulgaris). — Ezekiel iv. 9. 



Phleum pratense — Timothy grass, cat's-tail grass. Gaelic : 

 bodafi, a little tail ; the same name for Typha atigicstifolia. " This 



