88 



grass was introduced from New York and Carolina in 1780 by 

 Timothy Hanson." — Loudon. It seems to have been unknown 

 in the Hebrides and the Highlands before that date ; for Dr 

 Walker ('Rural Econ. Hebrides,' ii. 27) says, "that it maybe 

 introduced into the Highlands with good effect." Yet Lightfoot 

 (1777) mentions it as " by the waysides, and in pastures, but not 

 common." Bodan is also applied to P. arenariujn and P. alpinum. 



Lepturus filiformis. — Gaelic : durfheurfairge^ sea hard grass. 

 Dur, hard (Latin, durus) ; few% grass ; /<z/r^, the sea, ocean, 

 wave. It grows all round Ireland, as well as in England and 

 South Scotland. Irish : durfher fairge (O'Reilly). 



Calamagrostis. — Etym. KdX.aiJLo<;, and dypoo-rt?, reed-grass. 



C. Epigejos — Wood small reed. Cuilc fheur, cane -grass; 

 gairwe ^ cane. Lachnn coille, wood-rush. 



Ammophiia arenaria (or Psamma arenaria) — Sea-maram ; sea- 

 matweed. Gaelic and Irish : imih'i?ieach^ from viuir (Latin 7fiare, 

 the sea), the ocean. It is extensively propagated to bind the sand 

 on the sea shore ; generally called muran on west coast. The 

 same name is applied to the carrot, an alteration of moron — a 

 plant lyith large tapering roots. M'Intyre alludes to " miiran 

 brlghar" but whether he refers to the carrot or to this grass is 

 a matter of controversy. Not being a seaside Highlander, he 

 was more likely to know the carrot, wild and cultivated, far 

 better than this seaside grass, and associating it with groundsel 

 (a plant which usually grows rather too abundantly, wherever 

 carrots are sown), makes it a certainty that he had not the *' sea- 

 maram " in his mind. (See Daiicus carota.) 



Avena sativa — Oats. Gaelic and Irish : coin. Welsh : 

 ceirch. Armoric : querch. Probably from the Sanskrit karc, to 

 crush. 



" Is fhearr siol caol coircc fhaotuinn a droch fhearann na' bhi falamh." 

 Better small oats than nothing out of bad land. 



The small variety, A. nuda, the naked or hill oat, when ripe, 

 drops the grain from the husk ; it was therefore more generally 

 cultivated two centuries ago. It was made into meal by dry- 

 ing it on the hearth, and bruising it in a stone - mortar, the 

 ^'' muileann brddh^' — hand-mill or quern. Many of them may 

 still be seen about Highland and Irish cottages. 



A. fatua and pratensis — Wild oats. Gaelic : coirc fiadhain, 

 wild oats ; coii'C dub/i, black oats. Also applied to the Brome 

 grasses. 



