Mushrooms bear a conspicuous part in Celtic mythology from 

 their connection with the fairies, — they formed the tables for 

 their merry feasts. Fairy rings {Marasmms oreades^ other species 

 of Agartd) were unaccountable to our Celtic ancestors save 

 by the agency of supernatural beings. 



Alg^. 



The generic names assigned to sea-weeds in Gaelic are : 

 feamainn {/earn, a tail) ; trailleach (M'Alpine), (from traigh, 

 shore, sands) ; barra-rochd {barr, a crop), roc. Greek : pw^. 

 French : 7'oche, a rock. Welsh : gwyffion, sea-weed. French : 

 varec, from Sanscrit, bharc, through the Danish vrag. All the 

 olive - coloured sea -weeds go by the general name feamainn 

 buidhe ; the dark- green, feamainn dubh ; and the red, feamainn 

 derg. 



Fucus vesiculosus — Sea-ware, kelp-ware, black tang, lady- 

 wrack. Gaelic : propach, sometimes prablach, tangled ; in some 

 places grobach, grab, to dig, to grub. 



This fucus forms a considerable part of the winter supply of 

 food for cattle, sheep, and deer. In the Hebrides cheeses are 

 dried without salt, but are covered with the ashes of this plant, 

 which abounds in salt. It was also used as a medicinal 

 charm. *' If, after a fever, one chanced to be taken ill of a 

 stitch, they (the inhabitants of Jura) take a quantity of lady- 

 ivrack and red fog and boil them in water; the patients sit 

 upon the vessel and receive the fume, which by experience they 

 find effectual against the distemper." — Martin's 'Western 

 Isles.' 



F. nodosus — Knobbed sea-weed. Gaelic : feamainn bholgainn, 

 builgach, — bolg^ builg, a sack, a bag, from the vesicles that serve 

 to buoy up the plant amidst the waves. Feamuinn buidhe, the 

 yellow wrack. It is of an olive-green colour; the receptacles are 

 yellow. 



F. serratus — Serrated sea-weed. G 2iQ\ic\ feamainn dubh, black 

 wrack. Aon chasach, one-stemmed, applies to this plant when 

 single in growth. 



F. canaliculatus — Channelled fucus. Gaelic : feamainn chir- 

 ean {cir, a comb). This plant is a favourite food for cattle, 

 and farmers give it to counteract the injurious effects of sapless 

 food, such as old straw and hay. 



Laminaria digitata — Sea-girdles, tangle. Gaelic and Irish : 

 stamh, slat-mhara, sea-wand. Duidhean, the stem, and liaghag 



