dy^ force, irritation. In Gaelic and Welsh the words dris and 

 drysicn are applied to the bramble and briar indiscriminately. 



" An drcas a fas gii h-iirar."— OssiAN. 



The bramble (or briar) freshly growing. 

 " Am fear theid san droighioiin domh 



Theid me san dris da." — Proverb. 



If one pass through thorns to me, 



I'll pass through brambles (or liriars) to him. 



Griaii i/i/uii/u', the thorn (bush) that basks in the sun. Dris 

 miwie, — muine, a thorn, prickle, sting. Smear phreas (Irish : 

 smeiir), the bush that smears ; smcarag, that which smears (the 

 fruit). Welsh : iniar, the bramble. {Miar or ineur in Gaelic 

 means a finger.) Smearadid, fingering, greasing, smearing. (Com- 

 pare Dutch, smeeren ; German, schmieren, to smear or daub.) 

 Dris-smear, another combination of the preceding names. 



This plant is the badge of the Clan M'Lean. 



R. csesius — Blue bramble ; dewberry bush. Gaelic : prcas- 

 nan-gonn dhcarc, the blueberry bush. 



" Bar gach tolmain fo bhrat ,<^vn?i d/wair." — M'DoNALn. 

 Every knoll under a mantle of blueberries (dewberries). 



The blue bramble is the badge of the Clan M'Nab. 

 Rosa canina — Dog-rose. Gaelic : coi/i rbs, dogs' rose (av'/z, 

 gen. plural of cù, a dog). Greek : x^^-wv. Latin : ca/iis. Sanscrit : 

 amds. Irish : cii. ^^^elsh : /:i. 



Gaelic : coin dro/g/iio/i/i, dogs' thorn. Earrdhrcas or fcari-a- 

 dhris, earrad, armour ; suggested by its being armed with prickles. 

 " Mar mhucaig na. /Mrra-dhris.^^ — M'Ellar. 

 Like hips on the briar. 



Freas-nain-inucaig, the hip bush — from nine (Welsh : moc/i), a 

 pig, from the fancied resemblance of the seeds to pigs, being 

 bristly. Irish : sgeach mhadi'a, the dogs' haw or bush. Welsh : 

 merddrain. Gaelic : ròs, rose ; cultivated rose, ròs gharaidh. 



" Be sid an sealladh eibhinn ! 

 Do bhruachan ^k-dhearg ros^ 

 That was a joyful sight ! 

 Thy banks so rosy red. 



R. rubiginosa — Sweet-briar (briar, Gaelic : a bodkin or pin). 

 Gaelic ; dris chiibhraidh, the fragrant bramble. Irish : sgeach- 

 chumhra, the fragrant haw or bush. Cuirdris, the twisting briar, 

 — cuir, gen. sing, of car, to twist or wind. 



