93 



Sgeainh means reproach, and sgiainh or sgt'iinh, beauty, orna- 

 ment ; " na clock" of the stones. The second idea seems, at 

 least in modern times, to be more appropriate than the first, 

 especially as the term was applied to the really beautifid oak- 

 fern. 



" Mu chinneas luibhean 'us an sgciiiih.^'' 

 How the flowers and the ferns grow. 



Reidh raineach, — rcidh, smooth, plain. Raiiieach nan crag, the 

 rock-fern. Mearlag (in Lochaber), perhaps from meàr or 

 meicr, a finger, from a fancied resemblance of the pinnules to 

 lingers. 



P. Dryopteris — Oak-fern. Gaelic and Irish : sgcanih d/iaraich 

 (O'Reilly), the oak-fern. No Gaelic name is recorded for the 

 beech-fern {P. Phegopteris). 



Blechnum spicant — Hard fern. The only Gaelic name sup- 

 plied for this fern is " an raineach chruaidh" hard fern. It is 

 impossible to say whether this is a translation or not. Being a 

 conspicuous and well-defined fern, it must have had a Gaelic 

 name. 



Cystopteris fragilis — Bladder-fern. Gaelic : friodli raineach, 

 or frioth fhraineacJi, — ''frioth," small, slender. The tufts are 

 usually under a foot long ; stalks very slender. 



Polystichum aculeatum, lobatum, and angulare — Gaelic : 

 zbhig (Rev. A. Stewart), the name by which the shield-ferns 

 are known in the West Highlands. This name may have ref- 

 erence to the medicinal drinks formerly made from the pow- 

 dered roots being taken in water as a specific for worms (see 

 Z. filix-vias), from ibh, a drink. French : ivre. Latin : ebrius. 



P. Lonchitis — Holly fern. Gaelic : raineach-chuilitin (Stewart), 

 holly fern, known by that name in Lome ; also colg raineach, 

 in Breadalbane and elsewhere. For cnileann and colg, see Ilex 

 aqnifoliuni. 



Lastrea Oreopteris — Sweet mountain fern. Gaelic : crini- 

 raincach (Stewart). Most likely from creini, a scar, the stalks 

 being covered with brown scarious scales. In some places the 

 name /?/■/<? raineach is given, from /ihZf, a scent, a smell. This 

 species may be easily distinguished by the minute glandular 

 dots on the under side of the fronds, from which a fragrant 

 smell is imparted when the plant is bruised. 



L. filix-mas — Male fern. Gaelic and Irish : marc raineach, 

 horse-fern. Marc. Welsh : march. Old High German : marah. 



