when eaten fresh. Before tobacco became common, they used 

 to prepare dulse by first washing it in fresh water, then drying it 

 in the sun : it was then rolled up fit for chewing. It was also 

 used medicinally to promote perspiration. Fithreach, dulse. 

 Duiliasg stdimhe {stawih, Laminaria digitata). It grows fre- 

 quently on the stems of that fucus. Duiliasg chlaiche — i.e., 

 on the stones, the stone dulse. Dtdleasg is also given to 

 Laiiraitia pinnatifida, formerly eaten under the name of pepper 

 dulse. 



Porphyra laciniata— Laver, sloke. Gaelic and Irish : sloucan, 

 slochdan, from sloe, a pool or slake. Slábhcean (in Lewis), 

 slàbhagan (Shaw). Lightfoot mentions that " the inhabitants 

 of the Western Islands gather it in the month of March, 

 and after pounding and stewing it with a little water, eat it 

 with pepper, vinegar, and butter ; others stew it with leeks and 

 onions. 



Ulva latissima — Green ulva. Gaelic : glasag, also applied to 

 other edible sea-weeds. In some places in the Western High- 

 lands the names given to laver are also given to this plant. 

 Glasag, from glàs, blue, or green, 



Palmella montana (Ag.)— Lightfoot describes, in his ' Flora 

 Scotica,' a plant which he calls Ulva 7?ionia?ia, and gives it the 

 Gaelic name duilcasg nam beann — i.e., the mountain dulse. This 

 plant is Gloeocapsa inagina (Kutzing). Protococcus magma (Bre- 

 bisson, Alg. Fallals). So7-ospora montana (Yi■^i%%2^\). Lightfoot was 

 doubtless indebted to Martin (whose 'Western Isles' furnished 

 him with many of his useful notes on the uses of plants among the 

 Highlanders) for the information respecting such a plant. Martin 

 describes it thus : " There is seen about the houses of Bernera, for 

 the space of a mile, a soft substance resembling the sea-plant 

 called slake [meaning here Ulva latissima\ and grows very thick 

 among the grass ; the natives say it is the product of a dry hot 

 soil ; it grows likewise on the tops of several hills in the island of 

 Harris." " It abounds in all mountainous regions as a spread- 

 ing crustaceous thing on damp rocks, usually blackish-looking ; 

 but where it is thin the purplish nucleus shines through, giving 

 it a brighter aspect." — Rov. 



Chondrus crispus — Irish moss, known in the Western High- 

 lands by the Irish name aii carraceen, as the chief supply used to 

 come from Carrageen in Ireland. At one time it was in much 

 repute, for from it was manufactured a gelatinous easily digested 

 food for invalids, which used to sell for 2s. Cd. per lb. Mathair 



