it is supposetl, by eating a poisonous herb. Some say the sun- 

 dew — others, again, aver the sun-dew was an effectual remedy. 

 This pUmt was much employed among Celtic tribes for dyeing 

 the hair. 



Page 8. 

 Saponaria. The quotation from Pliny may be thus trans- 

 lated : '"Soap is good — that invention of the Ciauls — for red- 

 dening the hair, out of grease and ash." 



Page 9. 

 Linum usitatissimum {Lio/i). 



"Mèiile salainn 's mèirle frois, 

 Meirl' o nach fhaigh anam clos ; 

 Gub an teid an t-iasg air tir, 

 Cha "n fliaigh nièirleach an lin clos." 

 '•This illustrates the great value attached to salt and lint, espe- 

 cially among a fishing population, at a time when the duty on 

 salt was excessive, and lint was cultivated in the Hebrides." — 

 Sheriff Nicolson. 



Page 10. 

 Hypericum. Martin evidently refers to this ])lant, and calls 

 it '■' Fiiga diciiioninit.''' "John Morrison, who lives in Bernera 

 (Harris), wears the plant called ".Sív/í/" in the neck of his coat 

 to prevent his seeing of visions, and says he never saw any 

 since he first carried that plant about with him." .Children 

 have a saying whea they meet this plant — 



"Luibh Cholum Cliille, gun siieadh gun iarraidh, 

 'Sa dheòin Dia, cha bhasaich mi noclid." 

 St Coluinl^as-wort, unsought, una.sked, and, please God, I won't tlic to-night. 



Page 12. 

 Shamrock — AVoodsorrel and white clover. The shamrock 

 is said to be worn by the Irish upon the anniversary of St 

 Patrick for the following reason : When the Saint preached the 

 Gospel to the pagan Irish, he illustrated the doctrine of the 

 Trinity by showing them a trefoil, which was ever afterwards worn 

 ujjon the Saint's anniversary. " Between May-day and harvest, 

 butter, new cheese, and curds and shamrock, are the food of 

 the meaner sort all this season." — Piers's 'West INIeath.' 



Page 13. 

 Gaelic Alphabet. Antecedent to the use of the present 

 'alphalìet, the ancient Celts wrote on the barks of trees. The 



