3 2 



•(the fruit); cuairt, round, the foundies. Irish: cueirt. Cilmhrog 

 •(O'Reilly). Sweet apple, from cubhra, sweet fragrant, in our 

 Gaelic cubhraidh. 



The tree is the badge of the Clan Lamont. 



P. aucuparia — Mountain-ash, rowan-tree. Old Irish and 

 Gaelic : litis, drink (luisreog, a charm). The Highlanders formerly 

 used to distil the fruit into a very good spirit. They also believed 

 "that any part of this tree carried about with them would prove a 

 sovereign charm against all the dire effects of enchantment or 

 witchcraft." — Lightfoot (1772). Fuinseag coille, the wood enchan- 

 tress, or the wood-ash (see Circced) ; caorrunn. Irish : partainn- 

 dearg (the berry). Caorthann. Caor, a berry, and tan, a tree 

 Welsh: cerddin. Manx: keirn. 



■' Bu dheirge a ghruaidh na caorrunn." — Ossian. 



His cheeks were ruddier than the rowan. 

 " Suil chorrach mar an dearcag, 

 Fo rosg a dh-iathas dlu, 

 Gruaidhean mar na caorrunn 



Fo 'n aodann tha leam ciuin." — An cailin dileas donn. 

 Thine eyes are like the blaeberry, 



Full and fresh upon the brae, 

 Thy cheeks shall blush like the rowans 

 On a mellow autumn day. 



(Translated by Professor J. S. Blackie). 

 A very uncommon variety of the rowan tree, with orange 

 colour fruit, is found growing by the road side at "Balbeg" Farm, 

 Lawers, Breadalbane. 



(Craobh chaorruinn) — Mountain-ash. The Highlanders have 

 long believed that good or bad luck is connected with various 

 trees. The caorrunn or fuinnseach coille (the wood enchantress) 

 was considered by them as the most propitious of trees, hence it 

 was planted near every dwelling-house, and even far up in the 

 mountain glens, still marking the spot of the old shielings. "And 

 in fishing-boats as are rigged with sails, a piece of the tree was 

 fastened to the haulyard, and held as an indispensable necessity." 

 " Cattle diseases were supposed to have been induced by fairies, 

 or by witchcraft. It is a common belief to bind unto a cow's tail 



a small piece of mountain-ash, as a charm against witchcraft." 



Martin. And when malt did not yield its due proportion of 

 spirits, this was a sovereign remedy. In addition to its other 

 virtues, its fruit was supposed to cause longevity. In the Dean of 



