42 



physician's plant, from which the Gaelic name is a corruption. 

 Though thus applicable, the names are only alterations of Ligus- 

 licum, a plant of Liguria. Welsh : dulys, the dusky plant. 



Meuin athamanticum — Meu, spignel, baldmoney. Gaelic : 

 muilceann. Irish: muilcheann, possibly from tnuil, a scent; ceann, 

 a head or top. Muilceann is given in some dictionaries as " fell- 

 wort," but "fellwort" (swertia fierennis) is a different plant, and 

 belongs to the Gentian order. (It is now unknown in Britain, and 

 has been excluded from our botanical books). The muilceann 

 is highly aromatic, with a hot flavour like lovage. Highlanders 

 are very fond of chewing its roots. 



In Inverness-shire, bruin or bricin dubh, perhaps from bri, 

 juice; or, as mentioned in Lightfoot, vol. i. p. 158, as Sibbald 

 says it grows on the banks of the Breick Water in West Lothian, 

 may not some native of the banks of the Breick have given, it this 

 local name in remembrance of seeing it growing on the banks of 

 his native Breick? — Ferguson. 



There was a St. Bricin who flourished about the year 637. He 

 had a great establishment at Tuaim Drecain. His reputation as 

 a saint and "ollamk," or doctor, extended far and wide ; to him 

 Cennfaeladh, the learned, was carried to be cured after the battle 

 of Magh Rath. He had three schools for philosophy, classics, 

 and law. It seems very strange, however, that this local name 

 should be confined to Inverness, and be unknown in Ireland, 

 where St. Bricin was residing. "Bricein, a prefix to certain 

 animal names; from breac, spotted" (Macbain). 



Angelica — (So named from the supposed angelic virtues of 

 some of the species). 



A. sylvestris — Wood angelica. Gaelic: lus nam buadha, the 

 plant having virtues or powers. Lus an lonaid, the umbelliferous 

 flower, somewhat resembles a churn piston. Irish: cuinneog mhighe, 

 the whey bucket. Gallurati perhaps from gall (Greek : gala), 

 milk, from its power of curdling milk ; for this reason, hay con- 

 taining it is considered unsuitable for cattle. Irish: Contran. 

 Aingealag: angelica. Gleorann, also "the cuckoo flower." 

 Meacan righ fiadhain (O'Reilly). 



Crithnxum maritinxum — Samphire. Gaelic: saimbhir, a cor- 

 ruption of the French name St. Pierre (St. Peter), from Greek 



