B.. Sceleratus — Celery-leaved crowfoot. Gaelic and Irish: 

 iorachas biadhain ; probably means food of which one would be 

 .afraid. 



Caltha palustris — Marsh marigold. Gaelic: a chorrach shod, 

 the clumsy one of the marsh. Threlkeld has "corr a h'ot" applied 

 to the bog bean (Menyanthes). Lus bhuidhe Bealltuinn, the 

 yellow plant of Beltane or May — Bel or Baal, the sun-god, and 

 teine, fire. The name survives in many Gaelic names — e.g., Tulli- 

 Jjeltane, the high place of the fire of Baal. 



" Beith a's calltuinn ]3.tha.-Bealltuinn." — Mackay. 

 Birch and hazel first day of May. 



Bearnan Bealltuinn. The orbicular leaves are notched. Irish: 

 j>lubairsin from plubrach, plunging. Lus Main, Marywort, 

 Marygold. Manx: Blughtyn. Lus airh, gold weed, used as a 

 charm against fairies and witches. 



Helleborus viridis. — Green hellebore. Gaelic: elebor, a corrup- 

 tion of helleborus (from the Greek eXXe, helein, to cause death; 

 and /3o/>os, boros, food — poisonous food). Dathabha, O'Reilly, 

 Dahough (Threlkeld), and Dahou ban (Threl) — dropwort. These 

 three names, though differently spelt, evidently refer to something 

 common to the plants so named, the predominant quality being 

 that they are all violently poisonous. The "hellebore" was used 

 by the ancient Celts to poison the arrows, and the "dropwort" to 

 avenge their enemies by poison. Dath colour has not anything to 

 do with the names. More probably dath or dbth to burn, to seize, 

 and, in Irish Gaelic, daitheoir, an avenger. Many plants of the 

 hellebore family are noted for producing blisters, and were formerly 

 used for that purpose. Manx : blaa Nolic, Christmas flower. 



H. fcetidus — Stinking hellebore. Meacan sleibhe, the hill-plant. 



Aquilegia vulgaris — Columbine. Gaelic: lus a 1 cholamain, the 

 dove's plant. Irish : cruba-leisin — from cruba, crouching, and leise, 

 thigh or haunch; suggested by the form of the flower. Lusan 

 xholam (O'Reilly), pigeon's flower. Welsh: troed y glomen, naked 

 woman's foot. Manx : lus yn ushtey vio, plant of the living water. 



Aconitum napellus — Monkshood. Gaelic: fuath mhadhaidh 

 {Shaw), the wolf's aversion. Currachd manaich (Armstrong), 

 monkshood. Welsh: bleiddag — from bleidd, a wolf, and tag, 

 ■choke. 



