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Welsh : ffawydd. Fai, faidh, from <j>dy<o, to eat. <jf»jyo's, the 

 beech-tree. This name was first applied to the oak, and as we 

 have no Queraes esculus, the name Fagus is applied to the beech 

 and not to the oak. Oruin (O'Reilly) (see Thuja articulata). 

 Beith na measa, the fruiting birch. Meas, a fruit, as of oak or 

 beech— like " mess," " munch.'' French : manger, to eat. 



F. sylvatica var. atrorubens — Black beech. Gaelic -.faidhbhile 

 dubh (Fergusson), black beech, from the sombre appearance of 

 its branches. The "mast" of the beech was used as food, and 

 was called bachar, from Latin : bacchar; Greek : /?a«x«P' s > a 

 plant having a fragrant root. A name also given to Valeriana 

 celtica (Sprengel), Celtic nard. 



Carpinus — The Latin name. 



C. betulus — Hornbeam. Gaelic : leamhan bog (O'Reilly), the 

 soft elm. (See Ulmus campestris). 



Corylus avellana — Hazel. Gaelic and Irish : calltuinn, call- 

 dainn, callduinn, cailtin, colluinn. Welsh : callen. Cornish : col. 

 widen. Manx : coll. Gaelic : coill. Irish : colli, a wood, a grove. 

 New Year's time is called in Gaelic, coill; "oidhche coille," the 

 first night of January, then the hazel is in bloom. The first night 

 in the new year when the wind blows from the west, they call dair 

 na coille, the night of the fecundation of trees ("Statistics," par. 

 Kirkmichael). In Celtic superstition the hazel was considered 

 unlucky, and associated with loss or damage The words call, 

 coll, collen, have also this signification ; but if two nuts were found 

 together (cnb chbmhlaicK), good luck was certain. The Bards, 

 however, did not coincide with these ideas. By it they were 

 inspired with poetic fancies. "They believed that there were 

 fountains in which the principal rivers had their sources ; over 

 each fountain grew nine hazel trees, caill crinmon (crina, wise), 

 which produced beautiful red nuts, which fell into the fountain, 

 and floated on its surface, that the salmon of the river came up 

 and swallowed the nuts. It was believed that the eating of the 

 nuts caused the red spots on the salmon's belly, and whoever took 

 and ate one of these salmon was inspired with the sublimest 

 poetical ideas. Hence the expressions, 'the nuts of science,' 'the 

 salmon of knowledge.' " — O'Curry's " Manners and Customs of 

 the Ancient Irish." 



The badge of Clan Colquhoun. 



