to P. natans. The broad-leaved pond-weed is used in connection 

 with a curious superstition in some parts of Scotland, notably in 

 the West Highlands. " It is gathered in small bundles in summer 

 and autumn, where it is found to be plentiful, and kept until New 

 Year's Day (old style) ; it is then put for a time into a tub or 

 other dish of hot water, and the infusion is mixed with the first 

 drink given to milch cows on New Year's Day morning. This is 

 supposed to keep the cows from witchcraft and the evil eye for 

 the remainder of the year ! It is also supposed to increase the 

 yield of milk." — Dr. Stewart, Nether Lochaber. 



Zostera marina — The sweet sea grass. Gaelic and Irish : 

 bikarach (in Argyle, bikanach), from bileag, a blade of grass. The 

 sea-grass was much used for thatching purposes, and it was sup- 

 posed to last longer than straw. 



AlismacejE. 



Alisma — Greek : aAioy/a, an acquatic plant. 



A. plantago — Water-plaintain. Gaelic and Irish: cor-chopaig 

 (cor or cora, a weir, a dam, and copag, a dock, or any large leaf of 

 a plant). It grows in watery places. Welsh : llyren, a duct, a 

 brink or shore. 



Triglocbin palustre — Arrow-grass. Gaelic : barr a' mhilltich— 



" Bun na clob is bar a mhilltich." — Macintyre. 

 The root of the moor-grass and the top of the arrow-grass, 

 barr, top, and millteach (Irish), "good grass," and milneach, a 

 thorn or bodkin — hence the English name arrow-grass. Generic 

 name from rpets, three, and yAwxi's, a point, in allusion to the three 

 angles of the capsule. Sheep and cattle are fond of this hardy 

 species, which afford an early bite on the sides of the Highland 

 mountains. Millteach is commonly used in the sense of "grassy;" 

 maghannan millteach, verdant or grassy meadows. 



Lemnace^e. 

 Lemna minor — Duckweed. Gaelic: 1 mac gun athair, son 

 without a father. Irish : his gan athair gan mhathair, fatherless, 



1 Mac-gun-athair may have originally been meacan air—meacan, a plant, 

 air, gen. of ar, slow (hence the name of the river "Arar" in France, meanincr 

 the slow-flowing river — " Arar dubitans qui suos cursos agat " Seneca. 



