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caochag, from caoch (Latin, ccecus), blind, empty, blasting. It is a 

 common idea that its dusty spores cause blindness. Balg smuid, 

 the smoke-bag ; balg s'eididh, the puff bag. Balg peiteack, bocan, 

 or bbcan-bearrach (bbcan, a hobgoblin, a sprite, and bearr, 

 brief, short), and boineid na losgainn, are frequently applied to all 

 the mushrooms, puff balls, and the whole family of the larger 

 fungi. 



Polyporus. — The various forms of cork-like fungi growing on 

 trees are called caise (Irish), meaning cheese, and in Gaelic spuing 

 or (Irish) spuinc, sponge, from their porous spongy character. 



P. fomentarius and betulinus — Soft tinder. Gaelic: cailleach 

 spuinge, the spongy old woman, — a corruption of the Irish 

 caisleach spuinc, soft, cheese-like sponge. It is much used still by 

 Highland shepherds for making amadou or tinder, and for 

 sharpening razors. 



Mucedo — Moulds. Gaelic : cloimh Hath, grey down. Mildew, 

 mil-cheo. Irish caothruadh (O'Reilly). 



Mushrooms bear a conspicuous part in Celtic mythology from 

 their connection with the fairies, — they formed the tables for their 

 merry feasts. Fairy rings (Marasmius oreades, other species of 

 Agarici) were unaccountable to our Celtic ancestors save by the 

 agency of supernatural beings. 



Algje. 



The generic names assigned to sea-weeds in Gaelic are: 

 feamainn (/earn, a tail) ; trailleach (MacAlpine), (from traigh, 

 shore, sands) ; barra-rochd (barr, a. crop), roc. Greek : /5a>£. 

 French : roche, a rock. Welsh : gwymon, sea-weed. French : 

 varec, from Sanscrit, bharc, through the Danish vrag. All the 

 olive-coloured sea-weeds go by the general name feamainn bhuidhe; 

 the dark green, feamainn dubh; and the red, feamainn dearg. 



Sea-ware the badge of the MacNeils. 



The inhabitants of the Isle of Lewis had an ancient custom of 

 sacrificing to a sea god called " Shony " at Hallowtide. The 

 inhabitants round the island came to the church of St. Mulvay, 

 each person having provisions with him. One of their number 

 was selected to wade into the sea up to the middle, and carrying 

 a cup of ale in his hand, standing still in that position, crying out 

 with a loud voice, " Shony, I give you this cup of ale, hoping you 



