INTRODUCTION. 
13 
answer the purpose of distinguishing one man, 
or band of men, from another. The Scottish 
clans were generally particularised by the 
pattern or colours of their tartan plaid. 
But this was found insufficient without the 
aid of floral emblems, and they therefore 
adopted the plan of ornamenting their bonnets 
or helmets with a sprig or branch of a plant as 
a symbolical badge of their various bodies. 
This ancient custom was again revived when 
his majesty visited his northern capital in he 
year 1822 . His loyal Scottish subjects on 
that joyful event, paid their respects to their 
sovereign, at the palace of Holyrood House, 
each wearing the heraldic emblem of his 
clan. And as it may be interesting to their 
southern friends to know these symbols of the 
Scotch families, we have added a list of such 
as appeared at the royal court at Edinburgh 
on this occasion, to which we add the Gau- 
lic and Scottish names of the plants, as well 
as that of the English and generic definitions. 
