HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



125 



Thomas Cogan, M.D., of Manchester, a medical 

 writer, who died 1607, thought radishes unwhole- 

 some, but states that they were largely eaten by his 

 countrymen as a sauce with roast mutton. Trajus 

 states that he had seen radishes that weighed 40 lb., 

 and Matthiole assures us that he had met with some 

 weighing loo lb. each; these, I should think, must 

 have been roots of some other vegetables, as we 

 never meet with such enormous radishes in the pre- 

 sent day. There is a specimen of one in the Museum 

 at Kew, which weighs 1 1 ounces, and is 1 7 inches in 

 length, and 6 inches in circumference. Some authors 

 state that our garden radish originally came from 

 China, where Miller states it is a native ; but Mr. 

 Bentham suggests that it may be a cultivated race of 

 one of the wild species that are found growing on the 

 coast of the Mediterranean. 



one a correct idea as to its contrast with the general 

 yEcldhtm found on violets. It is a singular circum- 

 stance that in a thin bed of Viola contuta extending 

 several yards in length, both the yellow, purple, and 

 white varieties grew together, but only the white one 

 had the yEcidiiim on it ; and very singular, too, that 

 the fungus does such damage to the leaves and stems it 

 infests as to dwarf the plant and not give it strength 

 to mature its leaves. The lower leaves seem to be 

 the first affected, although the top ones are the first 

 to be decomposed. Another peculiarity about it is 

 that the cluster cups (irddia) do not congregate 

 together in patches : they are solitary, and perhaps 

 by this means the rootlets {mycdia) do their de- 

 structive work more effectually, and in less time. The 

 following are the characteristics of this species : — 

 ^cid'iuvi dfpauperans (Vize) : spots none, peridia 



Fig. 107. Common Seal [PJioca vitiiluta). 



The outer rind of the root of the radish gives a blue 

 tint to water, but becomes red on pouring acids on 

 it ; from this circumstance it was much used by 

 chemists in former days as a substitute for the litmus 

 paper now in use. 



The Latin name of this plant, J^aJ>/iamts, is derived 

 from the Greek ra, quickly, and ///ai;io»iai, to appear, 

 on account of its rapid germination. The English 

 name is derived from Radix, a root. 



H. G. Gl.\sspoole. 



NEW VIOLET FUNGUS. 



A CORRESPONDENT in the Gardener's 

 Chronicle says : — The accompanying figure 

 (fig. 106) of ALcidiiim depaiiperans \\\S\. give to any 



scattered, at first round, becoming elongated,^ but 

 when elongated parallel with the length of the Viola 

 stem. Spores yellow. Locality, Nantcribba Hall, 

 Forden. 



ON THE SEALS AND WHALES OF THE 

 BRITISH SEAS. 



By Thomas Southwell, F.Z.S., 



Hon. Secretary to the Norfolk and Norwich 

 Naturalists' Society. 



TO the inhabitants of an island home, the ter- 

 restrial Fauna of which must of necessity be 

 very restricted and well known, the study of the 

 marine animals frequenting its seas and coasts cannot 

 fail to be possessed of a peculiar charm. The un- 



