June 1, 1S69.] 



HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE-^GO S SIP. 



133 



(Stellaria holostea, fig. 100), and the Chick weed 

 (Stellaria media, fig. 101). Perhaps "E.M." can 

 show us a different type of structure in the seeds 

 of Stellaria graminea, Stellaria gloved, Stellaria 

 nemorum, and Stellaria uliginosa, and confute us at 

 once. 



Fig. 102. Seed of Saponariu Culabrica, x -U. 



Fig. 103. Seed of Agrostemma Cjfronpria, x 40. 



Fig. 104. Seed of Lychnis Mown, x 40. 



Fig. 105. Seed ol Uypsophila elegant. 



The remaining seeds of which we have presented 

 figures are a species of Soapwort (Saponaria 

 Calabrica), a common garden-flower (fig. 102) ; a 

 "Cockle" {Agrostemma coronaria, fig. 103); the 

 red Lychnis (fig. 101) ; and Gypsophila elegans (fig. 

 105), all more or less of the Stellaria type. 



The two remaining seeds of the Indian Pink 

 (Dianthus sinensis, fig. 106) and Sweet William 

 (Dianthus barbatus, fig. 107) are unfortunately not 

 drawn to a uniform scale, but the similarity of type 



Fig. 100. 

 Seed of Dianthus sinensis, x 40. 



Fig. 10/. 



Seed of Dianthus 



barbatus, x 20. 



between the two is as apparent as their difference 

 from the rest. If any one -would carefully collect 

 the seeds of all the British species of Cerastium 

 and Arenaria during the coming summer, we should 

 be happy to share with them. 



"HERB ROBERT." 



TT may perhaps be interesting to enumerate the 

 -*■ various origins which have been suggested for 

 this name, generally applied in books to the common 

 Geranium Robertianum, as an illustration of the 

 difficulty of positively determining even so appa- 

 rently trivial a subject. Some suppose the plant to 

 have been dedicated to St. Robert, a Benedictine 

 abbot of the twelfth century, who is commemorated 

 on April 29, when G. Robertianum is in flower. 

 Dr. Prior says the name is " from being used to 

 cure a disease, called in Germany Ruprechts-plage, 

 very probably in allusion to Robert, Duke of Nor- 

 mandy, for whom the celebrated medical work of 

 the middle ages, the Ortus Sanitatis, was written." 

 A writer in Notes and Queries (Series I. ii. 322) 

 is disposed to think that 1he plant was formerly in 

 some way associated with Bobin Goodfellow; and 

 the following passage from M. Edouard le Hcricher's 

 "Essai sur la Elore Populaire de JNormandie et 

 d'Angleterre," while suggesting a different origin, 

 favours this idea, " Who is. this Robert ? May 

 there not be here a souvenir of that historical or 

 fictitious personage, Robert the Devil, popular in 

 Normandy, as representing perhaps the exaggerated 

 type of Norman ? What would induce us to 

 suppose this is, that it is sometimes called Devil's 

 Herb (Herbe ait Liable) ; it has the property of 

 misleading the traveller who walks upon it under 

 certain circumstances, and of preventing him from 

 finding his way" Surely here we have attributed 



