665 



BKANCHITE. - 



BREAM. 



" Viewed as ~an entire animal," writes Mr. Goodsir, " the Lancelot 

 is the most aberrant in the vertebrate sub-kingdom. It connects the 

 Vertebrata not only to the Annulose animals, but also through the 

 medium of certain symmetrical A scidite (the genus Pelonam of Forbes 

 and Goodsir) to the Mollusks. We have only to suppose the Lancelet 

 to have been developed from the dorsal aspect, the seat of its respi- 

 ration to be transferred from its intestinal tube to a corresponding 

 portion of its skin, and ganglia to be developed at the points of 

 junction of one or more of its anterior spinal nerves, and inferior 

 branch of ita second pair, to have a true Annulose animal, with its 

 peculiar circulation, respiration, generative organs, and nervous 

 system, with supra-cesophageal ganglia and dorsal ganglionic recur- 

 rent nerve." 



Taking all we know of the structure of this truly wonderful animal 

 into consideration, we are inclined to regard it as the relic of some 

 great order of Fishes, which in their organisation brought down the 

 Vertebrated series to a parallel with the lower forms of Molluica, and 

 which became extinct in some former epoch of the world's geological 

 history, and from the unpreservable character of their bodies, and the 

 absence of hard parts, left " not a wreck behind." The more we know 

 of nature the more are we convinced that there are no isolated organ- 

 isms ; that beings apparently anomalous are members of orders either 

 partially known or for the most part extinct. Of all anomalous crea- 

 tures the Branchwstoma is the most so, and it is much more consistent 

 with the principles of scientific zoology to admit it as the type of a 

 distinct order among fishes than to attempt to place it among defined 

 groups. The strange combination of characters which it presents a 

 vertebrated animal without a brain, having the respiratory apparatus 

 of an Ascidian Mollusk, and a ciliated intestinal cavity if it does 

 almost warrant its erection into the type of a class by itself, certainly 

 is sufficient and more than sufficient to constitute it the type of an 

 order in the lowest of the vertebrate classes. 



BRANCH1TE, a mineral belonging to the Resin series, and found 

 with Coal. 



BRAND, or BURN, a disease in vegetables by which their 

 leaves and tender bark are partially destroyed as if they had been 

 burnt ; hence the name of this disease, which is called Brulure in 

 French. It has been observed that after the leaves have been wetted 

 by dews or gentle rains so that drops adhere to them, and a bright 

 sunshine has succeeded, every spot to which the water had adhered 

 lost its natural colour, and became of a dark or yellow hue ; and on 

 closer examination it was found that the organisation had been partly 

 destroyed, and that these spots no longer possessed the power inherent 

 in healthy leaves of exhaling the water which circulates through them. 

 When this disease is extensive, and attacks the bark as well as the 

 leaves, it frequently causes the death of the plant, and at all events 

 enfeebles its growth and prevents its perfect fructification. The cause 

 of this, like that of most diseases which are common to plants, has 

 been vulgarly ascribed to some unknown atmospheric influence ; and 

 various guesses have been made, which for the most part have little or 

 no foundation. That which appeared most plausible was, that the 

 drops of water being apparently globular, collected the light of the 

 sun into a focus, and produced a sufficient degree of concentration of 

 the calorific rays to burn the tender substance of the leaves. A little 

 reflection will soon convince us that this will not bear examination. 

 The drops which adhere to the leaves and the bark are not globes, but 

 at best flattened hemispheres, and consequently cannot collect the 

 rays of the sun into a focus on the surface to which they adhere ; 

 besides, the spots are as large as the diameter of the drops, so that all 

 the surface that has been covered with water is injured ; whereas the 

 focus of a globe, such as would actually burn the leaf, must be very 

 small in proportion to the lens which concentrated the rays. It is 

 mucH more probable that the effect of the water on the tender epider- 

 mis of the leaf or bark to which it adheres is similar to that which it 

 has on vegetable matter infused in it ; it softens and dissolves a portion 

 of it, especially when the temperature is somewhat raised, and destroys 

 the vitality. (De Candolle, ' Physiologie Vc'ge'tale.) 



It is a fact that the principal mischief arises from a sudden change 

 of temperature soon after sunrise, especially when there has been a 

 heavy dew or hoar-frost in the night ; and careful gardeners brush off 

 the drops from their delicate plants before sunrise to guard against 

 the Brand. Every drop which falls on the leaves of tender plants 

 from the glass which covers a hotbed in which they grow produces a 

 disease exactly similar to that which we have been describing ; and 

 although the vapour of fermenting dung has a pungent ammoniacal 

 smell, it will be found that the water condensed on the glass is nearly 

 pure, and can have no peculiar corroding effect. It acts therefore 

 simply as a dissolvent, and by stopping the evaporation, which is 

 always rapid from the leaves of plants in a hotbed, produces a derange- 

 ment in their functions, and ultimately disease. 



BRAXK-UHS1NE. [ACANTHI s. | 



BRANTAIL, the Redstart. [SYLVIA.] 



BRA'SSICA, a genus of Cruciferous plants, comprehending among 

 other species the Cabbage, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Borecole, Rape, Tur- 

 nip, Colza, and the like. It is distinguished from other Cruciferous 

 genera by the following characters : Its seeds contain an embryo, the 

 radicle of which is embraced in the concavity of the folded cotyledons. 

 Its pod is long, slender, and many-seeded. The seeds are spherical. 



The calyx is equal at the base, and slightly spreading ; the petals are 

 undivided ; the stamens entire. 



B. oleracea, the Wild Cabbage, is met with in abundance upon the 

 cliffs of many parts of Europe ; commonly in the south part of European 

 Turkey (especially about Mount Athos), on the coast of Kent near Dover, 

 and on that of the Isle of Wight, Cornwall, Wales, and Yorkshire. In 

 other places it forms a broad-leaved glaucous plant, with a somewhat 

 woody stem, having but slender likeness to its cultivated progeny ; and 

 it is difficult to conceive by what original discovery the species was 

 brought under the influence of domestication so as to have been pre- 

 pared for the numerous changes and improvements it had to undergo 

 before the races of Cabbages, Savoys, Borecoles, Cauliflowers, and 

 Broccolis could have been produced. 



B. campestris, the Wild Navew or Turnip, has its leaves lyrate, 

 dentate, somewhat hispid ; upper leaves ovate, acuminate, deeply 

 cordate, amplexicaul, glabrous. It grows by the sides of rivers, by 

 ditches, in marshes, and the borders of fields in many parts of England. 

 It is believed to have been the ToyyoAls of Theophrastus. This is 

 looked upon as the original of the Swedish Turnip, whilst a variety, 

 regarded by some, botanists as a species, with a caulescent fleshy root, 

 called B. Rapa, is supposed to be the origin of the Common Turnip. 



B. Napua, the Rape, Colza, or Coleseed, has the lower leaves lyrate, 

 dentate, glabrous ; upper leaves oblong, somewhat narrowed below, 

 with a dilated cordate semi-amplexicaul base. It is difficult to find 

 any character by which to distinguish this plant from the preceding. 

 In fact some botanists regard B. Napui as nothing more than a variety 

 of B. campestris. 



B. mmensii has the leaves stalked, all deeply pinnatifid ; the lobes 

 oblong, unequally toothed, those of the upper leaves linear. The 

 stem of this plant is prostrate, and the flowers yellow. It is found 

 on the western, coasts of Great Britain. 



BRASSICA'CE^E, the name given by Dr. Liudley to the natural 

 order Cruciferce. [CRUCIFER.E.] 



BRAUNITE, a native Protoxide of Manganese, containing 79 per 

 cent, of Manganese. It is a dark brownish-black, with a sub-metallic 

 lustre. It has a hardness from 6 to 6'5, and specific gravity 4'8. It is 

 found in Piedmont and Thuringia. 



BRAYERA, a genus of plants belonging to the natural order 

 Roaacece. One of the species, B. anthclmintica, yields the anthelmintio 

 remedy known by the name Cusso, Cabotz, or Kousso. Although its 

 anthelmintic virtues have been long known, it has only been recently 

 introduced into Europe. The plant is a native of Abyssinia. [Kousso, 

 in ARTS AND So. Div.l 



BRAZIL-NUTS. 



BRAZIL-WOOD, 



PINIA.] 



BREAD-FRUIT. [ARTOCARPUS.] 



BREAM, a name given more especially to the Carp-Bream, but 

 applied to several other kinds of fish. It is more especially adopted 

 to designate the species of the genus Abramis, belonging to the 

 division of Abdominal Malacopteryyii and the family Cyprinidce. The 

 chief distinguishing characters of this genus consist in the deep and 

 compressed form of the body ; the great convexity of the dorsal and 

 abdominal line ; the base of the dorsal fin being short, placed behind 

 the line of the ventrals ; the long anal fin ; and the absence of either 

 strong horny rays or barbules. 



A. Brama, the Bream of Carp-Bream, may be known by its yellowish- 

 white colour, which becomes yellowish-brown by age. The irides are 

 of a golden yellow, the cheeks and gill-covers silver-white ; fins light- 

 coloured, the pectoral and ventral fins tinged with red ; the dorsal, 

 anal, and caudal fins tinged with brown. The Bream is an inhabitant 

 of many of the lakes and rivers of the continent of Europe generally 

 as far north as Norway and Sweden. It thrives best in this country 

 in large pieces of water or in the deep and most quiet parts of rivers 

 that run slowly. It occurs near London in the Mole and the Medway, 

 also in the Regent's Canal. Bloch states that the number of ova in the 

 female is 130,000. The flesh of the Bream is generally considered 

 insipid, although, on account of the sport it affords the angler, it is a 

 good deal sought after. 



A. blicca, the White Bream or Bream-Flat, differs from the Carp- 

 Bream of the same size, in having the head larger and the fleshy 

 portion of the tail deeper. The number of the rays in the 

 pectoral and anal fins differs considerably from those of the Carp- 

 Bream. The pectoral fin of the White Bream has three rays and 

 the anal fin five rays less in number than the Carp-Bream. The 

 general colour of the sides is silvery-bluish white, without any of the 

 yellow-golden lustre observable in the last species. The irides slivery- 

 white, tinged with pink. This fish has never been taken of so large 

 size as the Carp-Bream. It has been described by Bloch, who says 

 it is very common on the continent. It is also found in most of 

 the lakes in Sweden. In England it is not generally known. Mr. 

 Jenyns has recorded its presence in the Cam, and Dr. Lankester took 

 it in large numbers in a piece of water at Campsall near Doncaster. 

 Mr. Lubbock has also taken it near Norwich. It varies very much in 

 its characters, but is undoubtedly a distinct species. 



A. Buggmhayii, the Pomeranian Bream. This species of Bream is 

 at once distinguished from the preceding by the greater thickness of 

 its body, by the scales being larger in proportion to its size, the anal 



BERTHOLLETIA.] 

 be wood of Casalpinia Bratilimtis. 



[C.ESAL- 



