CRUSTACEA. 



183 



rous varieties, such as, cavalier cabbage, Savoy 

 cabbage, Brussels sprouts, early dwarf cabbage, 

 sugar loaf cabbage, red cabbage, cauliflower, and 

 broccoli, &c. (See articles BROCCOLI, CABBAGE, and 

 CAULIFLOWER.) Cabbage was formerly employed 

 as a remedy in diseases, but is now confined entirely 

 to domestic uses. In Germany it is made to undergo 

 a degree of fermentation, and forms what has been 

 denominated Saner Kraut or Clitm-croittf. The red 

 variety of cabbage is sweet and mucilaginous. It is 

 used tor pickles, and has been prescribed in chronic 

 inflammations of the respiratory organs. 



Brasxica napns, rape or cole seed, is cultivated on 

 account of the oil produced by its seeds, which, after 

 being pressed, are made into cakes, and are used as 

 manure, or for feeding cattle. The oil is used for 

 lamps and domestic purposes. 



Bmssica campcstris, grows spontaneously in the 

 fields all over Europe, and is also extensively culti- 

 vated. There arc several varieties of this species, 

 among which may be mentioned the rutabaga, or 

 Swedish turnip. 



Brassica Rapa supplies the common turnip, so 

 abundantly cultivated both in gardens and in fields. 



Raphanus satirus, common radish, was originally a 

 native of China and southern Asia, but has now be- 

 come naturalised all over Europe. There are sixteen or 

 twenty varieties known to gardeners. Some of these 

 have globular turnip-like roots, and a rose or white 

 colour externally, others have elongated, spindle- 

 shaped roots, while a third set are known by their 

 black and wrinkled exterior, and their extremely 

 pungent taste. The latter are denominated black or 

 Spanish radishes. 



Sepidium laf /folium, broad-leaved pepper-wort, has 

 a hot acrid taste, and produces a redness of the skin 

 when applied to it. It is a powerful antiscorbutic. 



Lcpidium sativum, common cress, is a well known 

 salad. The seeds are sometimes made to germinate 

 on cloth or wool moistened with water, or a solution 

 of chlorine, and kept in a moderate temperature. 



Lcpidium oleraceum grows in New Zealand, and is 

 prized there as a remedy for sea-scurvy. It resembles 

 lettuce in taste, and acts as a moderate aperient. 



Lcpidium piscidium is used by the natives of the 

 Society Islands, for the purpose of catching fish by 

 inebriating them. 



Cochlcaria offiandKs, common scurvy-grass, is 

 abundant on the sea shore, as well as on elevated 

 mountains in Britain. Its leaves yield a heavy 

 volatile oil, one drop of which dissolved in alcohol i 

 sufficient to communicate the odour and taste of the 

 plant to a pound of wme. The plant, as its name 

 implies, is antiscorbutic. 



The roots of Cochlcaria armoracia, common horse- 

 radish, have a pungent flavour, and are used as a 

 condiment to roast beef. They are prescribed medi- 

 cinally to promote the flow of saliva, and have been 

 recommended in cases of palsy of the tongue. An 

 infusion of them in cold milk forms a safe cosmetic. 



Crambe maritima, sea kale, is a native of the sea 

 coast in several parts of Britain, and is frequently 

 cultivated in gardens. When blanched it is esteemec 

 as a culinary vegetable. 



Ixntis tinctoria, dyers' wood, is scarcely indigenous 

 in Britain. It is cultivated on account of the dye 

 which is produced from its leaves, and which is usec 

 as a substitute for indigo. In consequence of the 

 cheapness of the latter, the cultivation of woad is no 



onger profitable. The ancient Britons used this 

 )lant to paint their bodies of a blue colour. 



Camelina saliva, gold of pleasure, is cultivated in 

 lermany, on account of the oil which it yields. 



The seeds of Erysimum chciranthoides are used by 

 ountry people to destroy worms. 



The dried root of Dentaria diphylla is used by the 

 Americans instead of mustard, under the name of 

 jepper root. 



Barbarca QUCECOCC, early winter cress, is the Ame- 

 rican or Belleisle cress of gardeners. 



Without dwelling longer on this extensive family, 

 and attempting to notice all the species which are 

 jrized in the kitchen or the flower garden, we think 

 ,hat we have already sufficiently illustrated its pro- 

 perties, and shown its importance and value among 

 ;he other vegetable tribes. 



CRUSTACEA. One of the three primary divi- 

 sions or classes into which articulated animals provided 

 with articulated legs, are divided. They are distin- 

 guished by having the head generally confounded 

 with the thorax, and respiring by branchiae or gills 

 placed at the sides of the body, beneath the hard 

 covering or shell in which they are encased. The 

 larger and better known species are those marine ani- 

 mals known under the ordinary name of shell-fish, and 

 in the Linna?an system they composed two genera 

 alone in the apterous order of insects, namely, Cancer 

 and Monocuhta. They are a group of animals hitherto 

 but little attended to, either as regards their structure 

 or habits, although several observers stand out in op- 

 position to this observation. Thus Aristotle devoted a 

 chapter to their history, in which much fabulous mat- 

 ter is of course introduced ; and in the time of Hip- 

 pocrates, a certain number of them were known as 

 useful in medicine. Rondeletius, Belon, and Gesner, 

 &c. published various descriptions of them, illustrated 

 by rude figures ; but it is to Swammerdam, Willis, and 

 Roesel, that we are indebted for the first attempts 

 to illustrate their organisation. Brisson, perceiving 

 the impropriety of allowing these animals to remain 

 amongst the true insects, first separated them, forming 

 them together with the Myriapoda and Amchnida 

 into a class intermediate between fishes and insects, 

 thus taking the first step towards a natural distribution 

 of the articulated animals. Fabricius and Latreille, 

 by accumulating many valuable materials relative to 

 them, assisted greatly towards the same end, but it is 

 to the immortal Cuvier that we are indebted for the 

 first separation of the Crustacea as a class within its 

 strict limits. 



Since this period Lamarck and Leach, as well as 

 Latreille, occupied themselves in an especial manner 

 towards the elucidation of this class, and formed its 

 contents into various natural groups. Jurine, Straus, 

 Shaw, &c., by their microscopic investigations, have 

 greatly assisted in diffusing a knowledge of the 

 smaller animals, whilst Savigny, Audouin, and Milne 

 Edwards, have studied with great success the oral and 

 internal anatomy of the Crustacea. In our own coun- 

 try the recent observations of Drs. Johnstone and 

 Fleming, and the beautiful work of Mr. J. V. Thomp- 

 son, have shown that the subject is not neglected 

 amongst us ; and very lately another observer has en- 

 tered the field, S. Hailstone, junr., esq., whose descrip- 

 tions of various species found on the southern coasts 

 of England, published in the Magazine of Natural 

 History for May, 1835, prove him to be no indifferent 

 naturalist. 



