94 On the History of some Bass Plants, by Mr. J. Hardy. 



it." Tournefort established the genus in the " Acta Regise 

 Scientiarum Academise, 1706." In his life (p. v.) prefixed to 

 the " Institutiones," I find with those who aided him in his 

 researches, among the Swiss (" Helveticos," not a personal 

 name as P. Miller made it), special reference to " Lavaterus, 

 medicus et chirurgus experientissimus " ; a skilful man no 

 doubt. Sir W. J. Hooker says the genus was named after 

 the tivo Lavaters ; and Don (" Gard. Diet.,"), adds, they were 

 of Zurich, and both naturalists. Whether he is correct in 

 saying they were " Arcades ambo," I shall not decide so long 

 as there is a possibility of their unification. John Ray, in 

 his " Historia Plant.," i., p. 601, quotes some passages from 

 Simon Paulli, an old Danish botanist, to the effect that this 

 herb is beneficial for sore throats and diseased gums — what 

 we would now call an anti-scorbutic. 



2. Beta maritima. Sea-Beet 

 was first distinguished as a species by L'Obel, in his " Ob- 

 servationes," 1576, p. 126, as "Beta sylvestris spontanea 

 marina." Its history is altogether barren, except that it has 

 a sea-side flavour — " gustu salso et nitroso." It was an 

 observation of Theophrastus, very long ago (lib. i., cap. v.), 

 that there was a wild beet, which cultivation could enlarge 

 till it became a vegetable dainty. Our sea-beet has under- 

 gone too deep a " sea-change " to be capable of amelioration. 

 3. Crambe maritima. Sea-Kale. 



Boethius* states that in the Bass : " Nascitur etiam in hoc 

 scopulo herba qusedam humano esui suavis ; ca^terum si 

 exportetur transplanteturque, nee esui apta est, nee aliube 

 usquam potest " ; thus rendered by Bellenden, " In this crag 

 grows ane rycht delicius herbe and quhen it is transportit 

 or plantit in ony ither part if is of little sapor or gust." We 

 will not be far wrong in identifying this with the C. maritima 

 which grew on the Bass in Dr. Walker's time, who says, 

 " The leaves being large, tender, and succulent, we caused to 

 be dressed a dish of them, and agreed in thinking them 

 preferable to any other greens we had ever tasted. Our 

 worthy friend Dr. Wright, not long before his death, sent for 

 a large quantity of this plant, which he cultivated in his 

 garden at Carsie ; but how it succeeded upon being trans- 

 planted, I have not been informed."-j- 



Either Dr. W'right, or else the rabbits, have eaten the 

 whole of it, for it is now extirpated. 



* " Scotorum Historic," Parisiis, 1575, p 6. 

 f "Walker's " Essays on Natural History," p. 296. 



