BRA 



of wTiich e:!c!i ficie is funiiflied with eitlier a fingle, or a 

 double fs:rit;3 of ob'on^, ciliateci, b'.anchii)llf;roii3 appeii- 

 darjes, which are formed for fiviiiiniing ; and the tail naked, 

 jointed, long, and forked at the extremity. 



The two fpecies of this new genu', (iefcribed by Her- 

 bert, Ducht.fne, and Bofc, are Ic brancliiopode ilag'iial, 

 which is ca:icer llagnaUs of Linnreas, and a fecund fort de- 

 lineated by Herbert, called le brancliiopode paliudeiix. 



BRANCIilOSTEGA, in Zooh^y, a kind of cory- 

 PH CNA, havinjr for the aperture of the gills a tranfverfe 

 cleft, or opening. It inhabits the Afiatic feas. 



BRANCHIOSTEGI, in Ickhyology, a term employed 

 for that natural order of fifhes which have gills dellitute of 

 bony rays. The genera of branchiollegous filhes are, 

 murmynis, ojiracion, lelro/loii, tliotlouy Jyn^nat/:iis, pegaj'us, 

 cenlnj'ciis, hahflcs, c\'flotlcrus, and Irjphuis, 



BRANCi-IUS," m MccMne. The hoarfenefs which ac 

 compflnies a catarrh is fo called from b5=x*'> ^° be moilt. 

 See Catarrh. 



Branch us, or Iranchu, alfo denotes a kind of glandular 

 tumor in the fauces, refembling two almonds, which render 

 the breathing and hawking difficult. 



BRANCION, in Geography, a fmall town of France, in 

 the department of the Saone and Loire, I5 league W. of 

 Tournus. 



BRANCO, an ifland in the gulf of Mexico, and bay of 

 Campcachy, between cape Condecedo, or point Dclgado, 

 and V«ra Cruz. 



BRANCOVAN, a town of European Turkey, in the 

 province of Walachia ; 28 miles N. of Nicopoh. 



BRANCOURT, a town of Frruice, in the department 

 of tlie Aifne ; 10 miles W. of Laon. 



BRANCZYCE, a town of Lithuania, in the province 

 of Novogrodek ; to miles N. of Sluck. 



BRAND, in Agr'iculhire, the name of a difeafe to which 

 corn, and fome other graffes, are fubjeft. 'It is a fort of 

 fungus, which derives its nourifliment from the vegetable. 

 Of thefe fungi, there are feveral fpecies. One of them is 

 named by Dr. Withering (Bot. Arrang. vol. iv. p. 3SS) 

 " Reticularia Segetum ;" and in a pamphlet upon Brand, 

 by the Rev. Henry Bryant, entitled, " A particular in- 

 quiry into the caufes ot that difeafe in wheat commonly 

 called Brand, 5cc. ;" Norwich, 1783, it is called " Dult 

 Brand." In other places its ufual name is " Smut," or 

 " Burnt Corn." This fpecies is common to wheat, oats, 

 barley, and rye. The felh.c:i fluitans, and otiier graffes, are 

 alfo affeiSlcd by it. It is deflitute of fcent, and confunies 

 not only the fariiiaceous part of the grain, but even the 

 arillus and chaiT, dilperfing itfclf entirely before the corn is 

 cut ; fo that the injury occafioned by it is confined to the 

 quantity of grain dellroyed by it, which is not very great in 

 any feafon. The ear is often affected by this reticularia 

 before it emerges from the folium vaginans, or hofe ; but 

 about the root there is no appearance of difeafe. Ijarley 

 and oats are more frequently attacked by it than wheat ; 

 which circumftance may be accounted for by the latter being 

 iifnallv Ji'ijl'ei' for fowing. Mr. Lathbury examined the 

 dull of this fungus under a powerful magnifier, and thus 

 found, that it confilted of a number of minute particles, 

 uniform in fliape and fizc, much fnialler and blacker than 

 thofe of the " pepper brand," and lefs eafily feparable ; and 

 they feemed to be contained in little irregular cells. This 

 dud, or feed, is tlie food of a fmall, fhining, black dermef- 

 tes, the " lle^meftcs ater," of Mardiam. Another fpecies 

 which Mr. Bryant didiugiiillu-d by the name of." pepper 

 brand," is alfo called fimply " brand," or " bladders." 

 This fpecies does not eaf through the arillus, conl'uming 



BRA 



only the farinaceous part of tlie grain. The cars affeflctl 

 by it are eafily difcoveied by thi;ir external afpcft ; for tiiC 

 chaff opens as if unnaturally difltnded, the germen becomes 

 fliorter and rounder, and exhibits the appearance of Iwel- 

 ling, ar.d a fort of inflammation ; the grain affimiing in 

 this ftatc a deep and dingy hue, eafily breaking when 

 rubbed, and furniniing a iootv powder, which foils the 

 finger.;, and emits a very fetid fcent. This fpecies is very 

 prejudicial to the farmei-s ; bccaufe it is carried with the 

 corn into t!ie barn, and when broken iindcr the flail it dil- 

 colours and otherwifc injures the faniple, fo as to i-ender it 

 unlaleable, or to reduce its price. For the prevention of 

 this evil, farmers generally drefs their feed-wheat with va- 

 rious preparations : fome ufe a lixivium of wood-aflies and 

 water ; others, fait and watcT only, or fea-wattr, v. hen it can 

 bcealily procured ; others, the ley fronuhe foap-boilers ; othti's 

 again, urine and chrcfe-whey ; and others, it is faid, have iu- 

 fufed arfenic for this purpofe. All, as Mr. Kirby believe-', 

 diy their ieed with fiefh flacked lime. From this praiiiee wo 

 may infer, that the difeafe is fuppofed to originate from the 

 adhcfion of thednfl or feed of the brand to the feed of the 

 wheat ; and thefe methods are adapted for the pnrpofc of 

 wafliing it off, or dcilroying it. Tlic ultimate catift of this 

 diftemper has been ' varioudy affigiied. Mr. >r>ryant (nbi 

 fupra) llrenuoully maintains, that it is occafioned by an 

 injury which the antherx" receive by too great conllritlioiit 

 when the ear emerges from the folium vaginans ; and ttu-re- 

 fore he condemns the common prafticc of drcffing the feed, 

 as not only ufelefs, but deftniftive of the grain. Some 

 take the dull for the eggs of infefts ; and others adopt the 

 opinion, with which Mr. Kirby coincides, that this evil ij 

 occafioned by a minute vegetable of the order of " Fungi." 

 Mr. Bryant's method of accounting for this diforder, is 

 aeknovi'ledged by this ingenious naturalift to be plaufible ; 

 but he conceives that it is founded upon no arguments 

 which can convince one who is in feareh not of theories, bi>t 

 of truth. From a variety of exjieriments m.ade by the 

 Rev. Peter Lathbury, F.L.S., and recited by Mr. Kirby, 

 (ubi infra) together with other faifts that occurred within 

 his own knowledge, he concludes, without hefitation, that 

 the prafticeof drcffmg the feed previous to fowing, in 'the way 

 above-mentioned, is a very iffcftnal prevention of the brand. 

 Rejefting Mr. Bryant's hypothcfis, and alfo tliat of the 

 brand's being produced by infefts, Mr. Kirby proceeds to 

 ellablifli the third opinion, that the diforder is occafioned 

 by a vegetable fubffance. The faft, tilablidied by the ex- 

 periments which he recites, that the duft of brand, carried 

 into the field with the feed-wheat, like other vegetables, 

 propagates itfclf, gives (he fays) the higliell degree of pro- 

 bability to this opinion. It is further confirmed by the re- 

 cital of an experiment of Mr. Lathbuiy, of fowing it, as it 

 were, upon its native foil (efpecially in the cafe of wheat 

 taken from a clean fample), which feems to have occafioned 

 the dellruiSion of three-fourths of its produce. Behdes, 

 this du!l, when placed under a powerful magnifier, exhibit* 

 every appearance of minute feed. As to the manner iu 

 which thefe feeds veget.ate and afceud from tiie feed with 

 the growing plant, till they reach the heart of the grain, it 

 is a fubjeft of inquiry that may be extended to a great 

 number of the fungi, which without impropriety may be 

 denominated " fnbcutaueous" vegetables. ^Vith regard to 

 the brand in particular, it is fnggcftcd, as a probable con- 

 jefture, that the uncommonly minute feeds of this fungus 

 may attach themfcives either to the " plumnla," and fo 

 pafb through the air-vcffels into the plant ; or elfc to the 

 " rollclhini," which feems mod likely ; and in that cafe 

 they may be propelled through the fap-veffels with the fap, 

 E e - till 



