THE YOUNG 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



Ail cotomunications to be sent to J. E. Bobson, Bellerby 

 Terrace, West Hartlepool ; or to S. L. Mosley Beaa- 

 mont Park, Eaddersfield. 



Subscriptions for Vol. III. are now due, 

 viz., 6s. with plain plates, 8s. with coloured 

 plates, and may be remitted as above. 



J.T.H., Cork.— Spring will be better than 

 never. We have no doubt you have done 

 your best. 



At Home. — We shall be pleased to receive 

 names and time when " At Home," from 

 Naturalists, who are willing to receive 

 and assist beginners or to show their 

 collections. 



EXCHANGE. 



Will send 12 varieties of Butterflies to any 

 one who will send box and postage.— J. 

 Eggleston, 8, Park Place.West Sunderland. 



Wanted to exchange, British birds* skins, 

 eggs, butterflies and moths for others, either 

 British or Foreign.— John Eggleston, 

 Park Place, Sunderland. 



Duplicates : a few N. dromedarius ; desi- 

 derata numerous.— R. A. Fraser, Serfield, 

 Abbotsford Road, Crosby, Liverpool. 



THE MANDRAKE. 



(Mandragora officinalis.) 



By J. P. SouTTER, Bishop Auckland. 



The Mandrake belongs to the natural 

 order Solanacea, an extensive and widely 

 distributed cohort, which includes such 

 varied and well-known plants as the potato, 

 tomato, tobacco, cayenne, henbane, bella- 

 donna, &c. Many of these possess viralent 

 poisonous properties, usually of a narcotic 

 character, and the mandrake has suffered 

 from the evil association, and has required 

 a doubtful if not disreputable character, 

 although the whole plant may be said to be 

 harmless and innoxious in its nature. 



NATURALIST. 11 



The common mandrake is a native of the 

 countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, 

 where it is often met with growing wild in 

 considerable profusion. It is characterized 

 by a large, fleshy, parsnip-like root, which 

 is usually forked, and is surmounted by a 

 crown of large entire leaves, completely 

 surrounding and concealing the flowers, 

 which are borne on slender stalks about 

 four inches long. The blossoms are large, 

 bell-shaped, of a white colour with a blush 

 of purple. The fruit is the size of a small 

 apple, of a spong>- consistence, orange 

 yellow when ripe, and with an unpleasant 

 taste. Perhaps about no vegetable pro- 

 duction has more fanciful and absurd things 

 been said and written than about the man- 

 drake. It is pretended that the forked root 

 resembles the human body, so crafty cheats 

 have carved a head and arms to it, to assist 

 the folly of superstition by artfully increas- 

 ing the similitude, and attributing to the 

 plant thus fashioned supernatural powers. 

 Nor did this measure the depth ot their 

 deception, for very frequently the root of 

 the common white bryony was similarly 

 fashioned, and like modern Birmingham 

 bronzes, by being buried in the earth for a 

 short time acquired a coating or hue indi- 

 cative of age, and were then sold as the 

 genuine article, and were doubtless equally 

 efficacious. A profitable trade was formerly 

 carried on in this country by travelling 

 quacks and mountebanks in these manu- 

 factured mandrake roots as incentives to 

 love. They formed one of the most indis- 

 pensable ingredients in the love-philtres or 

 potions which were so much in request in 

 the dark ages ; and although the custom has 

 fallen into disuse in this country it possibly 

 still lingers on the continent, as in the 

 beginning of the present century they were 

 freely exposed for sale in seaport towns in 

 France. To add to the value and virtue of 

 their wares, the vendors told the most 

 fantastic stories of the difficulty of obtaining 



