UBRARY0/ \\ttUNIVERSto UNIVERS/A O O. ^ THE SLOE, OR BLACKTHORN. (Prunns spinosa) 117 THE BARBERRY. (Berleris vnlffdris) 119 THE GUELDER EOSF. (fibumum Opttlvs) 1-0 THE WAYFARING TREE. (Tiburnum Lanfand) 1-1 THE BUCKTHORN. (Rhdmniis cafhdrtints) 1~- THE SEA BUCKTHORN, OR SALLOW THORN. (IIipp6pJt&e rham- noiilts) . . . ]-T, THE DOGWOOD, OR WILD CORNEL. (Cornits sanyuinea) . . . 1-* THE Sl'lNDLE-TlU3E. (Euonymus citropx? us) 1~5 THE ELDER. (Sambucus t, reputed virtue of a split Ash-tree in curing ruptured clr'.dren. The programme of the ceremony by which this supposed power was called into play is as follows : The stem, of a young Ash being cleft down the middle, and kept open by wedges, the afflicted child, in a state of nudity, was forced through the opening ; the mother standing on one side of the tree, and the father on the other. This uncomfortable transit having been twice performed by the astonished and shivering infant, both it and the disrupted tree were respectively swathed up at the same time ; and if the wound in the latter healed and the parts coalesced, as was generally the case, a simultaneous cure was supposed to be effected in the child. It is but a short time ago, that a poor child, suffering from the above infirmity, was actually subjected to this process somewhere in Warwickshire. In many parts of the country we meet with old Ash- trees bearing deep scars or seams down their sides ; memorials of the ill usage they were subjected to in their youth, from the gross ignorance of the peasantry, for the benefit of suffering babes. Equally celebrated and unfounded were the potent curative virtues of the contrivance known as a Shrew- THE ASH. 23 Ash. There is a gentle, harmless little creature, with a long nose, called a " shrew-mouse," which, however, our sagacious forefathers invested with a terribly malignant character, insisting it was of so venomous a nature that whenever it happened to creep over the limb of a cow, horse, or sheep, that limb would be forthwith seized with grievous pains and loss of power. To provide against such an accident, always liable to occur, the good folks set their fancy to work, and composed an antidote, some- what on the homoeopathic principle, that "like cures like." This they managed by boring a deep hole in the tree with an auger, into which a poor innocent shrew- mouse was thrust alive, with appropriate incantations. The entrance being then plugged up, of course the wretched mouse shortly died, and the tree thence- forward became a wonderful " Shrew- Ash," and, as such, was treated with the greatest veneration ; for when any animal was afflicted by a shrew, as afore- said, all they had to do was to touch the limb gently with a twig of such a tree, and straightway the creature so tormented was cured ! The foliage of the Ash gives food to several fine insects of the moth tribe ; the finest of which, the rare and magnificent Clifton-non-pareil, receives its Latin specific name (Catocala Fraxini) from the Ash: Among the rest, are the Privet hawk-moth, the Wood-leopard- moth, the Scarlet tiger-moth, the Red-arches moth, and the common Footman-moth. The brilliant Blister-fly (Gantharis vesicatoria), also, is very fond of the leaves, but is only very sparingly met with in this country; but on the Continent is so abundant as frequently to strip the trees of their leaves, rendering, moreover, their vicinity very disagreeable, and even dangerous, from the nauseous, pungent odour, and the floating particles which they give off and which, when in- haled, produce very deleterious effects. The inner bark of the Ash is frequently minde by a small beetle, in a manner similar to that of the Elm, which will be presently described. OUR WOODLANDS. The Asli may be readily recognised in spring by the singular blackness of its buds. THE ELM. 1 (Ulmus campestris.) THIS stately tree, notwithstanding its thoroughly English character, is one of those whose claim to be ranked as indigenous has been dis- puted by botanists, who allege that it was introduced here either by the Eomans or the Crusaders. Be this as it may, the Elm has become perfectly naturalized in this coun- try, and enjoys a much better right to be called English than all the good families who " came in with the Conquest." No tree, in fact, identifies itself more completely with our most characteristic Eng- lish scenery, especially in conjunc- tion with human habitations, from which it is seldom seen far distant. In painting a scene of English country life, is it not the Elm that first suggests itself as the appropriate tree to shade the village green, and to give a good framework to the homestead? A finely grown Elm is among the handsomest of trees ; lofty, yet graceful, it is an especial favourite with artists, who delight in its well-balanced contour, and the fine effects of light and shade offered by its rich foliage, dark green in summer, and in autumn taking a bright 1 Ulmus Campestris. Nat. order, Ulmacece ; Lin. syst. Pen tandria Diyynia. Gen. char. : Calyx, 4 or 5-cleft, inferior, per- sistent ; corolla, none ; capsule, membranous, compressed, nearly flat, with 1 seed. Spec. char. : Leaves rhomboid, ovate, doubly serrated, rough above, downy beneath ; flowers nearly sessile ; fruit oblong, deeply cloven, naked. COMMON ILX. THE ELM. 25 yellow hue that harmonizes beautifully with the deeper autumnal tints of other trees, such as the beech and oak. The Elm frequently towers to a great height, sometimes exceeding 100 feet, but more frequently varying from seventy to ninety feet, with a trunk of four or five feet in diameter. There are in the country many very old and large Elms, some with historical associations rivalling in anti- quity those of the famous old oaks, as they do also in the vastness of their hollow trunks. "We recollect once visiting an enormous specimen at Crawley, near Horsham- in Sussex. The girth of the trunk, measured near the ground, was sixty-one feet, and round the inside of the cavity (for it was hollow) was thirty-five feet. The floor is paved with bricks, and the entrance to the hollow is by a regular door, which is generally locked, and the key is kept by the lord of the manor ; but, on particular occasions, the neighbours meet and banquet in the cavity, which will accommodate more than a dozen persons. The timber of the Elm is well known as a valuable material for many purposes of country carpentry, such as cart-building, &c. and is especially employed in situations where its durability, under alternations of wet and dry, renders it most serviceable, as in water-mill wheels, con- duit pipes, pumps, &c. ; and in naval architecture it is the chief timber used for laying the keels of large ships, and for planking below the water-line. Evelyn informs us that the leaves were formerly gathered in sacks in Hertfordshire as fodder for swine and cattle, adding, that " they will eat them before oats, and thrive exceedingly well upon them." Feeders of cattle, living where the Elm is plentiful, and other food scarce, might occasionally profit by this knowledge. The Elm has many insect enemies, of which the most destructive, and at the same time one of the most dimi- nutive, is the little bark-boring beetle without an English name, but scientifically called Scolytus destructor. We sometimes see a prostrate Elm trunk by the roadside, 26 OURi WOODLANDS. with the bark in an unhealthy-looking, semi-decayed state. If we "break off a piece of this bark wo shall probably find the inner surface scored with numerous channels, which emanate from each side of a central line, like the map of a number of rivers rising from a long mountain ridge. These grooves are the work of the little Scolytus, whose agency brought down the giant tree now at our feet. Sometimes these channels, instead of being parallel, diverge irregularly from a common centre, as in tho adjoining figure, which is a reduced copy of a piece of mined bark we found not long since. In either cast-, however, the process by Avhich all this came about is much the same, and a curious piece of insect engineering it is. UK OF THE ELM MINED BY THE SCOLYTUS. In the month of July, the female Scolytus (a small beetle about a quarter of an inch long) eats or bores her way through the bark till she comes to the soft wood within : here she turns her course at right angles, and excavates a gallery through the inner bark in an upward direction, and about two inches in length, depositing as she proceeds a line of eggs on each side of this gallery, This done, and the devoted mother having thus provided for the welfare of her offspring, her part in life- is finished; she never emerges from the cell she hns formed with so much labour, and we may see her (lend THE ELM. 27 body at the end farthest from where she entered, but she leaves behind those who will amply fill her place. In about two months the eggs are hatched, and each tiny grub begins to feed upon the inner bark, eating away a passage nearly at right angles to the large channel it was hatched in, and, of course, enlarging the tunnel with its own growth, till at last it has come to maturity, and, staying its progress, it turns first to a chrysalis, then to a beetle, and, gnawing a hole outwards into the air, emerges to lay the foundation of another colony of miners ; and so on, till the unfortunate tree, from the gradually extended injury to its vital inner bark, can no longer maintain the circulation of the sap, which goes on through this part, and so lapses into ill-health and decay. Whole avenues of Elms have thus perished in some places. The comparatively gigantic Goat Moth is, in the caterpillar state, another dangerous and sometimes fatal enemy to the Elm, not confining itself to the bark, but by boring long galleries, large enough to admit the finger, through the solid heart-wood, it seriously depre- ciates the value of the otherwise sound timber, destroying the integrity of its substance, even if its injuries do not lead to the complete decay and fall of the tree, as some- times is the case. There is an eccentric little leaping beetle 1 (called, from that habit, the Elm-flea) sometimes found in troops among the foliage, which it devours, without, however, doing much real damage to the tree. When magnified, it is found to be a splendid little creature, in its glitter- ing armour of green and gold, with the thighs of its hinder legs surprisingly developed ; and good use it makes of its extra muscles : a branch may be one mo- ment covered with these pigmy hoppers ; we make a movement to get out our magnifying glass, and, presto, all have vanished ; the branch is cleared in a twinkling. The oddly-shaped Comma Butterfly, and the Elm But- 1 Haltica. 28 OUR WOODLANDS. terfly or Large Tortoise-shell, both feed on Elm-leaves ; and the pretty Gold-tail Moth sometimes overruns the tree in the caterpillar state, half stripping it of its foliage. THE WYCH ELM, OE SCOTCH ELM * ( Ulmus montana) Is principally distinguished from the common English Elm by the character of its growth, which is less upright and more loose and spreading than that of the latter ; its central trunk being less tall and continuous, and dividing at no great distance from the ground into long and rather drooping branches, forming a wide-spreading tree. As another mark of distinction, we may observe that the leaves are larger and broader shaped than those of the common Elm. The "Wych Elm is consi- dered to be the real indige- nous Elm of the country, and in Scotland is very frequent in a truly wild state, often forming the chief ornament of Scottish scenery. Some varieties have the branches quite pendulous, like the 1 Ulmus montana. Nat. order, Ulmacece. Lin. syst. : Pentandria D'ujynia. Gen. char. : see page 24. Spec. char. : Leaves obovate, pointed, doubly and coarsely serrated, nearly equal at the base, very rough above, downy beneath ; flowers nearly sessile ; fruit obovate, rather rhomboidal, slightly cloven, naked; branches drooping, smooth. LEAF OT WYCH ELM. THE B1KCH. 2U weeping willow, thus producing a most graceful effect. The trunk is often covered with huge, knotty excres- cences, which add greatly to the picturesque character of the tree, and afford a highly-prized material for the cabinet-maker, being curiously marbled and veined. These are cut into very thin veneers, and applied to choice tables, cabinets, &c. The ordinary timber fur- nished by this tree is of excellent quality for many purposes, having more toughness longitudinally than the common Elm timber, so that it may sometimes be used as a substitute for the Ash. This Elm frequently attains an immense size : there is one called the "Trysting Tree," near Roxburgh, in Teviotdale, whose girth, measured at four feet from the ground, is 30 feet. Another, felled some time since in Staffordshire, was 120 feet high, and the trunk 17 feet in diameter at the ground. It was probably from the mere coincidence between the names "wych" and " witch," that certain magical properties were attri- buted to the Wych Elm or Wych Hazel, as it is sometimes called. " In some of the midland counties, even to the present day, a little cavity is made in the churn, to receive a small portion of ' "VVych-hazel/ without which the dairymaids imagine that they would not be able to get the butter to come." l THE BIRCH. 2 (Setula alba.) THOSE who are familiar with our mountain scenery will acknowledge how much of its romantic beauty is derived 1 Loudon, Arboretum Britannicum. - Bttula alba. Nat. order, Bttulactce ; Lin. syst. : Moncecia Tetrandria. Gen. char. : Barren flower in a cylindrical catkin, its scales 3-flowered ; perianth 0; stamens, 10-12; fertile flower, scale of the catkin imperfectly 3-lobed, 3-flowered ; perianth ; styles 2 ; germens compressed, 2-celled, one abortive ; nuts compressed, with a membranaceous margin, 1-seeded. Spec, char. : Leaves ovato-deltoid, acute, doubly serrated glabrous. 30 OUB WOODLANDS. from this most graceful, airy tree, so appropriately styled by Coleridge " the Lady of the Woods." In every situa- tion its presence is felt as adding a charm to the scene, whether waving on the brow of the cliif, with its light transparent form seen quivering against the sky, or down on the shore of the broad loch, to which it forms a most harmonious foreground. LEAF AND CATUX OF BIRCH. The Birch may be readily distinguished from other trees, at first sight, by the peculiar silvery whiteness of its bark, its slender form, and the comparative smallness of its leaves, which are shaped as in the accompanying figure. There are two principal varieties of this species, the erect, and the "Weeping Birch, 1 the latter having by far the more characteristic elegance of the two, the lesser branches being more slender and drooping, and the leaves smaller, while the tree itself attains a much larger size than the other kind. The weeping variety is the one that prevails in the mountain districts of Scotland and Wales. It may be remarked that in ascending our loftiest mountains the Birch is the last tree that we miss on our upward path, for it continues with us to heights far above the level at which even the Scotch fir disappears. 1 Betula laba, r. pendula. THE BIECH. 31 In enumerating the uses of the Birch, we will discard from the list the imaginary virtues so long ascribed to it as an occasional stimulant and alterative in the scholastic training of British youth; its ancient reputation having lately fallen away "root and branch," so that it is no longer, as styled by Phillips^ the " Afflictive birch, Cursed by unlettered idle youth, " who, from the earliest ages, had good cause to regard it Avith terror. In old Gerarde's time this botanical remedy for juvenile frailty was in full vogue, as appears from his observations, that "schoolmasters and parents do terrific their children with rods made of Birch." Now, however, gentler means are found to work the desired amelioration far more surely and satisfactorily to both doctor and patient. In the colder regions of the Continent, the wood and bark of the Birch are more universally made use of than is the case in Britain. The young spray, besides its uses for making brooms, &c., affords a capital fuel for the iron furnaces. The large old wood is manufactured into furniture and agricultural implements. The outer bark, which is almost imperishable, serves a variety of purposes ; houses are roofed with it instead of tiles ; and in Lapland, where the Birch is almost the sole tree, its utility is immense ; of it the natives make baskets, mats, cordage, waterproof boots and shoes, and by taking a broad sheet of it, and cutting a hole in the middle for the head, a respectable "mackintosh" is produced. Strips of the bark twisted together form excellent torches, the inflammability being due to the presence of a quantity of oil, which when distilled is employed in the prepara- tion of Russia leather, and gives to it its peculiar odour. For many of these purposes it is also used in the High- lands of Scotland, but its chief appliances in this country are for making packing-crates, and hoops for herring- barrels ; and also as fire- wood. Birch charcoal is much 32 OUlt WOODLANDS. used iii manufacturing gunpowder, and well prepared sticks of it form excellent crayons for drawing. The naturalist finds in Birch-woods plenty of interest- ing subjects, some of which are peculiar to such localities. That pretty bird of the finch tribe called the Siskin, 1 may here be seen busy with the seeds, which are its favourite food. Then there is a large number of insects, including some of those most prized by the collector, that feed on the leaves, either partially or exclusively. The rare and magnificent Camberwell Beauty is one of the former division, and the very pretty, though not brilliant, Brown-hair-streak, another Butterfly, is only met with in the neighbourhood of Birch-trees. We shall mention a few only of the Moths found, in more or less abundance, in Birch- woods. The Lime Hawk Moth, the Wood Leopard Moth, the Swallow Prominent Moth, Lunar Marbled-brown Moth, Kentish Glory Moth, Black- arches Moth, Red-arches Moth, Blossom-underwingMoth, Light-orange-underwing Moth, Peppered Moth, Oak Beauty Moth, &c. On very old trees we have found occasionally a massive fungus as large as a child's head, called the Birch Boletus, wliich when cut asunder is found to be composed of a pure white substance of corky tex- ture ; and we have used this for various purposes instead of cork, such as carving small models, which have a beautiful appearance. It also makes an excellent material for lining entomological boxes as a substitute for cork. That most poisonous of the mushroom genus, the Fly Agaric (Agaricus muscanus), though not growing on the tree, yet, being generally found in Birch-woods, should be noticed here. It is a very handsome fungus, having a bright red upper surface studded with brown warts. Its effects when taken in small quantities are highly narcotic, producing intoxication and delirium, and, if the dose be large, terminating in death. 1 Fringilla spinus. SCOTCH PINE OR FIR. 33 THE DAYARF BIRCH. 1 (Betula ndna.) Ix the Highlands of Scotland, especially in wet, boggy places, this elegant little shrub is found, forming a lowly bush seldom more than two or three feet in height. Though rather looked on as a botanical curiosity in Britain, it is a plant of immense importance to the in- habitants of barren Lapland, furnishing them with their chief fuel and bedding, while the seeds nourish the Ptarmigan, which in its turn becomes a most valu- able article of food to the natives. On the Dwarf Birch grows the Bold its fomentarius, from which the amadou or moxa is prepared, and which is held by the Laplanders to be an efficacious remedy in many painful diseases. This species is often cultivated as an ornamental shrub in collections. THE SCOTCH PINE OR FIR 2 (Pinus sylv&lris.) Or all the numerous species of Pine and Fir met with in the parks and plantations of this country, only one, the Scotch Pine, is really indigenous to Britain, and 1 Bctula nuna. Gen. cliar.: see page, 29. Spec. char. : Leaves orbicular, crenate. * Pinus sylvestris. Nat. order, Pinacece ; Lin. syst. : Monascia Monadclphia. Gen. char. : Male anthers, 2-celled ; female scales in a conical cone, bracteate at base, digynous ; pericarps attached to the inside of scale, more or less winged, deciduous ; stigmas bind, or trifid, cotyledons, 4-8. Spec. char. : Leaves in pairs, rigid ; cones couico-ovate, acute, as long as the leaves, generally in pairs. D 34 OUR WOODLANDS. that only in the northern parts of Scotland, where it becomes one of the most striking objects in the grand scenery there displayed ; and those only who have seen it in its natural situation can appreciate its wild and picturesque beauty, in perfect harmony with the sublime features that surround it. It seems indeed hardly the same tree, amidst the refinement and smoothness of a southern pleasure- ground. That eminent critic and admirer of trees, Sir T. D. Lauder, a native of Scotland, thus speaks in rapturous enthusiasm of his national tree : " When its foot is amongst its own Highland heather, and when it stands freely on its native knoll of dry gravel, or thinly covered rock, over which its roots wander far in the wildest reticulation, while its tall, furrowed, often gracefully sweeping red and grey trunk, of enormous circumference, raises aloft its high umbrageous canopy, then would the greatest sceptic on this point (its picturesqueness) be compelled to prostrate his mind before it with a veneration which perhaps was never before excited by any other tree." The name of "Fir," though in very general use, is erroneously applied to this tree, which really belongs to the division called Pines, broadly distinguished from the Firs by the different forms of the adult trees, spreading and flat-headed in the former, and regularly conical or steeple-shaped in the latter, of which the Spruce Fir is a familiar example. The Scotch Pine is considered to be the most valu- able timber-tree of its tribe in Europe, producing the best of the material called deal, Avhich is \;sed to such an immense extent in civil and naval architecture ; the greater proportion of this kind of wood is, however, COXES OF SCOTCH TINE. SCOTCH PINE OB FIE. 35 imported from the shores of the Baltic, especially Norway, as our own forests are quite inadequate to supply the enormous demand. Any detail of the mani- fold but well-known uses to which deal is put would be superfluous here. We have often witnessed most beautiful pictorial effects in a group of Scotch Pines under the influence of the setting sun, whose warm rays, where they strike upon the red-barked stems and branches, light them up into bars of glowing crimson, magically contrasted Avith the deep gloom of the dark blue-green foliage. But however striking the character of the Pine, regarded under favourable circurn stances, may be, it is pretty certain that an ordinary close-set Pine plantation, with the monotony of its endless ranges of straight poles, forms a scene far from cheerful or picturesque : all verdure is banished from the ground beneath ; for the dense shade, together with the deleterious nature of the fallen leaves, is destructive to almost all other vegeta- tion, and the Pines are left sole tenants of the soiL The insects which attack and injure Pine and Fir trees in general, are far more numerous than would have been anticipated from the resinous nature of all the parts of these trees ; products of similar character being used to a large extent artificially for driving away insects ; but it seems that the constitutions of these little marauders are altered to fit them to the most unlikely food, so that some species depend for life upon what would be speedy death to others. The Giant Sirex 1 is one of these enemies that we have occasionally met with in the neighbourhood of Fir plantations, a very formidable looking insect, in size and colour much like the venomous Hornet, but harmless, except to the timber it attacks. This it does by boring into the solid wood, when in the grub state, and feeding there till it changes to a pupa, and then emerges a perfect insect. On one occasion much astonishment and alarm was occasioned to a nurse and her juvenile charges by the unaccountable appear- 3 Syrex gigas. D2 36 out WOODLANDS. -ince of several great Sirexes coming suddenly out of the iloor of the nursery, and buzzing terrifically about among the youthful company, who, unblest by science, knew not that their visitors were stingless. The explanation of this phenomenon is, that the deal flooring was newly laid down, and the boards must have contained the pupae of the Sirex, which, coming to maturity in that situation, made their appearance as related. If our readers should chance to find on a Fir-tree a large caterpillar, of bright green colour, with brown stripe down the back, terminating in a black, horny tail, let them carefully carry it home, taking a branch of Fir for it to feed on, and give it a box with some loose earth at the bottom. If all goes well with it, it Avill change first into a brown chrysalis, then into a large and pretty moth the Pine-hawk Moth l which the captor may either keep as a rarity, or give to his entomological friend (if he has one), by whom it will be duly prized. Multitudes of small insects of different orders frequent the Pine and Fir ; some drilling the substance of the wood in all directions, and reducing the interior to dust ; some nibbling the leaves, till the trees become bare; some channelling beneath the bark, like the Scolytus of the Elm; and others forming resinous galls at the end of the young shoots, in which the grubs reside. The fungi found in Pine-woods are extremely nu- merous, and frequently distinguished by their great beauty of form or colour, many of them being peculiar to Pine-trees, either growing attached to some part of the tree, or among the dead leaves on the ground, and others even on the fallen cones. It will thus be seen that, notwithstanding the unpromising aspect of a Pine- wood, it is not by any means barren of interest to the naturalist. 1 Sphinx Piuastri. THE LARCH. 37 THE LARCH. 1 (Ldrix Europva.) THIS lofty, pyramidal tree may be distinguished from the spruce and other firs, and the pine all Avhich are of an evergreen nature by losing its summer foliage, and re- maining bare through the winter, retaining only the cones, which give a curious spotted appearance to the spray, when seen at a little distance, against the sky. A vast extent of land, especially in the northern parts of the kingdom, is now devoted to the cultivation of the Larch, as its excellent timber qualities, in some respects excelling those of the Scotch pine, are gaining due appreciation from landowners. As an ornamental tree, the Larch has little to recommend it, except that in spring a tree planted in a free space, so as to bear branches that sweep the ground, becomes an elegant object for the time, clothed in the delicate pea-green of its young leaves, and tasselled over with the beautiful pink flower-spikes. This beauty, however, soon gives place to the dinginess and poverty that characterise the tree during the rest of the year. There are several other cone-bearing trees, more or less abundantly cultivated in plantations and mixed woods, but whose history we have not space to enter into. The principal of these are, the common or Xor- 1 Larix Europcea. Nat. order, Plnacece ; Lin. syst. : Mona-cia Monadelphia. Gen. char. : Male anthers 2-celled ; female, scales imbricated in a rovmd cone, braeteate at base, digynous ; peri- carps attached to inside of scale, winged, deciduous ; stigma hemispherical, cupped, glandular; cotyledons 5-9. Spec. char. : Leaves fascicled, deciduous ; cones ovate-oblong ; edges of scales reflexed, lacerated, Bractes panduriform. 38 OUR WOODLANDS. way Spruce Fir (Abies excelsa), a tall, evergreen, spire- shaped tree ; the Silver Fir (Picea pectinata), similar in growth to the last, but somewhat less taper in form, and whose dark green leaves are marked on the under surface with two silvery white lines ; the Pinaster (Pimm Pinaster), rather resembling the Scotch pine, but which may be known by its large clustered masses of foliage at the ends of the branches, giving the tree a peculiar tufted appearance. THE FIELD MAPLE. 1 (Acer campestre.) THOUGH the Maple, from its valuable qualities as a hedge-bush, is generally confined to that position, we must class it among forest-trees, as it attains dimensions entitling it to that rank, when exempted from the pruning-hook and shears, and allowed to assume its natural form, which is that of a handsome and pic- turesque little tree, between twenty and thirty feet high when full grown. The leaves are of an elegant palmate shape, and give a peculiar crispness to the general aspect of the foli- age ; and in autumn they take varied tints of yellow and orange, which .have a rich effect as forming part of the landscape. The bark is remarkably corky, and deeply furrowed, this peculiarity being 1 Acer campestre. Nat. order, Acerinece; Lin. syst.: Octandria Monogynia. Gen. char. : Calyx 5-cleft, inferior ; petals 5 ; ger- men 2-lobed ; capsules 2, united at the base, each with a long winged membrane. Spec. char. : Leaves mostly 5-lobed; lobes obtuse, notched, flowers in erect, corymbus-like racemes, THE FIELD MAPLE. 39 particularly noticeable in the young branches, and suf- ficing to distinguish the Maple from all other British trees. This is one of an extensive genus, all the species of which abound in a saccharine juice ; and from several of these sugar has been extracted on a large scale, espe- cially from the Sugar-maples of America. In this country, the wood is the sole valuable product of the Maple, it being close-grained, often very beauti- fully marked, and susceptible of a high polish qualities which have caused it to be much used in cabinet-work and for turnery ; but the kind most highly prized is that obtained from the knotty excrescences of the stem and roots, which are often most curiously veined and spotted, and, when highly polished, present a very rich appearance. One of the hobbies in which the ancient luxurious Romans indulged (as the old-china mania was not then invented) was the acquisition, at enormous prices, of tables made from very rare and curious specimens of Maple-wood. Their wives also happened to have another costly taste, for dresses, jewellery, and the like vanities, which their lords, oblivious of their own rather expensive little fancies, considered were needless extravagances, and sometimes ventured to hint as much ; when .the ladies, roused by this injustice, would in their turn point to the sumptuous Maple-table, with an allusion to its ruinous price ; and this was called "turn ing the. tables " on their husbands ; hence the phrase used to this day for a similar kind of retort. 40 OUB WOODLANDS. LE4T, TLOWXIS, AND SEEDS OF SYC.IMOKE. THE SYCAMOEE.1 (Acer Pseudo-pldtanus.) WITH regard to the identity of this tree, a double confusion exists in the non-botanical mind. In the first place, as it is called in Scotland the Plane- tree, and it is very frequently confounded with the Oriental and Western Planes trees of very different character to the Sycamore, but having leaves of rather similar shape. Then, again, it is generally supposed to be the Sycamore mentioned in Scripture, as the tree on which Zacchams climbed to see Christ as he passed on his way to Jerusalem ; but the Sycamore of the Bible was really a kind of fig-tree, the Ficus Sycomorus of botanists ; while the present tree is a species of Maple. The Sycamore, when fully grown, forms a large, massive tree, with a contour often much resembling that of the oak ; though the broadness of the individual leaves gives a different and rather heavier character to the mass of its foliage, which, when fully developed, affords a more dense, impenetrable shade than almost any other tree ; 011 which account we often see it planted close to the sunny side of the dairy, to the coolness of which its presence greatly contributes. In spring, the half-expanded young leaves are ex- tremely beautiful objects, showing, Avhen held up to the light, the most delicate transparent tints of red, amber, and olive; but as the season advances, the leaves become opaque, and are usually disfigured by the attacks of 1 Acer Pseudo-platanus. Nat. order, Aceracece ; Lin. syst. : Oc'andrla Moiioyynia. Gen. char. : see page 33. Spec. char. : Leaves 5-lobecl, unequally serrated ; vacemes pendulous. THE SYCAMOKE. 41 insects, some of which perforate and render them ragged ; while others (Aphides) exude from their bodies a clammy, sweet fluid, known as " honey-dew," which, covering the surface of the leaves, causes them to retain the dust that alights upon them, so that towards the end of summer the foliage presents a peculiarly dirty, unwholesome appearance, more especially observable in the neigh- bourhood of large towns, where smoke and its deposits are added to the dust of the road. The autumnal tints are nevertheless often very rich and harmonious, and are assumed earlier than those of many of its sylvan brethren. Cowper well describes the ever-varving hues of '' The Sycamore, capricious in attire, Now green, now tawny, and ere autumn yet Has changed the woods, in scarlet honours bright." The wood of the Sycamore is of a yellowish colour in mature trees ; compact and firm in texture, without being very hard ; and being easily worked, and suscep- tible of a high polish, it is in great request among turners, cabinet-makers, and musical instrument makers, with whom it is a favourite material for violins. As a fuel it is esteemed the best of all woods, both for the amount of heat it gives out, and the time it lasts while burning. The sap, like that of all the maple tribe, holds iu solution a considerable quantity of sugar, which has been separated from it, on a small scale, in Scotland, where the tree abounds ; but the manufacture could not be profitably carried on as a commercial operation. The Scotch children amuse themselves by making in- cisions in the bark, and sucking the sweet sap that flows from the wound very freely ; and from this liquor, by fermentation, a wine of tolerable quality may be made. As an instance of the really magnificent dimensions an old Sycamore can attain to, we may iiiontion one at Kew, a century old, which is seventy-four feet in 42 OUR WOODLANDS. height, and has a trunk five and a half feet thick ; but in the north there are some specimens, the trunks of which much exceed the one at Kew. THE LIME-TKEE, OR LINDEN. 1 (Tilia Europcea.} THIS is better known as an inhabitant and ornament of our towns than as a wild woodland tree ; and, in fact, the large-leaved kind, with which we are all familiar, is so seldom found growing in a state of nature, that is, in localities where it was not probably planted by . * the agency of man, that it is v generally considered by bo- *" i i p tanists to have been a foreign variety introduced to this coun- try from the Continent at a very distant period, and long since become naturalized here. There is, however, a Lime-tree which we frequently meet with in woods far from human habi- tations, and, as it would seem, in a truly wild state, which hardly differs from the common domesticated form, except in its smaller and less transparent leaves, 1 Tilia Europcea. Nat. order, Tiliacece ; Lin. syst. : Polyandria Monogynia. Gen. char. : Calyx 5-parted, petals 5, capsule coria- ceous, globose, 5-celled, 4-valved, opening at base, 1-seeded. Spec. char. : Nectarines wanting, leaves smooth, except a woolly tuft at the origin of the veins beneath, cordate, acuminate and serrated, twice the length of the footstalks ; cymes many- flowered, the capsule coriaceous and downy. OWKE OF LIME-T THE LIME-TREE, OR LINDEN. 43 and is known as the Small-leaved Lime-tree. In Essex and Sussex this kind is particularly abundant. If the regularity of form which distinguishes the Lime prevents its ranking as one of our most pic- turesque trees, we must certainly regard it as one of the pleasantest and most cheerful, especially in early summer, when the eye is charmed by the fresh verdure of its foliage, the sense of smell delighted by the rich fragrance of its blossoms, while the ear is engaged by the music of the honey-bee and other insects, which in thousands flock to its honeyed stores. Those who only know the Lime as an avenue-tree, often cropped and stunted, can form but little idea of the luxuriance of its growth, and the enormous dimensions it is capable of attaining when favoured by soil and situation. At Moor Park, in Hertfordshire, are some magnificent specimens, one of which is 100 feet high, with a head 122 feet in diameter, and a trunk 23 feet in circumference ; . but the most remark- able Lime-tree in this country is probably that at Knowle, in Kent, which, in extent of branchy canopy, and singularity of growth, rivals the famous Indian Banyan. The lower branches of this tree, after extend- ing on every side to a great length, have drooped by their own weight till their extremities rested on the earth, in which they took root, and sent up a circle of young trees, which thus surrounded the parent stem. After a time, the outer branches of these latter, stretching out till they reached the ground, rooted there in their turn, and threw up a second circle of trees ; so that at present this vast, vegetable curiosity, all emanating from a single stem, covers about a quarter of an acre of ground with its branches. Besides the ornamental qualities possessed by the Lime, it is not without its direct service to man. The wood, which is yellowish-white in colour, soft, smooth- grained, and light, is put to a variety of useful purposes by cabinet-makers, turners, toy-makers, and carvers. The sounding-boards of pianofortes are made of it, as 44 OUR WOODLANDS. it does not warp under changes of atmosphere, a quality which likewise recommends it for carriage-paneling, lint the most elegant application of this wood is for fine carving, in the practice of which art it is justly preferred to every other wood : " Smooth Linden best obeys The carver's chisel ; best his curious work Displays in nicest touches." The exquisite productions of Grinling Gibbons, exe- cuted in this material some two hundred years ago, may be seen in St. Paul's Cathedral, at Windsor Castle, Chatsworth, and other places, still looking sharp, delicate, and beautiful as when they came from the artist's chisel. That well-known commodity called " bast-matting," and so useful to gardeners for protecting their plants, and to upholsterers for packing large goods, is a pro- duct of the Lime-tree, being prepared from the inner bark by macerating it in water till it separates into thin layers, strips of which are afterwards woven toge- ther into the form in which we see it. The honey which bees obtain from Lime-blossoms is esteemed beyond every other kind, being very delicious and high-flavoured ; but of course it can only be had pure in districts covered with forests of this tree, as in the case at Kauno, in Lithuania, where the honey is gathered immediately after the Lime has finished "blossoming, and its sale, at three or four times the price of common honey, is the chief dependence of the inhabitants. In some places, an infusion, or tea, made of Lime- blossoms, is held in great repute as a remedy for coughs, hoarseness, &c. ; and, from what we know of its quali- ties, it may probably be very efficacious in mild cases : at least the potion will be harmless and not unpleasant. Gilbert White informs us that he made some Lime- blossom tea, " and found it a very soft, well-flavoured, THE WALNUT. 43 pleasant saccharine julep, in taste much resembling the juice of liquorice." Amongst the numerous caterpillars who make the foliage of the Lime their food, we can only enumerate a few of the principal : the Lime-hawk Moth (a beau- tiful insect in its perfect state, with wings of very singular shape, and exquisitely shaded with tints of olive-green, grey, and brown), the Buff-tip, Lobster Moth, Glory of Kent, Dagger Moth, Orange Moth, Brindled Beauty, Mer veil- du -jour, Canary-shouldered Thorn Moth, &c. THE WALNUT. 1 (Juylans regia.} THE Walnut, it may be said, belongs more properly to the orchard department than to that of forest-trees ; but the country rambler so frequently meets with it in a half-wild looking state, by the roadside or in the park, grouping most picturesquely with other trees and with rustic architecture, and its importance as a timber and fruit-tree is so great, that we must introduce it as a member of our Sylva, along with the Horse-chestnut and Spanish chestnut, which have similar claims to that title. The most valuable product of the Walnut is the fruit, 2 which is so well known, together with the 1 Juglans rcyia. Nat. order, Juylandacece ; Lin. syst. Moncecia Pobjandria. Gen. char. : Male, an imbricated catkin; calyx, a scale; corolla, 6-pavted; filaments, 4-18. Female, calyx, 4-cleft; superior corolla, 4-cleft ; styles 2 ; drupe coriaceous, with a fur- rowed nut. Spec. char. : Leaflets about nine, oval, smooth, sub- serrated, nearly equal ; fruit globose. 2 The Walnut must have been highly esteemed by the ancients, and considered by them as food fit for the gods, as its Latin name Juglans is well known to be contracted from the words Jovis. glans, i. e. the acorn of Jove. 46 OUR WOODLANDS. uses to which it is put, both in its green and mature state, that it would be superfluous to describe it here : we may, however, just mention, that there is one variety AND rRUIT OF WALNUT. not often seen, which produces nuts nearly as large as a turkey's egg, but, notwithstanding their magnificent appearance, these are of inferior quality to some of the smaller sorts. The timber of the "Walnut, also, is in high estimation for cabinet-work, although not now used to the same extent as formerly, before the introduction of mahogany and other beautiful foreign woods ; but some of the fine old Walnut furniture will bear comparison on all points with the most elegant productions of the present day. Another most important use of "Walnut-wood is for the manufacture of gun-stocks, for which its great strength and lightness especially qualify it. 1 The 1 About the year 1806, some twelve thousand Walnut-trees were annually required in France for the manufacture of muskets. THE EATABLE OR SPANISH CHESTNUT. 47 number of Walnut-trees grown in this country lias, however, very greatly diminished of late years, as it has been found that a supply equal to the demands of the country can easily be obtained from the coasts of the Black Sea, and from America. 1 The Walnut sometimes attains to grand dimensions, one at Cothelstone, in Devonshire, being sixty-four feet high, with a trunk six and a half feet in diameter ; and there are many very fine specimens in the neigh- bourhood of London. The bark of this tree is grey and smooth on the upper branches, deeply furrowed on the trunk, and the leaves are light and elegant both in form and colour. These have the defect of dropping off with the first frosts ; but the tree, even in its denuded state, main- tains its picturesque character, owing to the fine form and play of its bold branches. From the austere nature of the juices in the leaves and other parts of the Walnut, it is attacked by very few insects. Among the moths, two species are re- corded by Mr. Selby, that known as the Peppered Moth, and another small Geometra. THE EATABLE OR SPANISH CHESTNUT. 2 (Castdnea vesca.} HAD we before us at once an Oak and a Chestnut, each in their maturity and perfection and were it pos- 1 The timber imported from America is that of the American walnut (Juylans niyra), a distinct species, but possessing similar qualities. 2 Costarica vesca. Nat. order, Corylacece : Lin. syst. : Moncecia Polyandria. Geii. char. : Barren flower in a very long cylindrical catkin; perianth, single, of 1-leaf, 6-cleft; stamen, 5-20. Fer- tile, flower 3, within a 4-lobed, thickly muricated involucrum ; 48 OUR WOODLANDS. table to divest our minds of the heart-stirring associations to the former malcing outward beauty and magnificence the sole points of rivalry, we should long hesitate in giving the palm of superiority to cither, as they both possess to an eminent degree picturesque qualities of their own, that commend them to our fullest admiration. In colossal grandeur the Chestnut is scarcely inferior to the oak, ex- celling the latter in the rich character of its foliage, composed of large hand- some leaves of glossy green ; and often, also, in. the line forms presented by the trunk, the bark of which in old trees is full of deep rugged clefts. The ramification, too, when bared by winter of its verdure, is seen to have all the boldness and easy flow so remarkable in that of the oak. When, however, we quit the merely artistic view we have been taking, and consider the abso- lute value of the oak commercially and historically, there is no question of its claim to sovereignty, since the Chestnut as a timber-tree is comparatively worthless. The age which gives heartiness and strength to the oak, brings shakiness and decay to the chestnut. Among the most remarkable chestnuts of this country is that at Tortworth, in Gloucestershire, which in King Stephen's days was so large as to be called the Great Chestnut of Tortworth. When last measxired it was 52 feet in girth. There are also some very fine old trees to be seen in Kensington Gardens and Greenwich Park. perianth, single, urceolate, 5-6 lobed, having the rudiments of 12 stamens; germen incorporated with the perianth, 6-celled, with the cells 2-seeded, 5 of them mostly abortive; styles 6; nut 1-2, seeded, invested with the enlarged involucre. Spec, char. : Leaves oblong, lanceolate, acuminate, mucronate, serrate, glabrous on each Bide. CHESTNUT. THE EATABLE Oil SPANISH CHESTNUT. 49 One of the best purposes, it is said, to which Chestnut wood can be applied is for making wine-casks, as it is less apt to taint the wine than any other wood, and thoroughly prevents evaporation. This use of Chestnut wood is referred to by Kapin, in his poem, "The Garden :" " With close-grained chestnut, wood of sov'reign use, For casking up the grape's most potent juice." The fruit of the Chestnut seems to be held in much less esteem by the English than by the natives of most other countries where it abounds. In some parts of France and Italy, chestnuts are used in great measure as substitutes for potatoes, and even bread, forming often a chief article of food for the poorer inhabitants. There are some scientific recipes for preparing them with milk, .eggs, and various other additions ; and in this state they form very popular dishes, sometimes rising to the rank of luxuries. The odour of the flowers is very powerful and peculiar, rendering the neighbourhood of the tree absolutely offensive to some people during the blossoming season. But few insects frequent the Chestnut, and its foliage is almost entirely exempt from their attacks ; but a kind of weevil 1 is often very injurious to the nuts, piercing them when very young and tender, and depo- siting its eggs in their substance. The fruit thus attacked never attains to maturity, dropping off when half-grown, and its interior of course becomes the prey of the inclosed grubs of the weevil 1 Pyrale Pflugione. 50 OUR WOODLANDS. THE HOESE CHESTNUT. 1 (^Escidus Hippocdstanum.) THOUGH both this tree and the last bear the name of Chestnut, no two trees can be much more botanically LEA* OF HORSH CHMT1TOT. distinct than the Sweet Chestnut and the Horse Chest- nut, which are very widely separated both in the Linnsean and natural systems of classification j yet we have heard them sometimes spoken of as being merely different species of the same genus, one adapted for the food of horses, the other for that of men ; an instance of the kind of error so frequently occurring from neglect of the scientific nomenclature, really indispensable in pro- perly defining natural-history subjects. The chief point 1 j&sculus Jlippocastanum. Nat. order, ^Ssculacece; Lin. syst. : Heptandria, Monogynia. Gen. char. : Calyx 1 -leaved, inflated ; corolla 4-5 petaled, unequal, pubescent, inserted in the calyx ; capsule 3-celled ; seeds large, chestnut-like. Spec, char. : Leaves digitate, 7 ; petals 5, spreading. THE HORSE CHESTNUT. 51 of resemblance between the two Chestnuts lies in the i'act that they both produce nuts of similar aspect, although these differ very greatly in quality. ISfature can show few objects of greater magnificence than a princely Horse Chestnut-tree in early summer, when robed, as it is so aptly described by Sir T. D. Lander, " in all the richness of its heavy velvet drapery, embroidered over with millions of silver flowers." Both the leaves and flowers are exceedingly beautiful when examined singly and closely, besides the striking effect they produce when massed together on the tree. The delicate white blossoms, tinted with yellow and rosy- red, and arranged in a hyacinth-like form, would grace a choice bouquet, and the symmetrical elegance of the ample leaves is unrivalled among native trees. The anatomy of a bud of the Horse Chestnut, taken in the very early spring, affords one of the best instances of that wonderful arrangement of nature by which a minute bud is made to contain a large number of inci- pient flowers or leaves, which, notwithstanding their microscopic smallness, are perfect miniatures of the coming leaves and blossoms. To exemplify this, we quote the following experiment from the Magazine of Xatural History, and any of our readers who have access to a Horse Chestnut-tree may verify it for themselves. "A celebrated German naturalist detached from this tree in the winter season a flower-bud not larger than a pea, and first took off the external covering, which he found consisted of seventeen scales. Having removed these scales, and the down which formed the internal covering of the bud, he discovered four branch leaves surrounding a spike of flowers, the latter of which were so distinctly visible, that, with the aid of a microscope, he not only counted sixty-eight flowers, but could discern the pollen of the stamens, and perceive that some was opaqti", and some transparent." j.^c Horse Chestnut is planted in this country almost solely for its highly ornamental qualities as a tree, as neither the fruit nor timber is of much value ; the nuts E2 02 OUH WOODLANDS. being bitter and uneatable by man, and the wood soft, weak, and only applicable to a few purposes where neither strength nor durability are required. This tree is said to have been brought to England from the mountains of Thibet, some time about the middle of the sixteenth century. THE WILD PEAR TREE. 1 Pyrm communis. IN our spring rambles through the woods we occa- sionally come upon a tall, handsome tree, bearing a pro- fusion of white flowers among its young green leaves : this is the Wild Pear-tree, from which were derived, by cultivation, all those choice varieties that grace the dessert-table ; a wonderful change to be accomplished merely by the gardener's art, when we compare the austere little wilding fruit with the goodly Jargonelles, or fleurrees, so ample in ske and luscious in flavour. We must not, however, descant on the uses and per- fections of the cultivated pear, as our chief concern in this volume is with those objects met with in a wild state. As the fruit of the Wild Pear is small and hardly eatable, the wood is the only part of the tree of an}- real value ; this is very compact and fine-grained, and has been used for fine carvings, and once was the chief material from which wood engravings were executed. The curious old cuts in Gerarde's Herball were probably on this wood ; but for this purpose it is greatly inferior to box, now the only wood used for engraving subjects wherein delicacy of execution is required. Pear- wood, 1 Pyrus communis. Nat. order, Pomacece ; Lin. syst. : Icosan- dria di-pentagynia. Gen. char. : Calyx with 5 segments ; petals 5 ; styles 2-5 ; fruit fleshy, with 5 distinct, cartilaginous, 2- seeded cells. Spec. char. : Leaves simple, ovate, serrated ; flower stalks corymbose ; fruit turbinate. THE WILD APPLE OR CttAB TREE. 53 when dyed black, so closely imitates ebony, that it can with difficulty be distinguished from it, and in this state it is used for picture-frames, and innumerable purposes of fancy or utility. THE WILD APPLE OR CRAB-TREE. 1 (Pyj'us Mdlus.) FAR more frequent in our woods and thickets than the pear, is the Wild Apple, which, though a low tree, stumpy and graceless in form, puts forth every season such an array of white and rosy blossoms, that when PCi'ii in May, with these in then: perfection, it yields to i'ow plants in beauty, and forms one of the greatest spring ornaments to the woods it inhabits. The Wild Apple bloom, too, is not only beautiful in muss, but a sprig, when gathered and examined in detail, is, perhaps, still more lovely, the curled and crumpled petals being varied with every delicate shade, from satiny white to deep rose red. The ripe fruit, also, has external beauties of its own, but there let our commen- dation rest, for the sourness and austerity of its taste are proverbial, " cra&biness " being, as we know, synony- mous with all that is the reverse of sweet and pleasant. 2 Yet this little sour fruit is the origin of most of our esteemed orchard and garden apples, the vast difference between them being the result of assiduous cultivation. A large number of insects of various orders inhabit and feed on both the wild and cultivated apple tree, the most important of which, not indeed for its use or beauty, but on account of the injury it works, is that 1 Pyrus Mains. Gen. char. : see page 52. Spec. char. : Leaves ovate, rugose, serrated ; flowers in a simple sessile umbel ; styles united below ; fruit globose. 2 Verjuice is the expressed juice of the Crab. 54 OUR WOODLANDS. called the Woolly Aphis, 1 a little creature that produces that white downy matter sometimes seen covering the stems and branches of the tree, which when thus infected become cankered, and ere long perish. The mischief, howevftr, is not caused by this white substance itself, which is merely a secretion, thrown out by the insect as a protection to it while engaged in feeding on the life juices of the tree ; for if a tuft of this "blight," as it is called, is closely examined, tiny soft insects will be found, crouching close to the bark, and resembling the Aphides so common in the rose and other plants. Various remedies have been tried, to destroy this pest, but all of them involve much labour, and in large orchards its extermination is hopeless. Every one has experienced the annoyance of finding a tempting apple all worm-eaten, within, and the track of the spoiler defiled with dust and rottenness ; but few have marked the curious economy of the little animal that has forestalled us in the enjoyment of our fruit. About Midsummer, a beautiful little moth, studded with silver specks, may be seen visiting the newly-set apples, and depositing in the eye of each a single egg ; this, shortly hatching, produces a tiny grub, that, forthwith, sets to work, and eats his way deep into the substance of the young apple, but studiously keeping clear of the vital core (any injury to which would cause the prema- ture fall of his home) until the apple and himself are together approaching maturity, when he at last makes for the core, and changing his diet, feeds away the last clays of his grubhood upon the nutty pips ; these being destroyed, the apple seems as if struck to the heart, and speedily drops to the ground. This is just what our little friend desired, tired even of fragrant pips, he wanted a thorough change in. life- to see the world, in fact and the apple's fall is the signal for him to move. A passage which he had long ago tunnelled through to the air, to afford him a supply of that element, now serves him as a means of exit ; and emerging therefrom, 1 Eriosoma Mali. THE WILD SEEVICE TREE. 55 he seeks the nearest tree trunk, crawls up it, and, finding a snug crevice, ensconces himself therein, fitting up the chosen spot for winter-quarters, by the addition of a white silk lining and curtain. Here he snoozes away the winter long as a chrysalis, being one of those gentry that don't care much for life, except in " the season," and June being "the season" with his circle, he then appears in society, a dandy of the first water, profuse with his silver studs, and carrying a name that many a foreign Count would be glad of ; " Cai'pocapsa poma- nella," is his card, and if he isn't conceited, he might well be but we forget he is only the grub that spoilt the apple for us, after all. The pretty little Ermine Moth ' commits great ravages on the leaves of the Apple tribe ; but though its bio- graphy is most interesting, we must omit it here, lest it be said we are forgetting the trees for the insects that live on them. From our own experience, the Mistletoe is found parasitic upon the Crab far more frequently than upon any other tree. THE WILD SERVICE TBEE. 2 Pyrus tormindlis. (Plate C, fig. 2.) IN situations where the Wild Crab flourishes, and espe- cially in the southern parts of the kingdom, we may often meet with the Service Tree. It has been found in many places in the vicinity of London, among others at Caen Wood, near Hampstead ; near Chingford in Epping Forest ; and we have seen it growing luxuriantly on 1 Tinea padella. * Pyrus Tormindlis. Geu. char. : see page 52. Spec. char. : Leaves ovate or cordate, serrated, 7-lobed; the lower lobes divaricating ; flower-stalks cyme-corymbose, branched. 56 OUU WOODLANDS. the chalk hills about Caterham, in Surrey. It makes an ornamental tree, both from the richness of its broad and curiously-shaped leaves, added to the large clusters of white flowers which appear in May, and from the pro- fuse bunches of broAvn fruit, garnishing every branch in Autumn. The leaves are, when full-sized, nearly four inches long, and three inches broad in the middle (our figure was drawn from a small specimen, to avoid croAvd- ing the plate) ; the fruit is of a greenish brown when ripe, and of an acid, rough flavour ; which, however, becomes very agreeable when the fruit is in a state of incipient decay, and mellowed by frost. In this condition we have sometimes seen it brought to market by country people, who string several hundreds of the berries together round a stick, so as to form a large cylindrical cluster, a yard long or more. This tree does not generally grow to a large size, but has been known to attain the height of fifty-four feet, with a trunk three and a half feet thick. The wood is very hard and close-grained, and valuable for making various small articles of turnery, &c. ; but it is not sufficiently abundant to have much importance in this respect. THE WHITE BEAM TREE. 1 Pyrus Aria. (Plate C, fig. 1.) WHAT a striking ornament to the rocky limestone districts in which it aboiinds, is the White Beam Tree, especially in the Autumn, with its liberal clusters of rich scarlet berries, contrasting powerfully with the snowy under-sides of the leaves, displayed by every 1 Pyrus Aria. Gen. char. : see page 52. Spec. char. : Leaves ovate, cut, serrated; hoary beneath; flower.3 in a dense flat corymbus ; fruit globose. THE MOUNTAIN ASH, OB ROAN TREE. 57 breath of wind! This tree is not uncommon in the chalk-hills of Kent and Surrey, but -we consider that, like the mountain ash, it appears to infinitely greater advantage in the situations first mentioned, where the grey of the limestone-rock gives full value to the bright- coloured fruit and foliage, relieved upon it. The fruit is full of a mealy, acid pulp, becoming sweeter when kept till over-ripe, and then not disagree- able to cat. A kind of beer may be obtained by fer- menting the benies, and by distillation they afford a strong spirit. Small birds and animals, especially the hedge-hog, are exceedingly fond of the fruit, and devour it greedily. The wood, though usually of small size, is not with- out its value, being extremely hard and fine-grained, of a yellowish tint, and taking a high polish. Its chief use is for making cogs for wheels used in machinery, for which purpose it is universally employed where iron has not superseded wood in millwork. Musical instru- ments are also made of it, as well as handles to cutlery, walking-sticks, wooden spoons, and various small turnery articles, in some of which it forms a good substitute for boxwood. The White Beam Tree has had several synonymes bestowed on it, among which are, Red Chess- Apple, Cumberland Hawthorn, "White "Wild Pear, and Sea Ouler. THE MOUNTAIN ASH, OR ROAN TREE. 1 Pyms Aucup&ria. (Plate C, fig. 3.) BETWEEN the trim suburban garden, and the grim Highland steep, there is, doubtless, a vast constitutional 1 Pyrus Aiicuparia. Gen. char.: see page 52. Spec. char. : Leaves pinnated ; leaflets uniform, smooth, serrated ; flowers corymbose ; fruit globose. 58 OUR WOODLANDS. difference ; so that, in general, an object harmonizing with the one, would seem to be totally discordant with the other ; yet the Mountain. Ash oversteps the diffi- culty, and with easy grace accommodates itself to either situation. But ornamental as it is to the villa, we fancy there are few who would not prefer it in its native locality, as a wild mountaineer, in which character it claims our enthusiastic admiration. How lovely is its Spring foliage, of airiest lightness, and freshest verdure, every branch decked with large tufts of fragrant and conspicuous cream-white flowers. But the season of its greatest and characteristic beauty is when the flowers have given way to the glowing orange fruit, with which Autumn loads every bough. Then, peculiarly, is it the Mountain Ash beloved by poet and painter, and asso- ciated in our own mind with scenery, the grandest and the fairest we have witnessed. From very early times, the Eoan Tree enjoyed a wide reputation, not so much for its external beauty, as for the inherent magical powers attributed to it, by virtue of which its presence was considered to prove a sovereign charm against the evil machinations of witch- craft ; and the superstition still lingers in sequestered districts, especially in the Highlands of Scotland and in Wales, " where it is often hung up over doorways, and in stables and cow-houses, to neutralize the wicked spells of witches and warlocks." A stump of the Eoan Tree has been frequently found in the old burying- places and stone circles of the Druids, probably a relic of the tree planted by them for its sacred shade. Turning from the picturesque or romantic, to the utilitarian view of this tree, we find that both wood and fruit serve a variety of good purposes. The wood, when it can be obtained of sufficiently large size, is applied to the same uses as that of the White Beam-tree, which it very nearly resembles in quality ; and it used to be esteemed next to Yew for bows. The beautiful fruit is a very favourite food of birds, especially of the thrush tribe, who never cease their attentions to the trees while THE MEDLAR. 59 a berry remains ; nor is it without its direct utility to man. Evelyn tells us that "ale and beer brewed with these berries being ripe is an incomparable drink, fami- liar in "Wales." These berries are even eaten raw as a fruit, but we cannot recommend them, except as curi- osities, for they are harsh and austere, with a nauseous under-taste, so that, with most persons, one will suffice for a dose. Bird-catchers, taking advantage of the fondness of the feathered tribes for these berries, make them the chief bait to the horse-hair nooses, which they lay in the woods, to catch fieldfares, redwings, and other birds. In reference to this, the Mountain Ash is often called the Fowler's Service-tree ; and the following synonymes are among those applied to it in various districts, Quicken Tree, Quick Beam, Mountain Service, Rowan Tree, "Witchen Tree, and Wiggen Tree. The term "witchen," of which "wiggen" is only a corruption, relates to the supposed anti-m'fcAcraft properties of the tree. THE MEDLAR 1 (Mespilus germdnica.} THE Medlar is not uufrequently found in a wild state in woods and coppices in Sussex, Kent, and Surrey ; in the latter county, liedhill, Reigate, and between Rei- gate" and Nutfield, have been given as more definite localities where it may be met with. It forms a tree of the size and shape of an ordinary apple-tree, and may be readily known by its fantastically twisted branches, 1 Mespilus germanica. Nat. order, Pomacece : Lin. syst. : Icosandria di-pentagynia. Gen. char. : Calyx 6-parted, with leafy divisions; disk large, honey bearing; styles smooth; apple turbinate, open, 5-celled, with a bony rectamen. Spec, char. : Leaves lanceolate, entire or sub-serrate, a little downy ; flowers solitary, nearly sessile, terminal ; styles (mostly) 5. GO DUE WOODLANDS. its fine large leaves, and solitary white flowers, about an inch broad, which appear in May and June ; but in the Autumn, the tree is sufficiently marked by the pecu- liar and well-known fruit, which hardly differs in its FLOlVEtt iND 1.U.T OF MEDLAR wild and cultivated states some of the garden varieties being merely increased in size. The Medlar is one of those fruits which the French style "fruits defantaisie," in contradistinction to those of utility ; and, in fact, the Medlar-tree must be considered, altogether rather as an ornamental object than a profitable one, being a very desirable addition to the shrubbery for the sake of its fine foliage and blossoms. Tin: AJ.UKK.