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smooth, thin, of a brown colour, and scales off, like that of a platanus; theleaves are scattered, nearly sessile, dichotomous (that is, in two lateral rows),linear, entire, very slightly revolute, and about 1 in. long; dark green, smoothand shining above; paler, with a prominent midrib, beneath; terminating in asmall harmless point. Flowers axillary, solitary, each from a scaly imbricatedbud ; the male ones light brown, white with abundant pollen; and the femaleones green, resembling, with their scaly bracteas, a little acorn. The stamensvary from 5 to 10, and the divisions of the anthers from 4 to 8. Fruitdrooping, consisting of a sweet, internally glutinous, scarlet berry, open at thetop, enclosing a brown oval nut, unconnected with the fleshy part. Sometimesthis nut is longer than the fleshy cup in which it is embedded; in which caseit has the appearance of a small acorn; but, in general, the point of the nutis lower than the rim of the cup. The nut contains a kernel, which is eat-able, and has an agreeable flavour like those of the stone pine. The yew isof slow growth ; but, in favourable situations, it will attain the height of 6 ft.or 8 ft., or more, in 10 years from the seed. In 20 years, it will attain theheight of 15 ft., and it will continue growing for 100 years; after which itbecomes comparatively stationary, but will live for many centuries. Whendrawn up by other trees, or by being planted in masses, it takes somewhat thecharacter of a fir; and may be found, thus circumstanced,with a clear trunk 30 ft. or 40 ft. high. It stoles whencut down under 20 or 30 years of age, but rarely when .it is older. The largest tree which we have heard ofin England is in the churchyard at Harlington, nearHounslow, where it is 58 ft. high, with a trunk 9 ft., anda head 50 ft. in diameter; and the oldest are at Foun-tains Abbey, where they are supposed to have beenlarge trees at the time the abbey was founded, in 1132.

Fig. 1983. is a portrait of one of these trees, to a scaleof 1 in. to 50 ft.; and a portrait of another, to a largerscale, will be given in a future page.

Geography. The yew is indigenous to most parts of Europe , from northlat. 58° to the Mediterranean Sea; and also to the east and west of Asia ;and on the supposition that T. canadensis is only a variety of T. baccata,which we believe to be the case, the common yew is also a native of NorthAmerica, in Maryland, Canada , and other places. In a wild state, it isconfined to shady places, such as the north side of steep hills, oramong tall deciduous trees; and is always found on a clayey, loamy, orcalcareous soil, which is naturally moist. It sometimes grows in the cleftsof dry rocks, but never on sandy plains; and hence it is wanting in theRussian empire, except on the mountains of the Crimea , and in Caucasus.It is found in every part of Britain, and also in Ireland : on limestone cliffs,and in mountainous woods, in the south of England; and on schistous,basaltic, and other rocks, in the north of England : and, in Scotland , it is par-ticularly abundant on the north side of the mountains near Loch Lomond.In Ireland , it grows in the crevices of rocks, at an elevation of 1200 ft.; butat that height it assumes the appearance of a low shrub. According to Tem-pleton, it is rarely, if ever, found there in a state which can be consideredtruly wild. The yew is rather a solitary than a social tree ; being generallyfound either alone, or with trees of a different species. In England, and also,as Pallas informs us, on Caucasus, it grows under the shade of the beech,which few other evergreens will do.

History , §c. The yew, and its use for making bows, are mentioned by theearliest Greek and Roman authors; and its poisonous properties are pointed°ut Dioscorides, Nicander, Galen, Pliny, and others. Theophrastus says(lib. iii.) that the leaves will poison horses. Caesar mentions that Cativulces,king of the Eburones, poisoned himself with the juice of the yew. (De Bell.Gall., lib. iv.) Suetonius asserts that the Emperor Claudius published anedict, slating that the juice of this tree had a marvellous power in curing the

6s 4

1983