CHAP. CXII.

TAXA'CEJE. TA'XUS.

2079

(being their greatest extension), it is 36 ft.; and the height of the treeis 52 ft. “ This noble yew,” Mr. Bowman observes, “ has seven mainbranches; and most of these divide again, very near the trunk, into two orthree smaller ones. The tree, which is a male, is still full of foliage, and ofgreat beauty, as well as venerable for its size; and it shows no symptoms ofnatural decay. (■/. E. B. July, 1836.)

The Ystrad FJlur, or Strada Florida Yews, are mentioned by Lleland, asgrowing in a cemetery of that name in South Wales. There were originally39, but there are only three remaining, under one of which, tradition says,the Welsh poet, David Ap Gwyllim, was buried.

In Scotland, there are some remarkable yew trees.

The Loudon Yew, at Loudon Castle in Ayrshire, is 42 ft. high, with a trunk4 ft. 6 in. in diameter at 12 ft. from the ground, and a head 195 ft. in circum-ference. Under this tree, it is said, Bruce bestowed the ancient castle andestate on the Loudon family; and, some centuries afterwards, John Earl ofLoudon signed the act of union between England and Scotland. When thepresent castle was built, a curve was made in the wall to avoid injuring the yew

The Cruxton Yew stood close by Cruxton Castle; and under its shade tradi-tion says that Queen Mary gave her consent to marry Darnley, to perpetuatethe memory of which, she had the figure of a yew tree stamped on her coins.J. Maxwell, Esq., M.P., whose residence at Polloc commands a view ofCruxton Castle, informs us that this yew has been dead many years; butthat he has preserved a portion of its trunk. He has also a young tree, raisedfrom it by layering, which he intends to plant on the site of the old one, assoon as it attains sufficient size.

The Dry burgh Yew stands close to the Abbey of Dryburgh, in Roxburgh-shire, and is supposed to have been planted at the time the abbey wasfounded, in 1136. Sir William Jardine informs us that it is now (1837) inperfect health, and growing a few inches yearly ; and that the tree, from itsstanding quite alone, has its branches spreading on every side, so as to forma regular head 50 ft. in diameter. The circumference of the trunk, at 1 ft.from the ground, is only 12 ft. ,

The Fortingal Yew (Jig. 1989.) stands in the churchyard of Fortingal, orthe Fort of the Strangers, so called from its being in the vicinity of a small

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Roman camp, lying in the wild romantic district at the entrance to GlenLyon, in Perthshire. Its age is unknown, but it has long been a mere shell,forming an arch, through which the funeral processions of the highlanderswere accustomed to pass. It was first described in the Philosophical Trans-actions (vol. lix.), in 1769, by the Honourable Daines Barrington, who found