216 SELECTION. Chap. XXL 



being so much like that of the leaves, or to the fruit always 

 appearing from a distance unripe," is not so readily attacked 

 by birds as other sorts. The yellow-fruited raspberry, which 

 generally comes nearly true by seed, " is very little molested 

 by birds, who evidently are not fond of it ; so that nets may 

 be dispensed with in places where nothing else will protect 

 the red fruit."^* This immunity, though a benefit to the 

 gardener, would be a disadvantage in a state of nature both 

 to the cherry and raspberry, as dissemination depends on 

 birds. I noticed during several winters that some trees of 

 the yellow-berried holly, which were raised from seed from a 

 tree found wild by my father remained covered with fruit, 

 whilst not a scarlet berry could be seen on the adjoining trees 

 of the common kind. A friend informs me that a mountain- 

 ash (JPijrus aucuparid) growing in his garden bears berries 

 which, though not differently coloured, are always devoured 

 by birds before those on the other trees. This variety of 

 the mountain-ash would thus be more freely disseminated, 

 and the yellow-berried variety of the holly less freely, than 

 the common varieties of these two trees. 



Independently of colour, trifling differences are sometimes 

 found to be of importance to plants under cultivation, and 

 would be of paramount importance if they had to fight their 

 own battle and to struggle with many competitors. The 

 thin-shelled peas, called ^ois sans parchemin, are attacked by 

 birds ^^ much more commonly than ordinary peas. On the 

 other hand, the purple-podded pea, which has a hard shell, 

 escaped the attacks of tomtits {Parus major) in my garden far 

 better than any other kind. The thin -shelled walnut like- 

 wise suffers greatly from the tomtit. ^^ These same birds 

 have been observed to pass over and thus favour the 

 filbert, destroying only the other kinds of nuts which grew 

 in the same orchard.^' 



Certain varieties of the pear have soft bark, and these 

 suffer severely from wood - boring beetles ; whilst other 



" 'Transact. Hort. Soc,' rol. i. 2nd " 'Gardener's Chronicle,' 1843, p 



oeries, 1835, p. 275. For raspberries, 806. 



see 'Gard. Chronicle/ 1855, p. 154, ^ Ibid., 1850, p. 732. 



aAd \863, p. 245. »^ Ibid., 1860, p. 956. 



