CUARACTEKISTICS OF COJJMON BIRDS. 257 



the waters, and has clad them in a garb whicih exactly resembles the brown 

 and yellow changing hues of the aquatic herbage amidst which they make 

 their home ; wonders all around us ; and the more numerous and the more to 

 be admired do they appear the more we think on them, the more we know of 

 them. But I am launching into an endless sea, so for the present I shall 

 say no more. 

 Lincoln's Inn Fields, Jan. 1855, 



THE PROPAGATION OF HARDY TREES AND SHRUBS. 

 (Continued from page 17, vol. iv.^ 



Order XXI. AQUIFOLIAC^. 



The genera of this Order contain three hardy species, consisting of low 

 trees and shrubs, chiefly evergreens, having alternate or opposite leaves, 

 frequently coriaceous, glabrous, and sometimes feather-nerved. Natives of 

 Europe and North America. 



Myginda. Sexes hermaphrodite, calyx five-cleft, corolla deeply four-cleft, 

 Stamens four, inserted in the base of the corolla. Fruit one-celled, and one- 

 seeded. Shrubs with branchlets square, leaves opposite, subcoriaceous. 



Ilex. Sexes hermaphrodite, very rarely, by defect, disecious, or polyga- 

 mous. Stamens five. Fruit including four or five nuts. Evergreen shrubs, 

 with, mostly, coriaceous leaves. 



Prinos. Sexes mostly, by defect, disecious or polj'gamous. Stamens six. 

 Fruit including six nuts. Shrubs with leaves deciduous or persistent. 



Genus I. 

 Myginda. The Myginda. Tetrandia monogynia. The only hardy species of 

 this genus is M. mystifolia, a low evergreen shrub, from the west coast of 

 North America. The flowers are small and white, appearing from May to 

 August. Propagated by cuttings and layers. 



Genus II. 

 Ilex. The Holly. Tetrandia Tetragj-nia. We have already described this 

 genus, see The Naturalist, vol. iii. Propagation by seeds, cuttings, breed- 

 ing, and grafting. 



Genus III. 

 Prinos. Winter Berry. Hexandria monogynia, or Polygamia Diaecia. 

 Flowers six-cleft, hexandrous, usually disecious, or polygamous fi'om abor- 

 tion. Fruit with six nuts. Leaves simple, axillary, deciduous or evergreen, 

 oval or lanceolate, entire or serrated, dying off of a greenish yellow. Low 

 shrubs, natives of North America. In habit of growth all of this genus are 

 more or less fastigiate, and send up numerous suckers. Howevei", when 



