2§8 èTUDIES OF NATURE. 



According to Father Charlevoix, there grows id 

 Virginia, on the brink of the lakes, a laurel-leafed 

 yew-tree, Which puilies feveral flems from it's 

 root, the branches of which embrace all the fur- 

 founding trees, and climb to the height of more 

 than fixteen feet. They form, in Summer, an im- 

 penetrable made, and in Winter a temperate retreat 

 for the birds. It's flowers have no very flriking 

 appearance, and it's fruit grows in round clutters, 

 loaded with black grains. This yew has for it's 

 principal inhabitant, a very beautiful kind of jay. 

 The head of that bird is adorned with a long black 

 crefl, which it can erect at pleafure. It's back is 

 of a deep purple. The wings are black on the in- 

 iide, blue externally, and white at the extremities, 

 with white ftripes acrofs every feather. It's tail is 

 blue, and marked with the fame ftripes as the 

 wings ; and it's cry is far from being difagreeable. 



There are birds which lodge not upon their fa- 

 vourite plant, but oppofite to it. Such is the co- 

 libri, which frequently nettles, in the Antilles 

 (Hands, on the ftraw which thatches a cottage, in 

 order to live under the protection of Man. In our 

 climates, the nightingale conftrucls his neft under 

 covert of a bulh, choofing, in preference, fuch 

 liquations as repeat an echo, and carefully obferv- 

 ing to expofe it to the morning fun. Having em- 

 ployed fuch precautions, he takes his ftation in the 



vicinity, 



