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transmitting it, failing, the central portion of the wood hecomeg 

 exhausted and dies, involving in its death that of its destroyer 

 also. The branch however, stUl maintains its vigour, and slowly 

 buries the inveterate intruder by its subsequent growth. But 

 other roots are meanwhile penetrating the newly formed layers 

 of wood, and its whole circumference is iu time more thickly 

 beset with parasites than ever. The branch is heaved out into 

 a spindle-shaped swelling, and the outer layers of the bark are 

 rent into wide breaches favourable to the continued encroach- 

 ments of the invading parasite, while its inner layers become 

 immensely thickened, and form a suitable nidus for its increase. 

 After a while the second crop of roots spread distruction stiU 

 further outwards, and like the former crop, implicate themselves 

 in it. The branch stiU. struggles vigorously with its enemy, but 

 as fast as one generation of roots are dying, a later and more 

 numerous progeny attack it. The affected branch morover as- 

 sumes various contortions being twisted sometimes in one direction, 

 and sometimes in another ; it is frequently found bent at right 

 angles to itself. But it wrestles in vain with a veritable hydra, 

 which having Idlled its centre, spoiled, and occupied its bark, 

 and invaded anew the living wood that remains, now gradually 

 completes the work of destruction." An excellent example of 

 this struggle, as here pictured, is to be seen in a Lime tree at 

 YarkhiU, — a thoroughly Mistletoe-possessed tree, its branches all 

 knotted and dying but yet sending off fresh shoots at all angles 

 below the knots, in the vain effort to overcome the enemy ; and 

 in other trees in a lesser degree too numerous to mention. 



