89 



down, or it may be, the isolated bunch of wild ivy, or honey- 

 suckle which deceived them, is revealed now the leaves are off the 

 the trees. Or perchance, where nothing is found, as most fre- 

 quently happens, they have been misled by a cluster of smaU 

 twigs from the Oak branch itself, and indeed, at certain periods 

 of the year they do resemble Mistletoe more closely than would 

 be credited by those who have not closely observed them. In 

 some instances the mistake has arisen from one tree being inter- 

 mingled with another, the Mistletoe bush is m the Oak tree, but 

 it is°found to be upon a branch of Maple, or Thorn, or Apple tree. 

 I cannot do better than insert liere the following 

 lively passage from the letter of one of our members. It shews at 

 once, very graphically, his own zeal in the pursuit of science, and 

 the caution essentially necessary in dealing with facts of rare oc- 

 curence. I regret that the excellent sketch sent with it must be 

 omitted. 'Tou, of course, wiU be particular in verifying every 

 case of its occurrence on the oak, and the following instance of 

 my experience wiU only be valuable to you in proportion to your 

 capacity of enjoying the spectacle of pain in others. After our 

 Annual Meeting. I was staying with a friend whom I knew to 

 have a very excellent practical acquaintance with Natural History. 

 I asked if he had met with Mistletoe on the Oak. He at once 

 said he knew of one example which he had discovered himself 

 two years before. It was grovrtng on a scraggy bush of Oak 

 that overhung the edge of a quarry in a coppice wood. I was 

 glad to accept his offer to point it out to me and we made a spe- 

 cial pilgrimage to see it. I was to climb, and tear, and scuffle 

 through the underwood and briars so as to come round on the top 

 over the brink of the quarry, whilst my friend remained below 

 to point out the position— with difBculty I got there, creeping 

 down on all fours— and there sure enough it was, as pretty and 

 healthy a bunch of Mistletoe as I ever saw. I thought I would 

 have a specimen, not quite believing my own eyes (though both 

 would have made affidavit of its genuineness on the spot;) with 

 much trouble and care at length I got hold of the branch and waa 



