236 THE FRUITS OF THE COUNTRY-SIDE 



The stems of the bear-berry are procumbent, branching 

 and spreading very freely, so that the plant when found at 

 all is ordinarily in large masses, covering a considerable 

 area of ground. The leaves are evergreen, small, less than 

 an inch in length, ovate, unnotched at their margins, stiff 

 and rigid in their character, and having a glossy surface. 

 They are very numerous, and set closely together on the 

 stems, and if we taste one we find it somewhat bitter 

 and austere. They have long been used in medicine, and 

 still retain something of their ancient reputation. They 

 are gathered in large quantities, and when dried are used 

 as an astringent tonic. They contain a large amount of 

 tannin, and Linnaeus tells us in his Flora Lapponica that 

 these leaves are picked in great quantities in the north of 

 Sweden, and sent down to Stockholm and other towns for 

 the use of the tanners. 



The flowers are of a delicate rose-colour, tubular, very 

 like a heath-bell or lily-of-the-valley flower in form, and 

 with spreading five-cleft mouth. They may be found in 

 May and June, growing some five or six together at the 

 ends of the stems. The berries that succeed them are of 

 course necessarily also clustered at the termination of the 

 branches, and should be sought by bears, botanists, and 

 others during September. They are small, globular in form, 

 bright red in colour, and having a shining surface. On 

 cutting one open across its centre we see five radiating cells, 

 and in each of these a hard, brown seed. The berry has 

 at its base the five sepals of the calyx, not crowning the 

 fruit, as we have seen it doing in the cranberry. The 

 fruit is fairly fleshy, but of the mealy or floury texture 

 and appearance that we have already referred to. On 



