AMENTIFER^. 169 



Gray says — 



" Tliorc at the foot of yonder nodding beech 

 That wreathes its old fantastic roots so liigh, 

 His listless length at noontide ho would stretch, 

 And pore upon the brook that bubbles by." 



Wordsworth writes — 



" A single beech tree grew 

 "Within the grove of firs ; and in the fork 

 Of that one beech appeared a thrush's nest — 

 A last year's nest, conspicuously built, 

 Of such small elevation from the ground 

 As gave sure sign that they who in that house 

 Of nature and of love had made their home 

 Amid the fir trees all the summer long, 

 Dwelt in a tranquil spot." 



The beech tree often attains to a great size. Mr. Jesse, in his account of forest 

 trees, mentions one near Sawyer's Lodge in Windsor Forest, which measures at six 

 feet from the ground thirty-six feet in circumference. It is now protected from 

 injury, and nature seems to be doing her best to repair the damage which its exposure 

 to the attacks of man and beast has produced. It must once have been hollow, but 

 the vacuum is nearly filled up. One might almost fancy that Hquid wood which had 

 afterwards hardened had been poured into this tree. The twistings and distortions 

 of this huge substance have a curious and striking effect. There is no bark on this 

 extraneous substance, but the surface is smooth, hard, and without any appearance of 

 decay. Dr. Withering says, " In the ' Arctic Zoology ' is described, on an island of 

 the Lake Wetter, and about the extreme range of these trees northward, a majestic 

 plant called the Twelve Apostles, from its dividing into as many great stems. Only 

 eleven of these are now standing, for some years since a zealous peasant cut down 

 one of them, declaring that the traitor Judas should have no part with his brethren ! 

 The names of many distinguished visitors are recorded on the bark of this surpassing 

 tree, among which are those of Charles XT. and XII., Queen Eleanora, &c." The 

 largest beeches now existing in England are the Studley Beech and the Knowle Beech, 

 The Burnham Beeches are well known, and stand in a tract of woodland above four 

 miles from Stoke Pogis in Buckinghamshire, which is celebrated as the scene of 

 Gray's poetic musings. 



The beech tree shelters and its shade is the favourite locality of two well known and 

 valuable fungi — the Morchella esculenta, the morel, and Tutor cibarium, the common 

 truffle. The morel is a mushroom-like fungus, growing in great abundance in the 

 forests of Germany and France, particularly after any of the trees have been burned 

 down. This having been observed, led in Germany to the burning of woods in order to 

 produce morels, and consequently great numbers of valuable trees were destroyed, until 

 it was forbidden by law. This fungus is used chiefly in a dried state to give flavour to 

 dishes, and many persons gain their living by finding and drying the morels, which 

 they do by running a thread through them and hanging them in an airy place. In 

 England they are comparatively rare, but Mr. Berkeley tells us that in Kent they are 

 so abundant as to be used for making catsup. The common truffle, Tuber ciharium, is, 

 if possible, more highly prized than the morel, it is also more diflScult to find, as 

 instead of appearing above the surface like a mushroom, it is buried in the ground 

 like a potato. They are generally found by dogs or ^igs trained for the purpose. 

 VOL. VIII. Z 



