170 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



Kroniholz gives the fullowiug iiistnictions for the benefit of those who undertake the 

 search : — " You must have a sow, of five months old, a good walker, with her mouth 

 strapped up, and for her efforts recompense her with acorns ; but as pigs are not 

 easily led, are stubborn, and go astray, and dig after a thousand other things, there 

 is but little to be done with them. Dogs are better: of these select a small poodle." 

 The high price of, and constant demand for, truffles, both in France and other 

 countries, make truffle-hunting a very profitable employment, and experienced, 

 hunters are rarely deceived in the places where they search. In England they are 

 tolerably abundant on light soil, but they are very rare in Scotland. The truffles of 

 commerce are generally those of Pcrigneux and Angoulemc. The artificial cultm'e of 

 truffles does not succeed, they are never produced in larger quantities or of finer 

 quality than in their native woods. Truffles are never eaten raw ; when fresh they 

 are cooked like mushrooms, or capons or turkeys are stuffed with them ; but they 

 are principally used dry for flavouring ragouts and other dishes. 



There are some beautiful varieties of the beech to be seen in cultivation, among 

 which the red or purple and the copper- coloured beech, and ^the fern beech with 

 curiously cut leaves, are very attractive. 



GENUS IV.— Q O R Y L U S. Toumef, 



Male flowers in compact cylindrical catkins with imbricated catkin- 

 scales : floral-scales 2, adnate to the catkin-scale, and with only the 

 summit free : stamens 8, inserted at different heights along the suture 

 of the 2 floral-scales. Female flowers solitary or in pairs in terminal 

 scaly buds, each flower or pair of flowers surrounded by a bellshaped 

 involucre, which is smooth on the outside, but laciniate at the apex : 

 perianth completely adherent to the ovary, and not produced beyond 

 it, the limb very short and denticulate : ovary 2 -celled, with 1 ovule 

 in each; styles 2, stigmatiferous throughout, erect. Nut ovoid or 

 oblong-ovoid, solitary, 1-celled and 1- (rarely 2-) seeded, wholly or 

 partially enclosed in a coriaceous or subfoliaceous cupule, with a 

 laciniate margin ; pericarp woody. Cotyledons filling the seed, plano- 

 convex, fleshy. 



Shrubs with herbaceous-scaled buds and deciduous serrate leaves. 

 Flowers monoecious. 



According to some writers, the name of this genus of plants comes from the Greek 

 (c-tSpuc, a helmet, the fruit with its involucre appearing as if covered with a bonnet ; 

 and, according to others, it is derived fi-om the Gx-eek woi-d mpvov, a nut. 



SPECIES I.— C ORYLUS AVELLANA. Limi. 



Plate MCCXCII. 



Bcich. Ic. Fl. Germ, et Helv. Vol. XTT. Tal). DCXXXVI. Fig. 1300. 

 Billnt, Fl. Gall, et Germ. Exfeicc. No. 4^0. 



Leaves oval-suborbicular, cordate, abruptly acuminate or cuspidate. 



