148 The Forest Trees of Wiltshire. 
feet! This tree is hollow; but up to six or eight feet, it looks as 
if it were sound; and it has a considerable thickness of sound 
burred wood for its walls; but if you climb up to the opening at 
the top, you can look into a sort of well where several persons 
might stand. Some in a dying or dead state, with bare limbs, 
stripped of bark, broken off short, and stretching out like the 
arms of giants, form striking objects, looking very ghostly by 
moonlight, and possibly, fearful ones to timid, nervous persons. 
There must have been, not very many years ago, some fine trees 
at Whetham; but it is not cf trees the writer would speak now, 
but of something much more alluring to bold and enterprising 
boys. A pair of Krrn’s had chosen one of the tallest for their 
domicile, and spite of many ineffectual attempts to carry off the 
young ones, they successfully defended and maintained their strong- 
hold against all comers. Of the enemy were two lads, relatives, 
who having been several times foiled, and pretty well mauled, clawed 
and pecked as well, determined on one more attempt. So, having 
got all ready, the younger and lesser one, not having been sent on 
the forlorn hope, because of his being the lighter, and therefore 
less likely to come to mortal hurt in a fall, but because he sought 
glory more ardently, prepared to scale the fortress. Up; up; up; 
without great difficulty; then a slip almost to the bottom. It is 
needless to recount all the slips, all the narrow escapes; the torn 
clothes, and the scarcely less damaged skin. At last both young 
birds were secured ; and for want of a better temporary cage were 
consigned to the loose space between the shirt and smock-frock. 
Short work was soon made of the shirt, but the smock being 
securely buttoned, no escape offered, and it would not tear. Well; 
to make a long story short, the descent was safely though not 
bloodlessly effected ; and the kite’s and their captor lived as har- 
moniously as captive and conqueror usually do. The boys were 
the admiration of their fellows; and the captor still lives to show 
the scars received on this memorable occasion. 
The Asu, so fine and handsome a tree, so useful to the carpenter 
and to the wheelwright, and so universally known and used, is not, 
so far as the writer’s knowledge goes, particularly well represented 
