CHAP. CV. CORYLA‘CEZR. - QUE’RCUS. 1737 
the Companion to the Botanical Magazine, it is 
stated that the forests of Mount Etna consist 
chiefly of this tree, which also forms some of the 
woods of the Apennines, at least in the north 
of Italy. It is easily distinguished at first sight 
from the common oak, by its inferior dimensions 
and less twisted stem. Travellers who climb 
Mount Etna by the usual road from Nicolsi 
see scarcely any other tree. It is found at an 
elevation of from about 3200 ft. to 5000 ft. above 
the level of the sea; and on the eastern side, 1573 
in the Val del Leone, to 5100 ft. (Comp. §c., i. 91.) Martyn gives 
the Chéne noir of Secondat, pl. 5., as a synonyme to this variety ; 
but we have satisfied ourselves, from examining the plates in 
Secondat, that his Chéne noir is the Q. Tuizin of Persoon, and 
Bosc is of the same opinion. Willdenow quotes the Chéne 
noir of Secondat as a synonyme of his Q. pubéscens in his Ber- 
linische Baumzucht, ed. 1811, p. 349.; but not in his Abdildung, &c., 
published in 1819. Professor Burnet falls into the same error as 
Professor Martyn, in considering the Q. pubéscens of Willdenow to 
be the Chéne noir of Secondat, and the Quércus cum léngi pediculo 
(alluding to the leaves) of Fougeroux; adding, with Martyn, the 
synonyme of the Durmast oak; and stating that he thinks the ap- 
pellation obur undoubtedly belongs to this species or variety. 
Whether Q. pubéscens Willd. and the Durmast oak are synonymes, 
we are not quite certain, though we have very little doubt on the 
subject. There is a tree with this name in the Horticultural So- 
ciety’s Garden, which scarcely differs from the species. According 
to Martyn, there are trees of the durmast oak in the New Forest ; 
and, according to Borrer, also in Sussex. 
Other Varieties. Bosc mentions, 1. le Chéne a Trochets, or Chéne a@ petits 
Glands, which has the leaves velvety beneath; 2. le Chéne d Feuilles décou- 
pées, which has the leaves deeply lobed, and very small; 3. le Chéne laineux, or 
Chéne des Collines, which has also the leaves deeply lobed, velvety beneath, and 
~ pubescent above; 4. /e Chéne noiratre, which has the acorns very large, and 
almost solitary; and the leaves large, and pubescent beneath. This last variety 
must not be confounded with the Q. nigra of America, or the Chéne noir of 
Secondat, which is the Q. Tazzin. Bosc also mentions that “he thinks 
the Chéne male of Secondat, the Quércus latifolia mas qu brevi pediculo est 
of Bauhin, different from the chéne male, or Q. sessiliflora, of the neighbour- 
hood of Paris.” It seems that this variety is known in the Landes under 
the name of Auzin, or Chéne de malediction ; because the country people 
there believe that any one who cuts down one of these trees, or who sleeps 
in a house built with any of the timber, will die within the year. Bosc had 
never seen this variety, though he had traversed the country where it is said 
to grow. It is described as a low spreading tree, with tortuous branches, 
of great toughness, and well adapted for ship-building; weighing 75 Ib. 
er cubic foot, and consequently sinking in water. From the name auzin 
had not Bosc described Q. Tauzin separately, we should have supposed this 
kind to be that species. Le Chéne de Haies is also mentioned by Bosc, 
-under the head of Q. sessilifiora, as common on the Jura, and in the moun- 
tains of the Vosges, where it is planted for hedges, seldom growing above 
the height of 6ft. or 8ft. The shoots are used for basket-making and 
tying bundles. The leaves are like those of Q. pedunculata, but the acorns 
are sessile. It is said not to change its nature by transplantation ; and 
hence Bosc thinks that it may be a distinct species. (Nouv. Cours d’Ag., 
art. Chéne.) 
In Britain, the varieties are very numerous, though none has hitherto 
received a technical designation, except the durmast, just described ; respect- 
