56 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 



pignut, Uncle Philip ; there are plenty of nuts 

 lying about." 



" Well, you see that the nuts are of different 

 shapes, some quite round, some oval, and 

 some wider than they are long ; you see, too, 

 that the husk is thin, and of a beautiful green, 

 and has four splits extending only half-way 

 down to the stem. The nut is small and 

 quite smooth, and the shell, as I dare say you 

 know, is exceedingly hard." 



'' Yes, indeed, Uncle Philip, it is ; so hard 

 that it is not worth cracking ; the meat is not 

 good for much, — it is too bitter." 



"The squirrels though, with their sharp little 

 teeth, soon make a hole in it ; and the hogs 

 devour them at a great rate. Now you call 

 all the bitter nuts pignuts ; but in fact there 

 are four different kinds of them ; and this, 

 which is the true pignut, is the least bitter 

 of all. The other kinds are the bitternut, 

 the water-bitternut, and the nutmeg." 



" The nutmeg. Uncle Philip ! why is it 

 called so ?" 



" On account of its shape and size, which 

 much resemble those of a nutmeg : I suspect, 

 however, that von never saw any of them, for 



