26 CHAPTER III. 



the road ; it measured twelve metres in circumference 

 at the base, and about four metres at the point of 

 bifurcation. This tree is now destroyed ; it is said 

 that a tramp lighted a fire inside it, and thus burnt it 

 down. 



Here and there an Olive tree occurs with small 

 white fruits ; these are of no use for making oil. 

 There is a tree of this sort on the Cimiez hill, not 

 many yards from the road, and I know of one or two 

 others near Nice. 



It is probable that the native country of the 

 Olive is in the south-eastern part of the Mediterranean 

 area. If this be the case, the Oleaster or wild Olive 

 which occurs here must be an escape from cultivation. 

 The Oleaster, like the Orange, Plum, Pomegranate, 

 and many other fruit trees in the wild state, is armed. 

 The leaves are much smaller than those of the Olive. 

 An intelligent peasant told me that the seed of the 

 Olive will not germinate unless it has passed through 

 the body of a bird. " You may plant a bushel of 

 them," he said, " but not a single one will grow." I 

 asked him if there is any bird in this country large 

 enough to swallow an Olive fruit, and he assured me 

 there were more than one such. He gave me the 

 patois name, of which unfortunately I did not make 

 a note. 



The Mosaic law forbad the gathering of the 

 Olives in such a way as to leave nothing for the poor 

 to glean : " Thou shalt not go over the boughs 

 again " (Deut. xxiv. 20). This principle, if applied 

 to modern commercial transactions, would be con- 

 sidered most unbusinesslike, and quite incompatible 

 with ten per cent. ! 



