76 CHAPTER X. 



odour is said to dispel miasma : for this reason it has 

 been extensively planted in the Campagna of Borne, 

 in Algeria, and elsewhere. Whether the Eucalyptus 

 be febrifuge or not, and whether a decoction of its 

 leaves does or does not cure Influenza, we may be 

 glad to see it spread, for it must both purify the air 

 and protect the ground from being dried up by 

 the sun. 



Not only do the various species differ much in 

 ramification and in foliage, but the same tree changes 

 its appearance at different stages of its growth. This 

 may perhaps explain why opinions are so much 

 divided about the beauty of the Eucalyptus. The 

 Australian despises the " Gum Tree," as he calls it, 

 because it does not spread sufficiently, and throw a 

 shadow dense enough to form a shelter for his sheep. 

 His low opinion of the Eucalyptus is based on 

 utilitarian grounds ; but, in any case, the British 

 colonist would hardly appreciate a tree so different in 

 habit from any which we see in the west of Europe. 



How prone we are to measure things, not by any 

 ideal arrived at by the reasoning powers, but by some 

 standard fixed when thought was dormant and our 

 dreams were facts ! Our typical lion is still the same 

 which lay, feet upwards, on the nursery floor ; not 

 quite so sticky, nor so deep a red, nor does the tail 

 remove at will. Yet the beast is little modified, only 

 somewhat enlarged. So the ideal tree must have a 

 gnarled and knotted trunk ; the massive boughs must 

 spread out horizontally at just that height above the 

 bracken which avoids the branching antlers of the 

 stag. Umbrageous it must be, and patulous ; the 

 dense, leafy dome, refuge of squirrels and of many a 



