96 CHAPTER XII. 



In the Pyrenees the barren condition of the 

 southern slopes contrasts even more strongly with the 

 fertile northern versant. 



Young folks in Florence use Box twigs for the 

 harmless game of verdet. It was played thus in the 

 consulship of Plancus. A forfeit is agreed upon 

 which must be paid by him or her who is first caught 

 unprovided with some fresh green leaves. The match 

 may last for weeks, and many are the devices for 

 separating the other person from his precious sprig 

 of Box. 



Buxus is less closely allied to the true Euphorbias 

 than is the Castor Oil Tree, yet it has the same three- 

 lobed and elastic fruit. The ancients noticed the 

 acrid properties of the Euphorbias, and for this reason 

 distrusted all plants with tricoccous fruit. 



The Riviera has twenty-five species of Euphorbia, 



