NUT IN BARK. 



246 THE HAZEL. 



fissure so shaped that every blow which it deals with its 

 beak wedges the nut more firmly : it thus cracks the 

 shell and regales itself on its contents. In the months of 

 July and August, when the woods 

 are quieter than at any other season 

 of the year, a succession of loud and 

 quickly-repeated tappings is a certain 

 guide to its haunts. I am even in- 

 clined to think that the noise which 

 it makes is understood by the 

 squirrel, for the latter animal fre- 

 quently resorts to gardens in quest 

 of filberts at this season, though at 

 other times it is very shy, and con- 

 fines itself to woods and plantations. 

 In the midland counties an Oak standing in a Hazel-copse 

 generally has the remains of a few nuts wedged into its 

 bark, and, later in the season, acorns may be found similarly 

 placed. 



Nuts were, in ancient times, in great demand on 

 Allhallow Eve, Oct. 31st; which, from that circumstance, 

 was sometimes called "Nutcrack Night." A nut was 

 chosen to bear the name of each unmarried person in the 

 company, and placed close to the fire until it ignited : 

 and it was pretended that the way in which it burned 

 prognosticated certain events in the life of the person 

 whose name it bore. Burns says that the same custom 

 was observed in Scotland ; and in Ireland this and 

 other antiquated customs sometimes afford amusement 

 to parties of young people at the present day. 



The Hazel rarely attains such a size as makes it impor- 

 tant in the landscape : it is nevertheless valuable when 

 fulness of foliage is desired, its leaves retaining their 

 place until almost every other tree has been dismantled, 

 and assuming a bright warm yellow which gives to 

 autumn a lingering beauty that it would otherwise want. 

 Even when the leaves have fallen, the tree is not bare ; 



