182 SYLVAN SKETCHES. 



berry is round and succulent, with a purple juice ; but 

 afterwards it becomes coriaceous, dry, and obscurely 

 quinquangular, being divided into five cells. In this 

 slate it is called Climbing, or Berried Ivy. The trunk 

 of an old Ivy is covered with an ash-coloured bark ; that 

 of the young branches is of a green or purple colour. 

 The leaves are alternate, evergreen, glossy, smooth ; 

 while the plant creeps three, or five-lobed ; but when it 

 quits its support, ovate, or egg-shaped. Linnaeus de- 

 scribes them as first spear-shaped, then five-lobed, after- 

 wards three-lobed, and lastly ovate ; in this latter state 

 it is called Poet's Ivy, Hedera poetica. The leaves, 

 particularly on the younger branches, are often streaked 

 with veins of white, and sometimes tinctured Avith red. 



The Ivy is free-born in every country of Europe, 

 though in eome it is not common : Linnaeus says it is 

 rare in Sweden. Kalm says that he saw Ivy but once 

 in North America, that was against a stone building, and 

 apparently had been brought from Europe, and planted 

 there. The Americans have an Ivy of their own, which 

 has been brought to this country ; but it is a deciduous 

 plant, and bears no comparison with the common Ivy of 

 Europe. Thunberg observed it in Japan, and remarked 

 that the leaves were not lobed. 



With us, the Ivy begins to blossom in September, 

 and being so late, affords food to bees, when there is 

 little to be found abroad. The berries increase in size 

 during the winter, and ripen about April, when they are 

 eaten by wild pigeons, blackbirds, thrushes, &c. Black- 

 birds and some others build their nests in the stump. 



Among the many strange fancies dreamed of old with 

 regard to trees, it has been said, that five Ivy berries 



