THE CHESTNUT. 177 



size and stature, that unless an arbitrary line be 

 drawn, we cannot stop till we are abreast of the 

 merest herb. Technically, even the wild thyme, that 

 makes those lovely purple knolls on the grassy com- 

 mon, is a " shrub," for the branches, though only of 

 the thickness of a needle, are woody and permanent, 

 and the leaves endure throughout the winter. 



