BILLOTIA 



BIRDS 



B. pa'llida (pale). See B. BAKERI. 

 pallidiftora (pale-flowered). Nicara'gua. 

 perringia,' na (Perringian). Garden hybrid between 



B. nutans and B. libpniana. 1890. 

 polysta'chya (many-spiked). See .CHMEA DISTICH- 



ANTHA. 



portea'na (Portean). Brazil. (B. M., t. 6670.) 



purpu'rea (purple). Rose, purple. October. Brazil. 



purpu'rea-ro'sea (purple and rosy). See ^CHME'A 



SUAVEOLENS. 



pyramida'lis (pyramidal). 2. Crimson. February. 



Rio Janeiro. 1817. 

 ,, bi'color (two-coloured). 

 ,, croyia'na (Croyan). 

 ,, farino'sa (mealy). 



quesndia'na (Quesnelian). See QUESNELIA RUFA. 

 quintusia'na (Quintusian). Blue ; bracts carmine- 

 red. Brazil. 1890. 

 ., J?ancoM'fn(Rancougnean). Hybrid, liboniana being 



one of the parents. 1884. 



rhodocya'nea (red-blue). See /ECHMEA FASCIATA. 

 ,, rhodocya'nea, of gardens. See B. THYRSOIDEA. 

 rhodocya'nea purpu'rea. See ^ECHMEA FASCIATA PUR- 



PUREA. 



ro'sea (rosy). Rose. Brazil. 

 ro'seo-margina'ta (rosy-margined). See QUESNELIA 



RUFA. 



ru'fa (red). See QUESNELIA RUFA. 

 sanderia'na (Sanderian). Green, tipped blue ; bracts 



rosy. Brazil. 1884. 

 Saunde'rsii (Saunders'). Blue ; bracts crimson. 



Brazil. 1868. 



Skinne'ri (Skinner's). See QUESNELIA RUFA. 

 ., specie' sa (showy), i}. Carmine, violet ; bracts 



carmine-rose. Brazil. 1877. 

 ,. ., palle'scens (pale). 



,, sphacela'ta (scorched). See GREIGIA SPHACELATA. 

 sple'ndida (splendid). See B. THYRSOIDEA. 

 thyrsoi'dea (dense-flowered). Scarlet. November. 



Brazil. 1850. 



longifo'lia (long-leaved). 

 ,, ,, sple'ndida (splendid). 

 ,, tariega'ta (variegated). Brazil. 1881. 

 vexiila'ria (standard). Hybrid between B. thyrsoidea 



and B. moreliana. 

 vitta'ta (striped). Indigo-blue, crimson. Leaves 



banded. Brazil. 1843. 



,, ama'bilis (lovely). Blue; bracts crimson. Brazil. 

 formo'sa (showy). Bracts orange. 1879. 

 macraca'ntha (large-spined). 

 ,, Roha'nii (Rohan's). 



vitta'to-Bake'ri (striped-Baker's). Garden hybrid. 

 vitta' to-nu' tans (striped-nodding). Garden hybrid. 



1885. 



Wethere'Ui (VVetherell's). See B. MORELI. 

 ,, Wi'ndii (Wind's). See B. VITTATO-NUTANS, and 



B. DECORA-NUTANS. 



., Wio'ti (Wiot's). See B. BAKERI. 



wittmackia'na (Wittmackian). Hybrid between 



B. amcena and B. vittata. 



worlea'na (worlean). See B. VITTATO-NUTANS. 

 zebri'na (zebra-streaked). i|. June. S. Amer. 1826. 

 zona'ta (zoned-leaved). See B. VITTATA. 



BILLO'TIA FLEXUOSA is Agonis flexuosa from 

 Australia. 



BINDING. A term applied to adhesive soils, to de- 

 scribe the closeness and hardness of their texture in hot, 

 dry seasons. (See BAKING.) This term applies, also, to 

 some gardening processes. Thus, fastening a graft or 

 bud in its place, by means of bast or other material, is 

 termed binding in some counties. 



BINDWEED. Convo'lvulus. 



BIOPHY'TUM. (From bios, life, and phuton, a plant. 

 Nat. ord. Geraniaceae, tribe Oxalideae.) 



Interesting stove perennials allied to Oxalis. Propa- 

 gated by seeds on a hotbed in spring. Soil, loam, peat, 

 and sand. 



B. proli'ferum (proliferous). Yellow. Ceylon. 

 sensitivum (sensitive). Yellow. July. Tropics. 

 1823. Syn. Oxalis sensitiva. 



BIOTA. See THUYA. 



BIO TLA. See ASTER CORYMBOSUS. 



BIRCH. BeMa. 



BIRD-CHERRY. See PRUNUS PADUS. 



BIRDLIME. Made from Mistletoe-berries and Holly 

 bark, and used for catching birds. 

 BIRD-PEPPER. See CAPSICUM BACCATUM. 



BIRDS are benefactors, as well as injurers, of the 

 gardener. They destroy millions of grubs, caterpillars, 

 and aphides, which would have ravaged his crops ; but, 

 at the same time, some commit havoc upon his fruit 

 and seeds. The wisest course, consequently, is to scare 

 them from the garden at such times, or from the portions 

 of it in which they can be prejudicial, but to leave 

 them to visit it unmolested whenever and wherever they 

 cannot be mischievous. Thus, in early spring, a boy or 

 two will drive them away during such tunes as the buds 

 of the gooseberry, currant, and plum are open to their 

 attacks ; and again during the time that the cherries 

 are ripe. To keep them from the fruit of late goose- 

 berries and currants, it is sufficient to interlace thickly 

 the bushes with black thread. To keep them from 

 attacking peas and other vegetables just emerging from 

 the soil, a similar display of brown thread, fastened to 

 pegs about six inches from the surface, is also suffi- 

 ciently deterring. Nets, where available, are also effectual 

 guardians. By these aids, but especially by the watch- 

 ing during certain seasons, the gardener may protect 

 himself from injury at a very trifling expense, without 

 depriving himself of the services of the most sharp- 

 sighted, most unwearying, and most successful of all 

 insect-killers. 



INSECT-EATING BIRDS. WHICH DO NOT 

 EAT FRUITS OR SEEDS. 



One of the most exclusively insect-eating birds is the 

 golden-crested wren (Regulus cristatus, Ray), the smallest 

 of the birds of Europe. The species which come nearest 

 to the gold-crest, in appearance and habits, are the 

 wood- wren (Sylvia sibilatrix), and the willow- wren, or 

 hay-bird (S. fitis). The chiff-chaff (S. loquax) also ranks 

 with these as an insect-eating bird, but is least common. 

 The nightingale (Sylvia luscinia) does considerable ser- 

 vice to the cultivator, by devouring numbers of cater- 

 pillars and grubs, as well as the moths, butterflies, and 

 beetles from which they are produced. The whinchat 

 (Saxicola rubetra), the stonechat (S. rubicola), and the 

 wheatear (S. cenanthe), may be ranked as insectivorous 

 birds ; the stonechat particularly. The whinchat fre- 

 quents cabbage-gardens and turnip-fields after the breed- 

 ing season, and ought to be protected, because it not 

 only eats insects, but small shell-snails, while it never 

 touches fruits or seeds. The wheatear is equally bene- 

 ficial in clearing crops from insects, without levying any 

 contribution for its services. 



The wagtails, particularly the yellow one (Motacilla 

 ftava), feed wholly on insects, particularly gnats, midges, 

 and other flies that tease cattle. They will also follow 

 the spade, to feed upon the worms and grubs turned up ; 

 and, in this way, no doubt, thousands of wireworms and 

 other destructive vermin are effectually destroyed. The 

 tree-pipet, or tit-lark (Anthus arboreus), and the meadow- 

 pipet (A. Pratensis), are common hedgebirds, which 

 search busily after the autumnal hatches of caterpillars 

 and grubs, or the smaller flies and beetles, which they 

 find among the herbage. The cuckoo, the common fly- 

 catcher, and the flusher, or lesser butcher-bird, may be 

 classed among the insectivorous-feeding birds. To these 

 many other hedge-birds might be added, such as the 

 nightjar, the sedge-bird, the wryneck, the creeper, and 

 the bottle-tit, none of which are in the least destructive ; 

 while, from their feeding exclusively, or nearly so, on 

 insects, they are of much service in diminishing the 

 number of such as are injurious to field and garden 

 crops. 



INSECT-EATING BIRDS WHICH EAT FRUIT OR SEEDS. 



These are the common wren, the hedge-sparrow, or 

 dunnock, the redbreast, the redstart, the torn-tit the 

 cole-tit, the marsh-tit, and the greater-tit. The weeds 

 and insects which these birds destroy will, however, cer- 

 tainly more than compensate for the few heads of grain, 

 the flower-seeds, or small fruit which they may occa- 

 sionally pilfer. 



