The Uses of the Hollies 



considerable extent for the making of walking 

 sticks and whip handles, while the rough timber 

 forms excellent mallets. In some instances the 

 wood is ebonized and substituted for ebony. 



In former years, when the snaring of birds 

 with birdlime was prevalent, the " Common 

 Holly " was in great demand, for the principal 

 source of birdlime was its mucilaginous bark, and 

 Evelyn in his Silva gives a full account of its 

 preparation. 



This account is as follows : " Peel a good 

 quantity of the bark of the young shoots about 

 mid-summer ; fill a vessel with it, and put to it 

 spring water, then boil it till the grey and white 

 bark rises from the green, which will require near 

 1 2 hours boiling ; then taking it off the fire, 

 separate the barks, the water first being drained 

 off. Then lay the green bark on the earth in 

 some cool vault or cellar, covering it with any 

 sort of green or rank weeds, litter or mats to a 

 good thickness. Thus let it continue near a 

 fortnight, by which time in consequence of 

 fermentation it will have become a perfect 

 mucilage ; then pound it all exceedingly well 

 in a stone mortar, till it be a tough paste, and 

 so very fine that no part of the bark is discernible. 

 This done, wash it accurately well in some running 

 stream of water as long as you perceive the least 

 impurities in it, and so reserve it in some earthen 

 pot to ferment, scumming it as often as anything 



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