264 COBYLACE^I. 



its "lamb tails," as they call its male catkins. The female 

 catkins are so small as to be generally overlooked ; they consist 

 of a little tuft of crimson stigmas, growing closely to the side 

 of the two-year-old branches. Boys love nuts, don't they 

 just ? and squirrels are so fond of them that, shy though they 

 are, they will come into gardens where nuts abound. My 

 friends at Hawkhurst have a grove of Filberts, and a squirrel 

 was seen in the high trees adjoining on several occasions last 

 autumn. The nuthatch feeds on the same fruit, wedging the 

 nut in a forked branch, and then splitting it with its beak. 

 While the nuts are very young a small insect pierces the shell, 

 and lays an egg there. As soon as the kernel is formed, the 

 grub begins to feed on it, and when the ripe nut falls the little 

 creature gnaws its way out. This is the cause of the empty 

 shells we find under the Hazel bushes. The Scarlet-cup fungus 

 grows on decaying branches of this tree. In many of the 

 mining districts the Hazel is still believed to have an affinity 

 for metals. The diviner holds a rod across his breast, one end 

 slightly inclined to the earth ; when metal lies beneath, the rod 

 is forcibly drawn downwards. The many resultless borings in 

 such districts speak to the value of the test (Corylus avellana, 

 Plate XV., fig. 7). 



The Hornbeam (Carpmus betulus), is pretty frequent in the 

 hedges about Hawkhurst. Its bark is smooth, and its leaves 

 hairy, resembling those of the Elm, except in their tint, which 

 is paler. The fruitful catkins are placed nearer to the end of 

 the branches than the barren ones ; they are interspersed with 

 large bracts, which give the fruit the appearance of very 

 elongated Hop-clusters. The wood of this tree is the toughest 

 of all wood, but as it does not take a good polish it is not in 

 great request. 



Last in the Catkin tribe, but certainly not least, stands the 

 Oak tree, the pride and strength of Britain. There are two 

 native species ; but the Sessile-fruited Oak (Quercus sessiflora), 

 with its downy leaves, is little noticed or valued in comparison 



