THE BUCKTHORNS 29 



whayish humors, and cboller abounclantly, as also thicke clammie 

 flegme : . . . Of these berries are made three severall sorts of col- 

 ours, as they shall be gathered ; that is being gathered while they 

 are greene and kept dry, are called Sappe-berries, which being 

 steeped in some Allome water, or fresh bruised into Allorne water, 

 they give a reasonable faire yellow colour, which painters use for 

 their workes, and Bookebinders to colour the edges of bookes, and 

 leather dressers to colour leather, as they use also to make a greene 

 colour called Sappe greene, taken from the berries when they are 

 blacke, being bruised and put into a brasse or copper kettle, or pan ; 

 and there suffered to abide three or foure dayes, or a little heated 

 upon the fire, and some beaten Allome put unto them, and after 

 pressed forth, the juyce or liquor is usually put up into great bladders, 

 tyed with strong thred at the head, and hung up untill it be drye, 

 which is dissolved in water or wine, but sacke is the best to preserve 

 the colour from starving as they call it, that is from decaying and 

 to make it hold fresh the longer : the third colour (whereof, none 

 that I can finde hath made mention, but onely Tragus) is a purplish 

 colour which is made of the berries suffered to grow upon the 

 bushes, untill the middle or end of November, that they are ready 

 to droppe from the trees." 



Our second British species of Buckthorn, R. Fran- 

 gula, growing in wet places, side by side with the 

 Alder, got the name of the Black or Berry-bearing 

 Alder or Aller tree, though it has but very little in 

 common with the true Alder and is far removed 

 from it in true kinship. Once more we will quote 

 Parkinson's description : 



" Frangula sive Alnus nigra baccifera. The blacke Alder tree. 



" The blacke Aller or Alder tree, riseth seldome to be of any great 

 bignesse, but for the most part abideth like a hedge bush or tree, 

 spreading into branches, the wood of the body being white, and of 

 a darke red at the core or heart, the outward barke being of a 

 blackish colour, whereon many white spots are noted to be seene ; 

 but the inner barke next unto the wood is yellow, which being- 

 chewed will turne the spittle yellow, as much or more than llubarbe, 

 r.eare unto a Saffron colour, the leaves are somewhat like unto those 

 of the ordinary Alder tree, or those of the female Cornell or Dogge 



