no\t;mber and decesiber. 191 



cliaracterised by having fewer evapoiating 

 pores on the surflice. The old leaves of this 

 enduring foliage do not drop from the trees till 

 the spring or summer, when the thickening 

 new leaves of the weU-clad branches are so 

 many, that we are not conscious of the fall of 

 the leaf. To our gardens the evergreens give 

 a cheerful appearance, as contrasted with cold 

 naked boughs ; but in countries as in Australia, 

 where the trees are almost all evergreen, tlie 

 traveller wearies of their monotony, and longs 

 for the changing tints which variegate our 

 fohage with the changing seasons. 



Our most common and hardy evergreen is 

 the holly, (^Ilex aquifolium,) which is now glis- 

 tening on the wild hedge, as well as in the 

 garden. We have, however, under culture, 

 several varieties of this plant, some of which 

 have yellow berries; others, leaves variegated 

 with pale yellow, or several tints of green ; but 

 none is more beautiful than the common kind. 

 The laurel, too, (Cerasus lanro cerasus^) looks 

 bright under the clear sky of a frosty noonday. 

 Both this and the Portugal laurel {^Cerasus Lusi- 

 tanica) blossom early in the spring. The first 

 account which we find of the laurel in England, 

 states, that it was planted in the garden of a 

 London merchant, who used, in winter, to cover 

 it with a blanket. It is a native of the south 

 of Europe. The leaves are sometimes used to 

 flavour custards, but it should not be forgotten 

 that they are very poisonous in their nature. 



The laurel of the poet is the sweet-bay, 



