32 Yew- Trees of Great Britain and Ireland 



Then there is, perhaps, another reason to be found 

 in the number of birds blackbirds and thrushes 

 which come to feed on the berries, and after feeding 

 fly to the rocks or hill-sides as resting-places. Thus, 

 I noticed at Tintern that such resting-spots were 

 covered with large quantities of the seeds ; and as 

 these places were always on a higher point than 

 the tree on which the berries grew, it seems not un- 

 reasonable to suppose that the lines of yew-trees on 

 the Kent Hills may have arisen through this habit. 



The Pilgrim s Way from Winchester to Canter- 

 bury, graphically described by 'Julia Cartwright ' 

 (Mrs. Ady), points to a very general distribution of 

 the yew over an extended area. 



'Once more upon the hills,' she says, 'we can 

 follow the line of yews which are seen at intervals 

 along the ridge from Saint Martha's Chapel, by 

 Weston Wood and the back of Albury Park- 

 turning a few steps out of our path to visit New- 

 land's Corner, one of the most beautiful spots in 

 the whole of Surrey. 



' Some of the oldest and finest yew-trees in 

 Surrey are close to Newland's Corner. The 

 ancient yew grove there is mentioned in Domes- 

 day, and their dark foliage offers a fine contrast 

 to the bright tints of the neighbouring woods, and 

 to the snowy masses of blossom which in early 

 summer clothes the boughs of the gnarled old 

 hawthorn- trees that are studded over the hill-side. 



