ON MANUKE. 57 



and the bottom eighteen, from the surface of the bor- 

 der. In the spring of 1833, the border was opened, 

 in order to ascertain to what extent the roots of the 

 vines were nourished by these bones. On examin- 

 ation, it was found that the roots had branched out in 

 every possible direction amongst the bones, the sur- 

 faces of which were completely covered with their fi- 

 bres. The blade bone happened to be in such a posi- 

 tion, that both sides of it could be distinctly seen, and 

 on examining them minutely, they appeared to have 

 every part of their surface covered with the smallest 

 fibres imaginable, so small, indeed, were some of them, 

 that they could scarcely be discerned by the naked 

 eye. Their extremities were fixed on the surface of 

 the bone, as firmly and in the same manner as a leech 

 when applied for the purpose of sucking blood, and 

 they were evidently extracting by means of their mouths 

 or pores, an abundant supply of nourishing food. From 

 the different shades of colour apparent in many of the 

 larger parent fibres, and other indications of annual 

 growth, it appeared that they had been enjoying the 

 banquet which this bone afforded for at least five years ; 

 and as it was but little decayed it seemed to promise 

 them a continuation of the feast for ten or fifteen years 

 to come. The whole appearance of the bone was sin- 

 gular in the extreme, being completely enveloped in a 

 mass of apparently beautiful gauze net-work. 



The chief part of the roots which had multiplied so 

 prodigiously amongst these bones, was found to proceed 

 from a single root, which had pushed itself horizontally, 

 and in a direct line through the border, till it reached 

 the bones, throwing out in its course but few fibres, the 

 soil being of an unfavorable nature to afford them much 

 food. The root proceeded from a Black Hamburgh 

 vine, which has, for several years past, produced some 

 of the finest-bearing shoots I ever saw, from which I 



