8 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST. 



Westminster Abbey, and sufficiently capacious for a 

 carriage and four horses to pass through it." The 

 dimensions of the archway were, height ten feet three 

 inches, width six feet three inches. In consequence of 

 the shores by which the old tree is supported, the feat 

 of driving through it cannot now be performed, but I 

 have often walked through, and wondered that it still 

 retained any life. 



Welbeck Park has produced several other oaks 

 remarkable for size. One called the " Duke's Walking 

 Stick," which was cut down about 1800, was one hundred 

 and eleven feet, six inches high, the first branch spring- 

 ing out of the trunk at the height of seventy feet, six 

 inches ; the circumference of this tree at fourteen feet 

 from the ground was fourteen feet. There is another 

 worthy to take the place of this fallen giant, called the 

 "Young Walking Stick," of the juvenile age of 140 

 years ; it is more than one hundred feet in height, and 

 so straight and clean that it would be nearly fit for 

 the mast of a ship as it stands, though its circumference 

 at three feet from the ground is only five feet. 



Thoresby Park also contains some fine oaks which 

 would almost rival the one just mentioned, whilst there 

 are scores of others which elsewhere would be noticeable, 

 but here in the presence of their loftier companions they 

 attract little attention except from the few genuine 

 admirers of nature. Rufford Park, too, can boast of some 

 exceedingly lofty beeches, though I regretted to notice 

 on a late visit that several of the largest had lost one or 

 two arms from the effect of high winds, which detracted 

 from their general symmetry. 



Leaving the parks we will turn into the open forest, 

 and there amongst thousands of venerable old trees, 



