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New yerfeyt Raccoon, 337 



chear the woods with their green follagei 

 About the month of May they begin to 

 ilower in thefe parts, and then their beauty 

 rivals that of moft of the known trees in na-^ 

 ture : the flowers are innumerable, and fit 

 in great bunches. Before they open, they 

 have a fine red colour, but as they are ex- 

 panded, the fun bleaches them, fo that 

 fome are quite white ; many preferve the 

 colour of rofes. Their lliape is fingular, 

 for they refemble a crater of the ancients : 

 their fcent however is none of the mofl 

 agreeable. In fome places it was cuftomary 

 to adorn the churches on chriftmas day or 

 new-years day with the fine branches of this 

 tree, which are then thick covered with 

 leaves. 



But thefe trees are known for another 

 remarkable quality -, their leaves are poifon 

 to fome animals, and food for others : ex- 

 perience has taught the people that when 

 fheep eat of thefe leaves, they either die 

 immediately, or fall very fick, and recover 

 with great difficulty. The young and more 

 tender fheep are killed by a fmall portion, 

 but the elder ones can bear a ftronger dofe. 

 Yet this food will likewife prove mortal to 

 them, if they take too much of it : the 

 Ikme noxious eiFe^t it fhews in regard to 

 calves which £at too much of the leaves : 

 Y they 



