102 Burnside. 



against witches, whilst others prove its ability to drive dull 

 care away by manufacturing beer from its berries. The 

 superstition attached to it probably had its origin in Druid- 

 ical times, and in some parts of Scotland, at least till very 

 recently, a hoop of rowan wood was made, through which 

 the sheep were made to pass morning and evening in order 

 to preserve them from harm. 



How lovely are its bright red berries in the winter ! How 

 exquisite its pretty white flowers in early spring ! How 

 charming its delicate scent! How graceful its frond-like 

 leaves in summer and autumn ! Truly with Wordsworth we 

 may say 



" The mountain ash 



No eye can overlook, when 'mid a grove 



Of yet unfaded trees she lifts her head, 



Decked -with autumnal berries that outshine 



Spring's richest blossoms." 



Here it rears its head in company with the birches, high 

 above the little thickets of tangled brier and thorn, often 

 indeed overtopping its graceful neighbour. It must not be 

 forgotten that the mountain ash has no affinity with our 

 " queen of the woods," the common ash tree ; its connection 

 with our fruit trees is shown by its blossom, its fruit, and 

 perhaps by the manufacture of rowan jelly from its berries. 

 These contain a peculiar sugar, called sorbinose, which, 

 although hard and gritty, is quite as sweet as cane sugar. 



The banks of the burn now form steep and high rocky 

 walls, whilst the burn itself flows noisily on at the bottom 

 of the wild bed which it has cut out for itself. But the bed 

 soon widens out a little, and in every sheltered corner a birch 

 tree has taken up its position ; the graceful trees line the 

 stream, here and there leaning over, as if to dip their boughs 



