82 HOLLY AND MISTLETOE. 



and tangled thicket of well grown liolly-trees. 

 The familiar crinkled leaves, with their sharp 

 spiny angles, are of course intended to deter the 

 cattle from browsing on the foliage, and so hinder- 

 ing the proper growth of the tree to which they 

 belong. As a general rule, all the shrubs and 

 bushes which grow on such very open unenclosed 

 spaces are similarly protected from the hungry 

 attacks of cows or donkeys — for exami)le, furze 

 is armed with stiff thorny leaves, blackthorn with 

 sharp f)rickles, dog-rose with hooked thorns, and 

 may with smart defensive spines. To the self- 

 same category belong also nettles, thistles, black- 

 berry-brambles, and buckthorns. All nlike need 

 to be protected from the ceaseless depredations of 

 browsing animals, and all gain the requisite pro- 

 tection by producing thorns, prickles, or stinging 

 hairs as defensive armor. It is worth while to 

 notice, however, that the holly, which grows far 

 taller in favorable circumstances than any other 

 of these well armed shrubs, puts forth, as a rule, 

 the prickly leaves only on its lower branches, 

 where the}'' are openly exposed to the attacks of 

 animals. As soon as it attains a reasonable 

 height above the ground, the branches which rise 

 well out of reach of the browsing enemies are 

 covered only with smooth round blades, not at all 

 unlike those of the connnon laurel. Nature gives 

 the holly protection just so long as the tree needs 



