HOLLY AND MLSTLETOE. 85 



spienous, and sweet or pul[)y, while all tliose 

 wliich would be injured by their intervention are 

 brown or green, very little noticeable, and quite 

 wanting in pulpy surroundings or sugary juices. 

 Holly-berries, though harmless to the little crea- 

 tures for whose use they are primarily intended, 

 contain an acrid principle poisonous to human 

 beings, and children have occasionally lost their 

 lives through eating the tempting-looking but 

 tasteless fruit in too great profusion. 



The general interest in the holly-tree is so 

 greatly confined to the employment of its berries 

 for C'hristmas decorations that the world at large 

 forgets for the most part its other numerous and 

 valuable uses. Besides being widely planted as 

 an ornamental tree, especially in the pretty varie- 

 gated varieties known as gold and silver leaved 

 hollies, it is grown to a considerable extent for 

 the sake of its wood, which is liard grained and 

 finely fibred, so as to make it a very serviceable 

 material for turners and cabinet-makers. Neatly 

 blacked, it does dut}^ in place of high-priced 

 ebony, and it is the usual stuff from which to 

 manufacture the handles of tin tea-pots and of 

 connnon cottatje knives and forks. Bird-lime for 

 snaring its winged visitors is made from the 

 sticky matter in the bark; and even the berries 

 themselves j>ossess a considerable commercial 

 value, as everybody knows who has ever seen the 



