242 THE VIBUENUM. 



or nearly ovaL Notwithstanding its procumbent growth, 

 it is not a homely shrub. The numerous small and erect 

 branches that spring from the creeping boughs resemble a 

 bed of dense low shrubbery. And when we see it in an 

 old, dark-shaded wood, crimsoned by the tinting of autumn, 

 and full of bright scarlet fruit, we cannot but admire it. 



THE AEROW-WOOD. 



Among the several species which I shall not attempt 

 to describe, one of the most common and familiar is 

 the Arrow-Wood, so called from the general employ- 

 ment of its long, straight, and slender branches by 

 the Indians for the manufacture of their arrows. This 

 tree seldom rises above eight or ten feet in height, and is 

 more common in the borders of fields which are low and 

 wet than any other species. Its fruit is of a bluish slate- 

 color. These peculiar shrubs are often seen in the damp 

 forest, and ia the borders of wood-paths, bearing con- 

 spicuous fruit and tempting us to gather and eat, while 

 we refrain on account of the suspicions we naturally feel 

 when we discover the fruit of a strange plant. 



