THE PRIVET. 391 
young twigs find employment in the art of tan- 
ning, and are also used on account of their 
toughness and elasticity for making baskets and 
for tying articles together. Indeed, it is this last- 
named use of the Privet by the Romans that 
suggested its generic name of Ligustrwm, a deriva- 
tion of ligo, to bind or tie. 
But we repeat that the Privet, in another sense, 
is both useful and beautiful—namely, in its leafi- 
ness and freshness, qualities which are especially 
beautiful in this plant, because of their persistence 
under adverse circumstances. Who will say that 
there is not a charm in its densely clustering 
foliage,—green always, in spite of drip and shade 
—in its white and sweet-scented blossom, and 
in the purple sheen of its winter fruit? It is 
amongst the most sociable of our woodland 
Trees—for Tree it is, though of small stature, 
and rarely seen above the height ofa shrub. It 
will thrive almost anywhere, and serve almost any 
purpose where greenery is desired. It will even 
please by retaining or throwing off its foliage, 
according to the position in which it is placed; 
retaining it and being an evergreen when sheltered 
