50 EUCALYPTI. 



measuring 514 feet in height. This corresponds to 

 that of the towers of Cologne Cathedral; the Pyramid 

 of Cheops, however, and the dome of St. Peters in 

 Rome fall short of it b\- five, and twent\- }-ards 

 respectiveh'. Eucah'ptus trees grow exceedingly fast 

 even on the Riviera, and soon tower above their sur- 

 roundings although thev were introduced not more than 

 forty years ago. At La Mortola a Eucalvpius globuhcs 

 attained a height of 6U feet and nearh' five feet girth 

 in seven \-ears. No other trees in Europe have been 

 known to grow so'rapidh. In spite of this rapid growth 

 the wood is very hard. Eucahpti have been planted in 

 many places because wholesome effects have been attributed 

 to their exhalations. But in reality' the inlinitely small 

 quantit\' of ^'olatile oil which the tree emits could scarcely 

 have an^' appreciable effect. On the other hand as they 

 grow so rapidh', and, being evergreen, continue to eva- 

 porate water from their leaves suinmer and winter, the^' 

 may contribute towards the draining of suamp\ ground. 

 The hope that an essence extracted from the leaves and 

 bark of the Eucahptus would take the place of Quinine 

 was never realised. But this extract does really possess 

 certain febrifuge properties, and justilies its use from time 

 immemorial b)- the Australian aborigines, hi April the 

 older trees on the Riviera are decked with large, white 

 flowers, which are remarkable for their numerous, long, 

 thread-like stamens. The Botanist will know at once that 

 he is dealing with a plant belonging to the Myrtle family. 

 A peculiarit\' of the Eucalyptus is that their flower-buds 

 open bv a round lid, which falls off like a white frosted 



