THE BILBERRIES 221 



adaptation to attract birds. In the Alps, however, 

 while a certain number of berries are no doubt eaten 

 by Black- Cock, Ptarmigan, Grouse, and other birds, 

 such as the Snow-Finch, the Ring-Ouzle, and the 

 Alpine Chough, the number of berries produced 

 annually seems to be greater than the demands of 

 bird-life require. 



The Bilberries. 



Under this name we may group together the three 

 Alpine species of Vaccinium, all of which are common 

 British plants. This genus is a member of the Heath 

 family (natural order Ericacese), though by some it is 

 placed in a separate order, Vacciniaceae. Vaccinium 

 myrtillus, Linn., is the True Bilberry ; V. uliginosum, 

 Linn., is the Bog Vaccinium ; and V. vitis-idoea, Linn., 

 the Cowberry or Eed Whortleberry (Plate XLIL, 

 Fig. 1). All three are often associated in the Alps. 



Vaccinium myrtillus, Linn. 



The True Bilberry (F. myrtillus) is distinguished 

 from the other two species by the fact that the leaves 

 are toothed, and the stem is triangular in section. 

 The leaves are thin, and are shed each autumn. The 

 berry is blue-black in colour. 



The flowers are by no means conspicuous, and 

 quite scentless. The corollas are pale, greenish- white 

 in colour, globular in form, and nearly as broad as 

 long. 



The plant is a low, thick shrub, with long under- 



