144 FAMILIAR TREES 
now they are commonly used at dessert, or in sugar- 
plums and cakes instead of almonds. If not kept 
in the cone, however, the abundant oil they contain 
becomes speedily rancid. They are known in French 
as “pignons,” whence the tree gets its name of “ Pin 
pignon.” On the islands in the Sea of Marmora, 
where the tree is very common, the cones are 
exposed to fire to make them open and drop out 
the seeds, which are known in Turkish as “ fistik.” 
Besides being much eaten by squirrels, they form 
the chief food of the cross-bill, a bird which 
occasionally visits this country, and whose beak is 
specially modified for their extraction from the 
cone. 
Where this Pine occurs in large groves of fine 
trees, such as those which form one of the great 
beauties of the ancient city of Ravenna, “Queen of 
the Marshes,’ where these trees extend for miles, 
the rustling and sighing of the boughs in the wind 
has often arrested the attention of the poet. 
TRANSVERSE SECTION OF NEEDLE LEAF OF STONE PINE. 
