PRIVET. 148 



winter, affording food to the bullfinch and 

 thrush, and a 



" Fit dwelling for the feathered throng, 



Who pay their quit-rents with a song." 4 Green. 



The leaves of the privet feed the sphynx li- 

 gustri, or privet hawk moth ; and the phalcena 

 syringaria is also nourished by it in the cater- 

 pillar state ; and meloe vesicatorius, cantha- 

 rides, or blister-beetle, is found on it. 



The leaves being bitter and slightly astrin- 

 gent, are but seldom eaten by cattle ; horses 

 refuse it entirely, but kine, sheep, and goats, 

 will sometimes browse on it. 



It is a valuable plant in the shrubbery, as 

 it grows well under the drip of trees, and 

 bears clipping, which makes it desirable in 

 those situations where it is necessary to form 

 hedges, either for shelter or ornament, and as 

 it has only fibrous roots, it impoverishes the 

 ground less than any other shrub. 



The privet is not liable to be injured by 

 insects or blight, and it is found to be one of 

 the few plants that will thrive in the smoky 

 atmosphere of the squares or gardens of Lon- 

 don, but it seldom produces flowers in these 

 confined situations. In open places it arrives 

 to the height of six or seven feet, and the 



