296 SYLVA FLORIFERA. 



ton gardens, the author of this work observed 

 a middle-aged man gathering these berries, 

 and on enquiring for what purpose they were 

 intended, he was informed that they were 

 esteemed good for a cough, and that he, as 

 well as all his family, had frequently eaten 

 quantities of them for that purpose with 

 success. 



Mr. White, in his History of Selborne, says, 

 In a yard, in the midst of a street, till very 

 lately grew a middle-sized female yew-tree, 

 which commonly bore great crops of berries. 

 By the high winds usually prevailing about 

 the autumnal equinox, these berries, when 

 ripe, were blown down into the road, where 

 the hogs ate them. It was remarkable, that 

 though barrow hogs and young sows found no 

 inconvenience from this food, yet milch sows 

 often died after such a repast ; a circumstance 

 that can be accounted for only by supposing 

 that the latter, being much exhausted and 

 hungry, devoured a larger quantity." 



It is probable that this injury was caused 

 by the swallowing of a great quantity of the 

 black stones which contain the seed, and not 

 from the mucilaginous pulp which surrounds 

 them, as we observe the wasps are very fond 

 of this fruit, and it will be observed that tjiey 



