146 NATURAL HISTORY of NORWAY* 



Ronne, the wild Sorbus-fylveftris, the wild Service-tree, grows 

 every where, even on the parched fides of the mountains, nou- 

 rifhing with its berries, not only the field-fares or cock-thrufhes, 

 of which we have many, and in great perfection, but even the 

 bear, though the latter, generally, to the ruin of the. tree, the 

 weight of his body breaking and damaging the tree in his climb- 

 ing up. The young twigs are gathered with the berries on, and 

 ufed medically, in winter, againfl the belly-ach. 



Tindveed, the name of the tree called the Spina-Chrifti, or 

 Chrift-thorn, is pretty common, and being an ever-green, is fre- 

 quently planted near houfes. 



Oexel, or Axel forbus terminalis, a kind of fervice. This tree 

 is one of the particular natives of Norway, and little known to 

 foreigners. Mr. Chriftian Gartner, who vifited feveral countries, 

 and had thorough knowledge in his profefiion, fays, page 47, of 

 his Horti Cultura, that he firft met with it in counfeilor Shultz's 

 garden in Drontheim, on which account I have annexed a draught 

 see pkte ix. of one of its branches with the leaves and flowers; Linneus 

 makes the following mention of it, Oexel, Crataegus, foliis ovali- 

 Tranfaaions bus inaequaliter ferratis, Hort. Cliff. 187. Crataegus fcandica, fo- 

 difliAcad.ofliis oblongis, non nihil lacinatis et ferratis. Celf. Upf. 17. It 

 the en year ° r grows in Oeland and Guland (Gothland) but except in Sweden 

 p?93. ° Q "' and Norway, it is hardly to be met with growing fpontaneoufly*. 

 Some places in the neighbourhood of Bergen produce this tree, 

 but not in great numbers. The flock and branches bear fome re- 

 femblance to the fervice-tree, but bend more ; the bark is of a 

 greyifh brown, and veined ; the leaves of a finger's length, half as 

 broad, and indented, the points towards the extremity being fmall, 

 but the indenture within the leaf is fo deep as to make the ap- 

 pearance of other diftincl: leaves on the fame flem. At the extre- 

 mity of every branch, and betwixt three leaves, hangs a bunch of 

 thirty or forty berries, oblong, red, and, when ripe, diftinguifhed 

 with a black fpeck ; their ftones fmall \ the juice red ; and when 

 infufed in wine very pleafant. Valerius Cordus, in his Diipenfary, 



* In fome few parts of Germany, efpecially in the diftrict of Fouringen, grows a 

 kind of tree, which is there called Arlfbeer-tree, and which by its defcription, has a 

 great affinity with our Oexel. See Allgem. CEconom. Lexicon, p. 124. 



2 com- 



