76 



THE IVY. 



verdure is so perfectly in unison with the foliage 

 of the fir, that, when you are standing at a little 

 distance, you will be charmed with the addi- 

 tional beauty which it confers upon its stately 

 supporter. 



He who may chance to read these essays 

 will see that I have cultivated with great suc- 

 cess my three favourite evergreens, the yew, 

 the holly, and the ivy. They give food and 

 shelter to many species of British birds, which 

 are so sadly persecuted by gardeners and 

 gamekeepers throughout the whole extent of 

 the land. I consider the ivy more serviceable 

 than the other two, as its berries ripen at a 

 season of the year when the ordinary food of 

 the fields is far from being plentiful. The 

 berries of the holly are abundant at the same 

 time, but the birds are not nearly so fond of 

 them. 



Without these ever-verdant auxiliaries close 

 at hand, I should have but a poor chance of 

 observing the habits of our birds with satis- 

 faction to myself. Writers on ornithology may 

 consult volume after volume of other writers on 

 ornithology who have gone before them ; and 

 they may extract from the pages that which 



