THE ASH. 



159 



for the express purpose, and the united efforts of 

 men and horses, its transit was with difficulty 

 effected, though not before the turnpike gates 

 along the line of road had been removed, and a 

 breach made in the park-wall to admit it. In the 

 first year after its transportation it sent out shoots 

 twelve inches long. A curious Weeping Ash is to 

 be seen in the garden of the Vernon Arms, New 

 Road, London. It is trained by trellis work, at 

 a height of seven feet from the ground over four- 

 teen tables and twenty-eight benches, covering a 

 space thirty-six feet long by twenty-one feet wide. 



Another variety of the Ash [Fraxinus hetero- 

 phylla) is occasionally to be met with, bearing 

 simple leaves, but is only remarkable for wanting 

 the graceful lightness of foliage which character- 

 izes the common Ash, This, too, is increased 

 by grafting, but is altogether unworthy of being 

 encouraged. Some botanists consider this, but 

 without sufficient grounds, to be a distinct species. 



Jesse, in his interesting Gleanings in Natural 

 History, gives the following remarkable instance 

 of an extraneous substance being found imbedded 

 in the solid timber of an Ash : A person on 

 whose accuracy and veracity I can place every 

 reliance, informed me that hearing from some of 

 his brother-workmen, that in sawing up the butt 

 of a large Ash-tree, they had found a bird's nest 

 in the middle of it ; he immediately went to the 

 spot, and found an Ash cut in two longitudinally 

 on the saw-pit, and the bird's nest nearly in the 

 centre of the tree. The nest was about two- 

 thirds of a hollow globe, and composed of moss, 

 hair and feathers, all seemingly in a fresh state. 

 There were three eggs in it, nearly white and 



