164 



PINACE^. 



horizontal, and drooping branches j short, spur-like branchlets, its pro- 

 minent buds, and its close, vertical clusters of leaves. 



Its timber is yellowish-white and beautifully veined, compact, close- 

 grained, fine in texture, moderately hard, and tolerably durable, easily 

 wrought, and capable of receiving a good polish ; but its slow rate of 

 growth, and its being somewhat delicate, and very fastidious as to soil 

 and situation, disqualify it from taking rank as a profitable timber tree 

 in these realms. 



As an ornamental tree it is very useful, and in every collection of 

 fine foliaged trees, where there may be a deep loamy soil, on a dry 

 bottom, or a gravelly soil with porous substrata, a warm locality, or a 

 well sheltered situation, it should have a place. 



There are also the following varieties of it, viz. : — Aurea, (the 

 golden- variegated,) Argentea, (the silvery,) laciniata, (the much-cut or 

 many lobe-leaved,) MacrophyUa,(t'h.e very-large-leaved,) SindMicropkylla, 

 (a smaller-leaved variety,) all of which are beautiful ornamental trees. 



S.D. V. Taxine^ : The Yew Tribe. 



The Greek ro^or, "a, bow" ; being akin to ra^a, ''to stretch"; and 

 rai^o, " to draiv or 'pull^' man having become an expert in the arts of 

 war and hunting before he took to literature ; the bow and arrow being 

 the ancient weapons for these arts, and the " bow" being made of yew- 

 wood. In far remote periods of the world's history, the bow and 

 arrow were held in as high estimation, and in some countries and 

 amongst some tribes, were as much practiced, as is our present more 

 perfect and efiicient weapon the rifle amongst ourselves ; and our own 

 national and noble pastime, or art of archery, is only the same idea in 

 a more humane and refined form. The inhabitants of the Balearic and 

 other Mediterranean Isles, have always been noted for their archery. 

 They learned it when young, and rather ingeniously, inasmuch, as 

 when the children were hungry, their victuals were set upon a beam, 

 and before partaking of them, they must needs hit them with a dart or 

 arrow. Every mother who might pride herself upon the possession of 

 a favourite son, made it a rule of daily observance to place his dinner 

 before him, and that he must hit it with the arrow from his Toxon, 

 (bow,) before he was allowed to partake of the viands. 



Toxon, again, is the origin of the term Toxica, " poison," inasmuch, 

 as in former times, nay, even through all epochs of the world's extant 

 history, the Yew was, is, and most probably shaU be considered 

 poisonous j there is, however, much popular error prevalent anent this 



