6 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



defence ; cuiZ, that which prohibits — 

 in allusion to the prickly fence formed 

 by the leaves. In Welsh it is celyn, 

 tree, shelterer, or protector, from eel, 

 conceal, shelter, cover ; appropriate to 

 the dense ever-green foliage. 



The common name of holly has been 

 fancifully thought to refer to its holy 

 character as a plant used for decorating 

 churches; but this is fallacious, as the 

 ancient name is not holly, but "hollen," 

 a name that still prevails in many rural 

 districts. u Hollen " is the modernised 

 form of the Anglo-Saxon " Holeyn" 

 which has been explained, hoi, all ; eyn, 

 needles, sharp points ; therefore the 

 tree with sharp prickles or spines. 

 When it is borne in mind that c in 

 Gaelic is the equivalent of h in the 

 Germanic languages, the similarity of 

 the names will be apparent. By the 

 substitution of m for n we have 

 " holme/' an old name for holly : so 

 we have " Holmwood," equal to Holly- 

 wood. " Hulver " is an old name for 

 the holly. Chaucer has it " hulfreere." 

 This is synonymous with the French 

 olivier, olive-tree, and its application 

 to the holly is traceable to the practice 

 of strewing this evergreen like palms 

 or olives during certain devotional 

 ceremonies or church festivals. And 

 an old Saxon name was "elebeam," 

 or olive-wood, from this custom of 

 strewing branches in lieu of olives at 

 religious processions. The old Romish 

 writer, Naogeorgus, says, — 



" He is even the same that, long agone, 



While in the street he roade, 

 The people mette, and olive bowes 

 So thick before him stroade." 

 It is somewhat curious that for a plant 

 so popular with the poets Shakspeare 

 should only mention it once : — 

 " Heigh-ho ! sing heigh-ho ! unto the green 

 holly ; 



Most friendship is feigning, most loving 

 mere folly ; 



Then heigh-ho, the holly, 

 This life is most jolly." 



NATURAL HISTORY 

 EDUCATION. 



Read before the Lancashire and Cheshire Ento- 

 mological Societies, June 25th, 1883, and at the 

 Huddersfield Technical School, August 20th 1883. 

 By S. L. Mosley. 

 A few years ago, education for the masses 

 of the people consisted in being able to write 

 their own name, to read some simple book, 

 to work a compound division sum, to repeat 

 the Lord's prayer, and say the Church 

 Catechism. Now the case. is very different, 

 for we seem to have suddenly rushed to the 

 other extreme, and to have reduced educa- 

 tion to a deliberate cram. A child cannot 

 learn too much, but at the same time it is 

 unreasonable to expect that it should learn 

 all there is to learn, during the seven or 

 eight years it may go to school. But though 

 too much is attempted at present in some 

 respects, our national system still leaves 

 out much that should be taught, and 

 amongst other things it comprises no form 

 of instruction in Natural History. Some 

 departments of Natural History are included 

 in what are known as the extra subjects, as 

 for instance, Botany ; but the importance of 

 the whole subject demands that every child, 

 from the first day it enters the school, shall 



