52 



THE YOUNG NATUEALIST 



higiL altitudes^ it rarely rises above 

 the surrounding vegetation or shelter- 

 ing debris, attaining a height of barely 

 three inches, with leaves a quarter of 

 an inch in diameter, yet ramifying 

 extensively, rarely flowering, but root- 

 ing readily at the extremities of its 

 woody tortuous branches. On the 

 Scottish mountains it is overtopped by 

 the encircling herbage, hence the para- 

 dox that in that eccentric country the 

 grass grows higher than the trees. 



The wood of the willow is white and 

 soft. It does not split readily, so it is 

 often used for packing cases, rollers, 

 brake blocks, &c. It burns slowly, 

 and makes a superior charcoal for 

 gunpowder manufacture. The bark of 

 various species is suitable for tanning 

 purposes : the leaves of S. herlacea 

 are used by the Icelanders to prepare 

 their leather. The barks of several — 

 notably Russelliana — are rich in 

 salicine, in high repute as a febrifuge, 

 even rivalling Peruvian bark. Three 

 doses are said to cure ague or inter- 

 mittent marsh fever, but being so 

 common it is not likely to become 

 popular. The exceeding pliability of 

 the young shoots, the willingness with 

 which they yield themselves to various 

 uses, has probably originated the com- 

 mon name of willow — withe — Scottish 

 widdie. Hence we have the Scottish 

 name for the gallows, " widdie/^ from 

 the strength, tenacity, and strangula- 

 ting power of the willow ! The local 



name of "sallow," Scottish "saugh," 

 is from the ashy grey hue of the foliage 

 of certain species, such as S. cinerea 

 and S. caprea, the goat wiUow, goats 

 being supposed to be excessively fond 

 of browsing on its leaves and twigs. 

 The leaves of S. nigricans and its 

 varieties, become black whilst drying, 

 even when the greatest care is exercised. 

 The foliage of S, phylicifolia, the tea 

 willow, so closely resembles tea leaves 

 that it is shrewdly suspected they are 

 sometimes used to adulterate the 

 cheaper kinds of tea : the result, if it 

 does not improve the flavour or efficacy 

 of the universal beverage, can scarcely 

 be considered injurious ; although, 

 when the leaves of the sloe (Primus 

 spinosa) which, being equally suitable, 

 are sometimes surreptitiously used for 

 the same purpose, the infusion has 

 been punningly termed " sloe poison." 

 The botanic name saUx, Latin for 

 willow, with allied representative names, 

 refer to shrubs producing branches, 

 suitable for withes or bands. The 

 German saal, Latin aula, a stall or 

 hall ; brings us back to the time when 

 our ancestors formed their primitive 

 dwellings of wattles, or wickerworks 

 of willow — sallow branches. Some 

 philologists derive the word from the 

 Celtic sal, near, lis, water, because so 

 many of the species love to grow in 

 watery places, and more fancifully from 

 the Latin salis, to leap, because of the 

 elasticity of the wood. In the 



