92 
WAYSIDE AND WOODLAND TREES. 
wood made into charcoal is said to be the best for the purposes 
of the gunpowder makers, who know it by the name of Black 
Dogwood. The straight shoots of both species are used for 
forming walking and umbrella sticks, and those of longer 
growth for pea and bean sticks. 
The Brimstone butterfly {Gonepleryx rhamni) lays its eggs on 
the leaves of R. frafigula, upon which the larva feeds. The 
name Buckthorn appears to be due to an ancient misunder- 
standing of the German name Buxdorn, which should have 
been translated Box-thorn. 
Wild Plums {Prtmus comnumis). 
With the single exception of the Hazel, all our native fruit-trees 
are members of the extensive and beautiful Rose family. Before 
Roman invasions brought improved and cultivated varieties, 
our “ rude forefathers ” must have been glad to eat the Sloes, 
Crabs, and Wild Cherries that are now regarded as too terribly 
crude and austere, in an uncooked condition, for any stomach 
but that of the natural boy, which appears capable of surviving 
any ill-treatment. Some authors have regarded the Wild Plum 
and the Bullace as being specifically distinct from the Sloe and 
from each other ; but the modern view is that their differences 
only entitle them to rank as sub-species of the Sloe, and as 
such they will be regarded here. 
The Sloe or Blackthorn {Prun7is covnnuiiis) is the rigid 
many-branched shrub, with stiletto-like tips, that luxuriates on 
some of our commons and in our hedgerows. The blackish 
bark that gives its name to the shrub forms a fine foil in March 
or April for the pure white starry blossoms that brave the cold 
blasts before the leaf-buds dare unfurl their coverings. In some 
places — as in Cornwall, where it is the principal hedge plant, 
and where cliffs, creeks, and river banks are bordered by it — 
these bare black or purple stems are almost hidden by the 
