feel, covered with ;i grey bark. It bears a delicate while 
flower, in some species very fragrant; and its leaves are 
of a lively green on the upper surface, but hoary under¬ 
neath. 
It is, individually, a beautiful and graceful object; 
but when cultivated largely, as in the olive countries, 
for purposes of commerce, it adds no charm to the 
landscape. An olive ground has a dull and cold tone 
of colouring, something the same in effect as a grove of 
willows, which we know would require the relief of 
brighter-hued trees. This peculiarity has been ac¬ 
counted for in the following manner: —“ In nature, or 
the open air, from the general position of the leaves, the 
upper surface of those which are polished reflects the 
colour of the sky; and the true tint of the foliage is lost, 
or greatly modified by the reflected light, and assumes 
a bluish cast. In tropical or warm countries, where 
the tint of the sky is very intense, this reflected colour 
augments in proportion; thus the smooth leaves of this 
plant, reflecting the blue of the sky, have their own 
verdant hue neutralised. The olive, as cultivated for 
crops, is always a low plant, seldom rising so high as the 
spectator s eye, and consequently he does not see a light 
passing through the transparent leaves, but only the 
m ;! 
