Any one who will watch a white cat prowling after her prey will soon perceive under what a disadvantage she lies. The white Tartarian cherry, "owing either to its colour being so much like that of the leaves, or to the fruit always appearing from a distance unripe," is not so readily attacked by birds as other sorts. The yellow-fruited raspberry, which generally comes nearly true by seed, "is very little molested by birds, who evidently are not fond of it; so that nets may be dispensed with in places where nothing else will protect the red fruit." (21/24. 'Transact. Hort. Soc.' volume 1 2nd series 1835 page 275. For raspberries see 'Gardener's Chronicle' 1855 page 154 and 1863 page 245.) This immunity, though a benefit to the gardener, would be a disadvantage in a state of nature both to the cherry and raspberry, as dissemination depends on birds. I noticed during several winters that some trees of the yellow-berried holly, which were raised from seed from a tree found wild by my father remained covered with fruit, whilst not a scarlet berry could be seen on the adjoining trees of the common kind. A friend informs me that a mountain-ash (Pyrus aucuparia) growing in his garden bears berries which, though not differently coloured, are always devoured by birds before those on the other trees. This variety of the mountain-ash would thus be more freely disseminated, and the yellow-berried variety of the holly less freely, than the common varieties of these two trees. Independently of colour, trifling differences are sometimes found to be of importance to plants under cultivation, and would be of paramount importance if they had to fight their own battle and to struggle with many competitors. The thin-shelled peas, called pois sans parchemin, are attacked by birds (21/25. 'Gardener's Chronicle' 1843 page 806.) much more commonly than ordinary peas. On the other hand, the purple-podded pea, which has a hard shell, escaped the attacks of tomtits (Parus major) in my garden far better than any other kind. The thin-shelled walnut likewise suffers greatly from the tomtit. (21/26. Ibid 1850 page 732.) These same birds have been observed to pass over and thus favour the filbert, destroying only the other kinds of nuts which grew in the same orchard. (21/27. Ibid 1860 page 956.)