CHAPTER XVIII 



The Collection of Woods 



The boys became so much interested in study- 

 ing the trees and making museum collections of 

 them that many weeks slipped by before they could 

 think of anvthinff else not absolutely necessary. 

 Wherever they went, they came back with tree spec- 

 imens. After they had worked along the banks of 

 the stream to the ocean and collected the trees and 

 shrubs on the strips of beach nearby, they took the 

 canoe and paddled up to the mangrove swamp to 

 get fruit, leaves, and wood of this interesting, land- 

 forming tree. No alligators were apparent; they 

 were evidently expecting them by land. 



The specimens of wood were each given a number 

 and arranged in order on narrow shelves against the 

 wall, with the fruits, flowers, and leaves just above 

 them. As the collection grew, it was difficult to 

 remember all the specimens and the same tree was 

 sometimes collected twice. 



William had such a mania for growing things that 

 he started a nursery in the back of the garden and 

 had each little tree marked with a stake bearing its 



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