THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



17 



white birch (B. papyrifera) are the ones most often seen and 

 are probably the ones referred to in this connection though they 

 have much less resemblance to birds, either when falling 1 from 

 the trees or lying on the ground. 



Seeds of gray, white, black and yellow 

 birches, from top down. 



The locality as well as the season should be considered in 

 attempting to identify the birch fruits, for we rarely find all 

 four species growing in the same place. Gray, white, and yel- 

 low, birches are found in the same locality and black, white, 

 and yellow, may be found together, but gray, and black birches 

 I have never found growing naturally in the same locality. 

 Black birches (B. lento) grow along the fertile river valleys 

 while the gray birch seems to prefer a dry gravelly soil. 



