ADAPTATIONS IN ANIMALS AND PLANTS 



49 



Ihe Little Fear-Shaped House 



ON THE WiTCH-HaZEL BoUGH 



^VERY one remembers the child- 

 hood rambles among the hazel 

 bushes, and the green clusters of 

 nuts growing upon their branches. How 

 many times have we tasted the acrid 

 coverings and turned them back to 

 determine their stage of ripeness! This 

 reminder is probablj^ all that is neces- 

 sary to dispel the possible confusion 

 between the hazel shrubs and those of 

 the witch-hazel, which are seemingly 

 less familiar to the average person, but 

 for the sake of those who do not recall 

 the witch-hazel shrub, the illustration on 

 this page will aid in this identification. 



The seed capsule of witch-hazel is quite 

 unlike that of the hazel nut, the former 

 being outwardly formed something like an 

 acorn covered with pubescence. The basal 

 portion of the seed receptacle is like a little saucer, with four 

 projecting processes, and colored the same dingy green as the 

 top. The apex is divided into two small lips which are turned a 

 trifle outward and are spined at the middle. In the fall, some 

 of the witch-hazel branches are often fairly covered with the 

 seed capsules, and when ripe they snap apart in the middle 

 with considerable violence, throwing the hard, woody seeds 

 in every direction over the surrounding ground. Frequently, 

 in the open forests where these bushes abound, they attain a 

 height of from ten to twelve feet. 



On the branches of the witch-hazel one mav come across 



