12 



RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. 



leaf of the chestnut tiee. but the teeth 

 being more rounded. 



A few of the prominent characteristics of 

 the several kinds of the above trees are 

 airanged below : 



Q. rubra. Red oak. — Large tree; mas- 

 sive trunk, bark smooth until old, wood 

 porous, inferior ; leaves oblong or lance 

 shaped, not deeply cut, contracted at base, 

 lobes five or six on a side, terminated b}' 

 bristles ; acorns large, in a broad shallow 

 cup, covered with thin, close scales ; grows 

 rapidly, sprouts readily from the stump ; 

 lare in Rhode Island ; comes to perfection 

 farther north. 



Q. tinctoria. Black oak. Yellow-bark. 

 — Large, handsome tree ; rough thick bark, 

 3"ellow inside, very bitter ; leaves on long 

 footstalks, yellowish green, inversely egg- 

 shaped, deeplj' cut on mature trees, very 

 shining above, three or four lobes on each 

 side, mucronate, rich russet yellow in the 

 autumn ; acorn small, rounded, finely 

 striated by dark brown stripes, meat yellow, 

 verj- bitter, in adeep cup, diminishing down- 

 wards, scales free at extremity, upper ones 

 somewhat fringed, abundant ; wood porous, 

 inferior as fuel, fair timber in dry situations ; 

 very common in Rhode Island, beautiful as 

 a shade tree. 



Q. coccinea. Scarlet oak. — Fine symmet- 

 rical tree, large size, rather slender limbs ; 

 bark rough, numerous short clefts, reddish 

 gra}' color ; leaves very deeply cut, on long 

 slender petioles, very shining on both sides, 

 roundish or oblong in general outline, bris- 

 tle pointed, rich scarlet or crimson in autumn 

 acorn small, globose, in a deep cup, length- 

 ened at base, abrupt at upper edge, kernel 

 white, slightly bitter ; wood very porous, in- 

 ferior as fuel, handsome in cabinet work ; 

 tree common in Rhode Island, but less so 

 than Q. tinctoria a fine shade tree. 



Q. 2^'^d>i^tris. Pin oak. — A tree of mid- 

 dle size in Rhode Island, the northern limit 

 of the species, limbs slender ; most graceful 

 of northern oaks ; leaves small on slender 

 footstalks, polished on both sides, cut almost 

 to the midrib, thin, somewhat drooping ; 

 acorns very small, not abundant, cup cover- 

 ing lialf the fruit, close scales ; tree grows 

 by the side of streams or ponds ; has some- 

 what of weeping habit over a stream ; rare 

 in Rhode Island. 



Q. illicifoHd. Scrub oak. Bear oak. — 



A shrub, six to fifteen feet high, several 

 stalks from a single root, scraggy branches ; 

 leaves small, on short footstalks, not dcepl}' 

 cut, two or three lobes with short bristly 

 points ; acorns small, beautifully- striped, 

 kernel deep j^ellow, same color where 

 attached to the cup, very abundant ; wood 

 hard and tough ; common upon the poor 

 soils of Rhode Island. 



Q. alba. White oak. — The most massive 

 of native oaks, wide spreading, limbs low, 

 large, and often crooked, lower ones horizon- 

 tal, upper ones at sharp angles, bark gray' 

 or ash color, often in scales thick on old 

 trees ; leaves on short footstalks, four to 

 six inches long, half as wide, upper surface 

 lively green, lower surface pale, thick, leath- 

 ery-, deeply divided into lobes, three or four 

 on a side, which are rounded or obtuse, and 

 like all the "annuals," destitute of ?)imc?'Os; 

 acorns long, average one inch, ovoid, in a 

 shallow, flattened hemispherical cup, gray- 

 ish, rough with roundish tubercles, on foot- 

 stalks, single or in pairs, sweet and edible, 

 not often abundant ; wood tough, compact, 

 elastic, very valuable for timber or fuel. The 

 grandest tree of the New England forests ; 

 common in Rhode Island woods, although 

 few finely developed specimens are seen. 



Q. obtasiloba. Post oak. — Fine low- 

 spreading tree in Rhode Island, branches 

 numerous, very crooked and crowded near 

 the trunk ; foliage very dense, thick, leath- 

 er}', shining above a deep sinus on each 

 side, three broad divergent lobes above, 

 and leaves arranged close together in stil- 

 lated form ; acorns on short footstalks, small, 

 sweet, in a grayish, broad cup, smooth, 

 close scales, often two, three, or four acorns 

 together ; wood valuable for posts, ship 

 timber, etc.; tree very rare in Rhode Island. 



Q. prinus var. bicolor. Swamp White 

 oak. — A middle-sized tree, cylinderical 

 head, scraggy branches, bark in long, loose 

 scales, leaves obovate, narrowed at base 

 into short footstalk, margin wavy, toothed, 

 thirteen divisions, downy underneath, dark 

 green above, six to seven inches long, half 

 as broad, smaller leaves below the larger 

 ones, fewer teeth ; fruit large, roundish- 

 ovate; acorns pointed, in deep hemispherical 

 cups, rough outside, sometimes fringed on 

 the margin, sweet, not abundant; heart- 

 wood dark, sap-wood light in color, heavv, 

 tough, strong, durable ; a wet ground or 



