104 THE ELM. 
tions of the topmost boughs, which are widely diver- 
gent, and shoot out on all sides in long, flexible, and 
pendulous branches, bending into regular arches, and 
floating lightly in the air. In isolated positions the 
Elm occasionally grows to the height of 100 feet; 
the trunk is then sometimes clothed to near its base 
with its beautiful verdure, which seems to wreathe 
about it like some parasitical vine or creeper. 
In Europe, the Elm lives to an advanced age, and 
often attains a prodigious size. The Crawley Elm, 
situated on the road from London to Brighton, is 71 
feet high, and the trunk measures at the ground 61 
feet in circumference. 
At Hampstead, a Hollow Elm formerly stood, the 
trunk of which measured at the base about 30 feet, 
and at the height of 42 feet appears to have been 
broken off. It is entirely hollow from the top to the 
bottom, in which a staircase had been built, leading 
to the summit, which was turreted, and provided with 
seats for six persons. It appeared to be in a thriving 
condition, and covered with the most luxuriant foliage, 
which spread to a considerable distance on every side. 
The Birch and the Poplar must also be reckoned 
among the beautiful trees of our forests. The Paper, 
or Canoe Birch, and the Yellow Birch, both in- 
habitants of the Northern and Eastern States and 
Nova Scotia, are lofty trees, with their trunks mea- 
suring from 3 to 18 feet in circumference. The 
former is remarkable for the beautiful texture of the 
bark, which is capable of being split into thin plates 
or layers, which have a fine smooth surface, and 
