NATURAL HISTORY. 



543 



simple, branching, ascending, and 

 jnoliferous ; tlie hark is of a red- 

 dish dark brown, and thicker 

 than that of the tliird species, di- 

 vided bj' small longitudinal inter- 

 stices, not so much niagnitied as 

 in the second species. The re- 

 lative position of the leaves re- 

 sembles those of the balsam fir, 

 excepting that they are only two- 

 thirds the width, and little more 

 than half the length, and that 

 the upper disk is not so green 

 and glossy. The wood 3'ields no 

 balsam, and but little rosin. The 

 ■wood is white and tough although 

 rather porous. 



The fifth species in size re- 

 sembles the secop.d, and has a 

 trunk simple, branching, and 

 proliferous. The bark is of a thin 

 dark brown, U^ided longitudinally 

 by interstices, and scaling off in 

 thin rolling flakes. It yields but 

 little balsam : tAvo-thirds of the 

 diameter of the trunk in the cen- 

 tre presents a reddish white ; 

 the remainder is white, porous, 

 and tough : the twigs are much 

 longer and more slender than in 

 either of the other species ; ti)e 

 leaves are acerose, one-twentieth 

 of an inch in width, and one inch 

 in length ; sessile, inserted on 

 all sides of the bough, straight, 

 and obliquely pointing towards 

 the extremities. The upper disk 

 has a small longitudinal channel, 

 and is of a deep green, and not 

 so glossy as the balsam iir. The 

 under disk is of a pale green. 



We iiave seen a species of this 

 fir on low marshy grounds, re- 

 sembling in all points the fore- 

 going, except that it branches 

 more diffusively. This tree is 

 generally thirty feet in height, 

 and two in diameter. The diffu- 



sion of its branches may resulc 

 from its open situation, as it sel- 

 dom grows in the neighbourhood 

 of another tree. The cone is two 

 and a half inciies in length, and 

 three and three quarters in its 

 greatest circumference. It ta- 

 pers regularly to a ])oint, and is 

 formed of imbricated scales, of a 

 bluntly rounded form. A thin 

 leaf is inserted in the pitli of the 

 cone, which overlays the centre 

 of, and extends half an inch be- 

 yond the point of each scale. 



The sixth species does not differ 

 from what is usually denominated 

 the white pine in ^'irginia. The 

 unusual length of the cone seems 

 to constitute tlie only difference. 

 It is sometimes sixteen or eighteen 

 inches in length, and is about 

 four in circumference. It grows 

 on the north side of the Colum- 

 bia, near the ocean. 



The seventh, and last species, 

 grows in low grounds, and in 

 places frequently overflown by 

 the tide, seldom rising higher 

 than thirty-five feet, and not more 

 than from two and a half to four 

 in diameter : the stem is simple, 

 branching, and proliferous : the 

 bark resembles that of the first 

 species, but more rugged : the 

 leaves are acerose, two-tenths of 

 an inch in width, three-fourths 

 in length, firm, stiff, and a little 

 acuminated : they end in short 

 pointed tendrils, gibbous, and 

 thickly scattered on all sides of 

 the branch, though they adhere 

 to the three under sides only : 

 those inserted on the under side 

 incline sidewise, with upward 

 points, presenting the leaf in the 

 shape of a sithe : the others are 

 pointing upwards, sessile, and like 

 those of the first species, grow 



from 



