118 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 



" We are always learning something from 

 you, Uncle Philip ; I did not know that there 

 were more than one sort of birch." 



"There are, though, seven; but I shall 

 only describe five of them to you, because 

 the other two are so small that they cannot 

 be called trees ; they are, in fact, nothing but 

 shrubs. Four of these five sorts are distin- 

 guished from each other by the colour of their 

 bark, or of the wood: they are called the 

 white, the red, the yellow, and the black 

 birch. The other is called the canoe birch, 

 from one of the important uses made of the 

 bark." 



" Uncle Philip, I have read of bark canoes, 

 made by the Indians ; and I suppose it is 

 birch bark they are made of, for I know it is 

 very tough and strong." 



" Yes, birch bark is different from almost 

 every other ; the bark of most trees is brittle 

 and weak, and breaks very easily ; but birch 

 bark is a great deal like leather, and will bear 

 a great force without giving way. It comes 

 off in large pieces ; indeed, you might take 

 off the whole bark, with a little care. Did 

 you ever notice the seed or fruit of a birch ?" 



^ Yes, sir, I have ; it is a long slender sort 



