NATURAL HISTORY, TORONTO REGION 



If the flowers of Toronto have grown more beauti- 

 ful, the trees have degenerated sadly. Umbrageous 

 groves of oak, beech and maple, diversified by occa- 

 sional clumps of towering pine, seem to have charac- 

 terized the scene 



" When wild in woods the noble savage ran." 



Many noble elm-trees were scattered through the city, 

 fifty years ago, and a few still survive. One splendid 

 specimen is to be seen east of the Queen's Park, and 

 just north of Wellesley Street. The pines do not 

 seem to be able to endure civilization any better than 

 the noble savage himself. The new tree surgery, or 

 rather dentistry, is being applied to a number of the 

 survivors of the forest, with what success remains to 

 be seen. The favourite imported tree for shading 

 purposes was the horse-chestnut, which, had it been 

 planted regularly, as in Bushy Park, near Richmond, 

 would have made the University Avenue one of the 

 sights of America. But the effort was made to imi- 

 tate nature, for the avenue was laid out in the days 

 of the romantic movement, which in this case had a 

 far from romantic result. The hatred of trees wl 

 was a heritage of the early settlers survived 

 Toronto till quite recently. In the Universil 

 grounds the trees are labelled with their scientil 

 names, as in Boston. May the fragrance of 

 and the beauty of trees combine with other pleasant 

 memories in the minds of our visitors, as typical 

 Toronto, the " place of meetings " ! 

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