100 FAMILIAR TREES AKD THEIR LEAVES. 



unwillingly formed more than a " scraping acquaint- 

 ance " with this tree the brook trout's best friend. 



Its leaves 

 are extremely 

 coarse, irregu- 

 larly toothed, 

 prominently 

 brown - veined, 

 very downy be- 

 neath (especially 

 when young), and dull, 

 dark olive above. The 

 I the twigs is also olive- 

 ;reen, and that of the 

 trunk is shiny, ruddy 

 green. The purple and 

 mellow catkin which 

 appears in spring is 

 extremely graceful, 

 and scatters clouds of 

 pollen dust if disturbed. 

 In the fall we will find the catkin buds and the 

 "cones" on the same bush, like my sketch. The 

 cones resemble red-pine cones in miniature. 



The European alder (Alnus glutmosa), often 

 planted in our parks, is a handsome tree from 25 to 

 60 feet in height, with a leaf closely resembling that 



^yM@ 



Speckled Alder. 



