FOLIAGE OF THE BEECH IN AUTUMN. 25 



secure retreat, or takes refuge in its drey, from 

 which it peeps with a mixture of curiosity and 

 alarm. Mr. Bowles prettily describes it, 



with ears erect, 



The squirrel seems to hark ! and then to dance, 

 With conscious tail aloft, and twinkling feet, 

 Nimbler, from bough to bough. 



But it is time to attempt a description of the 

 appearance and foliage of the Beech in autumn. 

 I have observed that its rich and golden hues at 

 this period of the year, depend very much on the 

 soil in which it grows. In chalky soils in which 

 the beech delights, nothing can be more beautiful 

 than its autumnal foliage. This is best seen when 

 the tree flourishes on some precipitous bank, its 

 roots watered by a meandering rill, while some of 

 them fix themselves in the fissures of the chalky 

 rock ; when they appear above the ground, with all 

 their various contortions, they are covered with 

 moss, affording a delightful seat for the traveller. 

 Here mixed with the duller foliage of the Oak, whose 



thick branches stretch 

 A broader, browner shade, 



the beech may be seen in all its beauty, especi- 

 ally when a setting sun rlings its bright departing 

 rays on its topmost branches. Nothing can then 

 exceed the lustre of its golden canopy. It is a 

 sight which Gilbert White delighted in, and 

 which he could best describe. The song of birds is 



