THE ELM. 221 



numerous leaf-like plates fluttering tremulously through 

 the air during the high winds of April, or sweeping in 

 eddies along the road in the neighbourhood of Elm-rows. 

 These are the seed-vessels just described; and there is 

 something melancholy in the sight of them, reminding us 

 as they do of autumn and the fall of the leaf, before 

 spring has well set in. Towards the end of April the 

 leaves burst forth from another set of buds ; they are at 

 first of a fresh, bright green, but afterwards deeper in tint, 

 irregularly notched at the edge, and remarkably unequal at 



FLOWERS OF COMMON ELM. 



the base, more or less rough on both sides, prominently 

 veined beneath, and having a downy tuft where each 

 vein commences. Each leaf has a pair of oblong stipules, 

 which, however, soon fall off. 



Thus far the description given will apply to all the 

 species of Elm : we will now proceed to consider the leading 

 characters which distinguish the four commonest species. 



Ulmus campestris, Common Small-leaved Elm. This is 

 the most generally distributed species of all. It is a lofty, 



