376 THE SCOTCH FIR, OR PINE. 



form of cones, which are not ripe until eighteen months 

 old. They are stalked, brown, rugged, and more or less 

 tapering to a point. In the autumn of the second year 

 they begin to open at the extremity, and shed the seeds, 

 which are situated in pairs at the base of each scale : they 

 are small, and each furnished with a long membranous 

 wing. 



There are two principal varieties of the Scotch Fir : in 



one, the trunk is red and nearly smooth, the branches form 

 a pyramidal head, and the cones are abundant, tapering 

 almost to a point ; in the other, the trunk is rugged and 

 yellowish brown, the branches take a horizontal direction 

 or bend downwards, the cones are less numerous and not 

 so much pointed, and the leaves are shorter, of a much 

 lighter, and decidedly glaucous, hue. The timber of the 



