TREES THAT BUILD CITIES 5 



in the middle of such a clearing, or near a small 

 stream, with self-contained grandeur, and one is 

 reminded of the words of Bryant : 



"Clear are the depths where its eddies play, 

 And the dimples deepen and hurl away; 

 And the plane tree's speckled arms o'ershoot 

 The swifter current that mines its root." 



It flings its arms far and wide in untrammelled 

 vigour and attains a size and majesty impossible 

 within the solid phalanxes of its fellows. Another 

 tree which likes so to splurge is the beech. It is 

 by nature extremely masterful and monopolistic. 

 In the confines of the woods, its trunk often rises 

 fifty or sixty feet without branches, but when given 

 elbow-room it broadens out laterally so far that the 

 ends of the side-shoots almost touch the ground. 



Our bird's-eye view complete, let us go down into 

 the city and with our own feet tread its moss-paved, 

 bark-walled streets. 



Our eyes see a very beautiful forest but they have 

 not been trained to discern the subtler facts. We 

 shall call upon a naturalist to act as sightseeing 

 megaphone man. He is well acquainted with all 

 the inhabitants and speaks their language. He 

 will very likely first direct attention to the endless 

 man-like struggle for existence which permeates 

 woodland life. He will point out that as soon as 



