TREES THAT KEEP A DIARY 85 



tree's life is shown there with unfailing exactness. 

 Let the tree encounter some rock or other obstruc- 

 tion and its pages at that point will be crowded 

 and cramped for many years. Upon the removal 

 of some overgrown and close-pressing neighbour, 

 the diary-keeper will write in a much freer and 

 larger hand. Upon reaching maturity the strain 

 and attention given to raising the first family will 

 be reflected in shorter and less complete entries. 

 The pages which by their position are turned to- 

 ward the sun inspire larger letters than the cramped 

 script turned out in the semi-darkness of the sun- 

 less side. A thousand moods and factors enter 

 into the composition of this wonderful manuscript. 

 And who can assure us that a part of the music 

 of the violin has not been recorded in the wood ? 



A man wanting to do a bit of research work of 

 the most fascinating kind should go into a lumber- 

 ing region and make a careful study of some pros- 

 trate monarch of the first-growth era. He may 

 not be able to read the open diary displayed before 

 him as thoroughly as a trained naturalist, but many 

 outstanding features will be quite apparent and 

 will well repay the trouble necessary to decipher 

 them. 



Let us imagine that we, as a party of nature- 

 lovers, are standing around some great and vener- 



