XIII 



CURIOUS TREES 



There at the foot of yonder nodding beech 

 That wrestles its old fantastic roots so high, 



His listless length at noontide he would stretch 

 And pore upon the brook that bubbled by. 



GRAY. 



ONE reason why the study of trees is so fasci- 

 nating is because of the unusual and extraor- 

 dinary elements they continually present. In the 

 vast expanses of the tree kingdom are many species 

 and individuals which, by veering from the expected 

 and the normal, have made themselves noteworthy 

 for all time. 



Who has not heard of the big trees of California 

 those gigantic sequoias and redwoods which 

 tower to unbelievable heights? They are possibly 

 the most extraordinary trees in all the world. They 

 are really relics of the pre-glacial ages of huge 

 reptiles, gigantic ferns and other strange natural 

 forms. The three-toed horse, the hairy mammoth 

 and the sabre-toothed tiger are believed to have been 

 173 



